Beginning Thursday, Feb. 1, the Office of the Clerk of the District Court will be closed to the public from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays to process all of the work caused by the filing of more than 23,000 documents that have been filed since the Oct. 12, 2023, security incident that disrupted access to information systems used by courts statewide. Reduced public hours are expected to continue through February.

Public Works is accepting applications for the 2024 user-fee dust control program. The deadline to submit an application is Friday, March 8.

The basement of Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, 111 E. 11th St., has sustained damage due to a small fire that occurred about 10:49 p.m. Jan. 23 in the jury deliberation room in the Division 7 courtroom of District Court. The room had experienced water damage from a sprinkler head that was damaged during recent freezing temperatures. The fire was determined by Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical to be accidental due to an electrical/mechanical malfunction of a fan that had been left running in the room to assist with the drying process. There were no injuries.

The Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council (HCC) announces funding is available through the Natural & Cultural Heritage Grant program. The Board of County Commissioners has authorized grant funds up to $220,000 for the program. Additionally, $200,000 is available in 2024 for projects that further open space conservation and align with the developing Douglas County Open Space Plan. Award amounts will range from $5,000 to $75,000.

Douglas County staff have been studying space and security needs in the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center (JLEC) for about five years. The building was constructed in 1974 and the last addition was completed 23 years ago in 2000.

The JLEC houses the Seventh Judicial District, District Attorney’s Office, 911 Dispatch Center, Emergency Management, Sheriff’s Office, Information Technology, and Building and Maintenance management staff.

The Commission meeting room on the second floor of the historic County Courthouse in downtown Lawrence will be renovated in 2024. The renovation includes fitting the room to accommodate five commissioners beginning Jan. 1, 2025, and repairing water damage that occurred in October 2022 from a fire sprinkler system flood. The Courthouse was built in 1904, and the goal of the project is to preserve the integrity of the room’s historic features while equipping it with modern technologies.

Douglas County and Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center encourage individuals to apply to serve on an advisory group for the Treatment & Recovery Center (TRC) of Douglas County.

They are seeking community members who represent the following sectors:

• physician/clinical expertise

• community advocates

• lived experience with mental illness, substance use disorders, suicidality and/or housing insecurity

• first responders or justice system representatives

The Douglas County Fire Chiefs Association and Douglas County Emergency Management reviewed and recommended updates to the county code that regulates open burning for the unincorporated areas of Douglas County. The updates to the county code, Home Rule Resolution 23-11-3, were approved Wednesday, Nov. 29, by the Board of County Commissioners.

With all of the precincts reporting, the unofficial results for the election can be found here: http://dgcoks.org/election2023. Results will not be official until after the canvass on Monday, Nov. 20.

The Douglas County Sustainability Office has published a draft “Adapt Douglas County: Climate Action and Adaptation Plan” that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help the community adapt to the risks of climate change.

Douglas County is seeking applications for the 2023-2024 Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge! The event will be 8:30 a.m.-noon Friday, Feb. 16, at The Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center, 2920 Haskell Avenue, in Lawrence.

Douglas County Consolidated Fire District No. 1 has been awarded a grant through the Kansas Governor’s Office Grants Program to enhance its wildland firefighting capabilities and firefighter safety. The grant, which was recently accepted and approved by the Board of County Commissioners, is part of the Local Safety and Security Equipment (LSSE) program and will provide Consolidated Fire District No.