Patrol Deputy Claire Sweeney and one of her surprise puppies.

Patrol Deputy Sweeney's compassion for stray dog turns into seven-fold surprise

In January, Patrol Deputy Claire Sweeney, of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, responded to a call about a stray dog in the county. She was able to get the dog into her patrol vehicle by feeding the dog her lunch and then some. The dog, Bonnie, eventually convinced Sweeney she needed to go home with her, and when no one claimed her days later, Lawrence Humane Society staff later released Bonnie to Sweeney.

There was a catch - Bonnie was pregnant.

Sweeney spent several weeks caring for and fostering seven mix puppies. Before taking them to the Lawrence Humane Society to be adopted, she stopped by the Sheriff’s office to show them to her colleagues and offer a little puppy therapy.

We are happy to report that within a few days all of the puppies were adopted thanks to the efforts of the Lawrence Humane Society staff and volunteers!

Playful pups

Puppy cuddles

Bonnie

Douglas County Emergency Management had a "Wheel of Misfortune" as well as other activities at our inaugural County Government Day event. They also showcased their new trailer.

County Government Day provided opportunity to connect with community in fun way

A big thank you to everyone who joined us for our first Douglas County Government Day event on April 23 at the fairgrounds! We had a fantastic time connecting with community members, playing games and showcasing our services in celebration of National County Government Month.

The event included touch-a-truck activities with equipment from Public Works, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical, Consolidated Fire District No. 1, Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Management, Emergency Communications and Maintenance. The following departments and offices also participated by providing information and activities: Sustainability, Criminal Justice Services, District Attorney, Clerk/Elections, GIS, Appraiser, Treasurer, Register of Deeds, Administration and District Court.

We also want to thank Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, Engage Douglas County and Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health for participating in the event as well as Great Plains Media and local food trucks Barbwire Barbecue and Torched Goodness. We are planning to bring the event back next April!

A few photos from the event are published below. To see more photos, visit our Facebook and Instagram pages!

We're moving to .Gov to improve identity, security

Douglas County’s IT Department will begin migrating services to a new dgcoks.gov domain in May.

Why move to .GOV? It is easier to identify governments on the Internet and using a .GOV domain shows the website is an official government entity. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) sponsors .GOV and makes it available solely to U.S.-based government organizations and publicly-controlled entities.

Additionally, using .GOV increases security:

• Multifactor Authentication is enforced on all accounts in the .gov registrar, different than commercial registrars.
• .GOV requires browsers to only use a secure HTTPS connection with our website. This protects our visitors’ privacy and ensures the content we publish is exactly what’s received.

Douglas County is planning to convert county email addresses to @dgcoks.gov in stages starting May 13 and finishing June 7. The county website will change to dgcoks.gov on May 28.

What does this mean for our community and staff? Nothing. 

All of the saved links to www.douglascountyks.org and its variations will be directed to the appropriate dgcoks.gov destination when you attempt to access the site. Messages sent to current email addresses will be forwarded to the appropriate destination.

Photo credit: Douglas County Consolidated Fire District No. 1

A tornado passes south of Lawrence on May 28, 2019. The tornado destroyed 13 homes and caused damage to 73 homes, two commercial businesses and a home office.

Emergency Management urges residents to be prepared during severe weather season

During the spring, Douglas County is at higher risk for severe weather that can include damaging winds, large hail, flooding and tornadoes. “It’s up to each of us to know the right steps to take in order to ensure our safety when severe weather strikes,” Emergency Management Deputy Director Jillian Rodrigue said.

Emergency Management encourages those who live or work in Douglas County to sign up for emergency alerts through the Northeast Kansas Regional Notification System at http://dgcoks.org/notify.

It’s also important to know the difference between a “Watch” and a “Warning.”

Watches are issued when a specific hazard such as a severe thunderstorm or tornado is possible during a specific time frame. During a watch, you should identify where you will be during the time frame. Next, determine where you will take cover if a warning is issued. It's important to stay alert for changing weather conditions.

Warnings are issued when a specific hazard is or is believed to be occurring. Take action immediately. During a warning, move to the lowest level of the building to an interior room with no windows. Stay in the room until the thunderstorm has passed.

For more information about severe weather safety, visit: http://dgcoks.org/swaw.

Members of the District Attorney Office's University Student Sexual Assault Prevention (USSAP) team were recognized on April 24 by the Board of County Commissioners who proclaimed April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the week of April 21-27 as National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

District Attorney's student sexual assault prevention task force concludes first year

The Douglas County District Attorney Office’s first-of-its-kind, student-led task force completed its inaugural year at the conclusion of Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April.

The University Student Sexual Assault Prevention (USSAP) team, comprised of students from Haskell Indian Nations University, Baker University and The University of Kansas, held events throughout the year with the mission to combat sexual assault by “empowering collegiate communities though education and collaboration.”

“The commitment of these students to create a safer environment for everyone sets an inspiring example for our community,” District Attorney Suzanne Valdez said. “I’m so proud of this group for helping to build a community that connects our county’s three campuses all in an effort to take care of one another.”

The students, who kicked off their task force in September, each received a $500 book stipend for their participation. Non-graduating members or those continuing post-graduate studies in Douglas County hope to continue building on their work when school resumes in the fall.

Students from Haskell Indian Nations University on the USSAP task force are Georgia Blackwood and Jade Warrington. Students from Baker University are Ann Beall and Yasmine Bueno. Students from The University of Kansas are Caroline Schmidt, Grace Connolly, Jacob Johnson and Sarah Gabriel.

• For the full story

Commission to consider wind energy regulations during business meeting on May 1

The Board of County Commissioners will consider a text amendment to the Zoning and Land Use regulations for the unincorporated areas of Douglas County at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, in the Public Works/Zoning and Codes Building, 3755 E. 25th St. The meeting will also be available by Zoom.

The text amendment - TA-22-00031 - is regarding Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS) standards.

The revised regulations were reviewed by the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission during two meetings: Oct. 23, 2023, and Jan. 22, 2024. On a 6-3 vote, the Planning Commission passed a recommendation of approval to County Commissioners with one key modification: the setback distances from non-participating property owners be set at 2,500 feet from the property line.

More information, including a recording of the County Commission April 24 work session:  http://dgcoks.org/windregs

About your Board of County Commissioners

Chair Karen Willey

Vice Chair Shannon Reid

Patrick Kelly

Douglas County Commission meetings are at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Public Works/Zoning and Codes Building, 3755 E. 25^th St, in the training room. Meetings are also available on Zoom. Commission meetings are taking place in the Public Works/Zoning and Codes building due to renovation of the Commission meeting room in the historic Courthouse.

County Commissioners took the following action on regular business agenda items in April. They unanimously approved:

• an employee healthcare plan for June 1, 2024-May 31, 2025.
• a community partner agreement with Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center to serve as a sub-recipient of a $321,000 federal Continuum of Care Competition grant to provide rental assistance and supportive services for up to 12 chronically homeless individuals.
• approved a request from Kansas Sky Energy Center for a conditional use permit for a commercial/utility scale solar energy conversion system use, commonly referred to as a solar farm, on 1,105 acres of property north of Lawrence in Grant Township.
• the Heritage Conservation Council’s 2024 Natural & Cultural grant award recommendations.
• a text amendment to revise Zoning and Land Use regulations in the unincorporated areas of Douglas County to develop standards and establish an administrative review process for vacation rentals.
• a senior and disabled veteran property tax rebate pilot program.
• an addendum to the 2024 service agreement with Artists Helping the Homeless for $36,000 to support homeless outreach.

On a 2-1 vote, the Commission approved a site plan to document the expansion of property at 1723 E. 1500 Road in North Lawrence from 8.01 acres to 16.58 acres, with Commissioner Reid opposed.

** Recordings of the meetings can be found on the Douglas County YouTube channel.

Work sessions

County Commissioners have work sessions to study and discuss various topics throughout the year. No action or public comment is taken during work sessions. The following work sessions are scheduled for 4 p.m. in May:

• May 8 – Supportive housing
• May 15 – Specialty courts
• May 22 - Adapt Douglas County: Climate Action and Adaptation Plan

* Note: There will be no County Commission work session or business meeting on Wednesday, May 29.

The Douglas County Elections Office is located at 711 W. 23rd St., Suite No. 1

Special school bond election for USD 348 is May 14

There will be a special school bond election for USD 348 Baldwin School District on Tuesday, May 14. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Polling locations are:

• Lighthouse Baptist Church - 700 Chapel St., Baldwin City
• Lumberyard Arts Center - 718 High St., Baldwin City
• Vinland Valley Community Church - 1724 N. 692 Road, Baldwin City
• Willow Springs Township Hall - 303 E. 1100 Road, Baldwin City

For more information about the special election, visit the Voting and Elections webpage.

Sheriff Jay Armbrister visits with residents in April at Pioneer Ridge Independent Living about awareness and prevention of phone and cyber scams.

Sheriff warns community members about scams

Sheriff Jay Armbrister urges community to be alert for phone and cyber scams.

"These cases are heartbreaking to work, and the scams have become much more sophisticated in recent years," Armbrister said. "We have recently seen calls with people posing as deputies with phone numbers spoofed as a legitimate Sheriff's Office number. They ask individuals to resolve a 'warrant' for missed jury duty or some other purported legal issue to try to throw people off. There are several red flags with requests to purchase gift cards or bitcoin, for example."

A law enforcement officer will never ask someone to pay money to immediately resolve a legal situation. If you receive such a call, Armbrister's advice is to hang up and then call the agency to verify that it was a legitimate contact.

For more tips about how to avoid a scam, visit:

• Kansas Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division
• Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Advice

If your community group would like the Sheriff’s Office to offer a presentation about scams, you can call the Sheriff’s Office at 785-841-0007.

Engage Douglas County seeking nominations

Engage Douglas County is accepting nominations for its annual "Engaged in Action Awards." There are three categories: youth, adult and organization/business.

The coalition is seeking nominees who reside or serve organizations in Douglas County and:

• demonstrate commitment to reducing substance misuse and suicide and/or promote mental health
• engage in issues that affect county residents, such as drug and alcohol use, suicide prevention, or other behavioral health issues
• serve the Douglas County community

The deadline to submit nominations is May 3. Awards will be presented during a ceremony on June 27.

Lawrence Police Department Officers Henry and Nesmith and Detective Bardwell, Douglas County Sheriff's Office Detective Haney, Master Deputy Johnson and Deputy Hagenbuch assisted at the Drug Take Back Day event on April 27 in Lawrence.

Sheriff's Office collects 443 pounds of medications during Drug Take Back Day

The Sheriff’s Office offered a drive-through site on Drug Take Back Day, April 27, in the parking lot outside of the County Courthouse. Drug Take Back Day is a national event that encourages residents to clear out expired and unused medications to be disposed of safely.

The program is aimed at deterring the risk of overdoses, unsafe medication uses and protecting the environment.

During the event, Sheriff's Office deputies and Lawrence Police Department officers collected 443 pounds of medications.

Construction underway in Commission chamber

Renovation work is underway in the Commission meeting room on the second floor of the historic County Courthouse. The renovation project includes fitting the room to accommodate five commissioners and repairing water damage that occurred in fall 2022. The layout of the room will be restored to its original configuration based on a 1913 photo.

We will be posting photos of the work as it progresses on our Facebook and Instagram pages if you want to follow along!

• Learn more about the project

Douglas County Government and District Court offices will be closed Monday, May 27, for Memorial Day to remember and honor our nation's heroes - those who made the greatest sacrifice for us.

Judicial and Law Enforcement Center:

111 East 11th Street

Lawrence, KS 66044