Dagna D'Ercole, a Douglas County dispatcher, retired in December after 33 years with the Emergency Communications Center.

Longtime Douglas County dispatcher focused on being 'the calm in the middle of the storm'

When Dagna D’Ercole started as a Lawrence Police Department dispatcher in 1989, the dispatch center looked much different than it does today with all the technology in the now-consolidated Douglas County Emergency Communications Center.

“There was one computer shared by the two LPD dispatchers. A dot matrix printer received incoming teletypes. The dispatch ‘console’ was basically a radio button and a footswitch. There was an alert tone button, microphone, desk phone, wall map and a machine to stamp the date and time on the incident cards,” D’Ercole said. “We had one TTY unit stored in a case under the console. Phone and radio traffic were recorded on a big reel-to-reel unit the size of a refrigerator. Today, each dispatch console has eight monitors, including touchscreens for the phone and radio computers. The only item that exists and functions in the same manner in the current ECC is…drumroll…the footswitch.”

Amid all that change, she has been a constant voice in the Douglas County dispatch world for more than 33 years. D’Ercole retired Dec. 24 and took time to reflect on her long career serving in many capacities, including as a supervisor and training coordinator.



Read Dagna’s story: http://dgcoks.org/dagnastory

Douglas County Sheriff's Office accepting applications for seven-week Citizen's Academy

Sheriff Jay Armbrister and Undersheriff Stacy Simmons announce the opening of applications for the 2023 Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Citizen's Academy.

“The Sheriff’s Office had a great time with our 2022 class and being able to restart this hands-on Citizen’s Academy after the pandemic,” Armbrister said. “We are thrilled about getting to know more members of our community better and be able to show them so much about the work our deputies, corrections officers and civilian staff do every day.”

The academy is a seven-week program that will begin in late April and end with a graduation in June. During those weeks, participants will meet on Thursday evenings and two full Saturdays. Meals are provided during all sessions.

The academy is designed to give participants a working knowledge of the duties and responsibilities of the Sheriff’s Office, including tours and an overview of the Corrections and Operations Divisions, and lessons on driving skills, car-stop techniques, field-sobriety testing, building searches, defensive tactics and the use of force.

Applicants must be Douglas County residents, 18 years of age or older.



To apply, visit bit.ly/DGSOCitizens. Applications will be accepted through Feb. 28. Anyone with further questions can call the Sheriff’s Office at 785-841-0007.

To improve equity, HSC to move to lottery system for distribution of rent and utility assistance

Due to an overwhelming need for rent and utility assistance in Douglas County and lack of available funding to meet the need, the Douglas County Housing Stabilization Collaborative recently decided to change the way it distributes funding to increase equity for applicants.

The Housing Stabilization Collaborative (HSC) has been using a first-come, first-served system to distribute funding through its Rent/Utility Assistance Program since it began in fall 2020. With this system, applications open on the first day of each month at 9 a.m. and qualified applications are fulfilled until available funding runs out or the applicants have reached the annual maximum cap.

“The first-come, first-served process favors those who can type the fastest, access a computer, or have someone filling out the application on their behalf,” Douglas County Human Services Program Manager Gabi Sprague said. “A lottery system removes that barrier and is best practice in communities where funding cannot meet the need.”

HSC will use the current first-come, first served system on Feb. 1 for February distribution and then move to a lottery system, where people can submit an application between Feb. 15 and March 1. Qualified applications will be randomly selected on March 2. With the lottery system, HSC will have a better idea of what the gap is between applications and funding. Last month, HSC provided $104,535 to 108 households.

Additionally, HSC decided to lower the annual rent and utility assistance cap per household to $1,500 plus $100 for each dependent in order to serve more households annually. The previous cap was $2,205 plus $100 for each dependent.

“We do not have enough funding to meet the need in our community,” Sprague said. “This change will allow us to do the most we can with available funding.”

Entrepreneurs, small business owners, community leaders invited to Ecosystem Town Hall on Feb. 16

Douglas County — in partnership with the Douglas County Community Foundation, Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, Network Kansas and Forward Cities — is excited to host a two-day event, E3 Nation Tour, in February that will help our community take next steps on the path towards designing, leading and sustaining equitable entrepreneurial communities.

As part of the event, the planning committee invites local entrepreneurs, small business owners and community champions to the Ecosystem Town Hall, which will be 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, in Flory Meeting Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper St. There is no cost to attend the town hall, but registration is required.

About your Board of County Commissioners

Chair Patrick Kelly

Vice Chair Karen Willey

Shannon Reid

The Board of County Commissioners meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays in the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts Street, on the second floor in the Commission meeting room. Meetings also are available on Zoom.

The County Commission took the following action on regular business agenda items in January:

• approved a request to rezone about 11 acres in the 1700 block of E 902 Road from clustered preservation to light industrial district with no restrictions.
• approved a request to rezone about 10 acres at 316 E 900 Road from transitional agricultural to general business district.
• approved revisions to the 2023 Douglas County Crisis Line budget as proposed by Kansas Suicide Prevention Headquarters at a cost not to exceed $326,020.
• voted to defer the conditional-use permit application for mining, excavation and/or extraction of natural resources at 1174 E 2300 Road to the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission for revisions. 
• approved a revised Douglas County finance policy.



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

Work sessions

County Commissioners also have work sessions to study and discuss various topics throughout the year. No action is taken during work sessions. If there's a work session, they are held at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays before the business meeting. Here’s the schedule for upcoming work sessions; however, these may change. So, please check the agenda before attending.

• Feb. 1 – Douglas County Correctional Facility reconfiguration project
• Feb. 8 – Open space plan
• Feb. 15 – Evolving energy production and its impact on Douglas County
• Feb. 22 – Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council update

Don't cheat! Answer is at the bottom.

Deadline to apply for the Douglas County Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge is Feb. 10

Douglas County is seeking applications for the 2022/2023 Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. The competition is open to students in grades 6 through 12 and consists of preparing a business plan, an elevator speech and formal presentation. The event is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at Peaslee Technical Training Center in Lawrence.

Students can earn up to $1,250 in prize money. The students’ work is judged by local entrepreneurs, teachers and community leaders. The deadline to submit an application is Friday, Feb. 10.

This will be the sixth year for the Douglas County event. During past competitions, students have pitched businesses that offer swimming lessons, resale clothing, jewelry, baked goods, taxidermy and pet sitting.

Douglas County supports the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) program in association with the Network Kansas E-Community Partnership. Douglas County is one of many communities across Kansas to host an event designed to give students a hands-on entrepreneurship experience. Douglas County’s first-place winner will get the opportunity to compete in a statewide competition and earn more prize money and honors.

Engage Douglas County hosting community presentation about the dangers of fentanyl

Engage Douglas County is hosting a community presentation, “Drugs in the Age of Fentanyl,” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, at Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. The presenter is Libby Davis, who founded a nonprofit organization in memory of her son Cooper, who died at age 16 from fentanyl poisoning in 2021.

Draft Metropolitan Transportation Plan open for review, public comment

The Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has begun a 30-day public comment period for the draft Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP): Transportation 2050.

The plan identifies future needs and makes investment recommendations for all modes of transportation including automobile, public transit, bicycle, pedestrian, etc. It reflects the feedback and perspectives provided from the community engagement conducted in 2022. The plan is required by federal regulations to ensure funding for transportation projects throughout Douglas County.

The official T2050 30-day public comment period began Jan. 23 and will end Feb. 22. Comments received will be considered for the final document, to be presented to the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board for consideration at their meeting at 3 p.m. March 16 in the Lawrence City Commission Room.

Written comments may be submitted online at www.lawrenceks.org/mpo/tellus, emailed to mpo@lawrenceks.org, or mailed to Lawrence-Douglas County MPO, PO Box 708, Lawrence, KS 66044.

K-State Research and Extension offering leadership program for those who serve on community boards

K-State Research and Extension - Douglas County, in partnership with the Douglas County Community Foundation, is hosting a four-part series, “Welcome A-Board: Board Leadership Basics,” that begins Feb. 16.

The program is for anyone who serves on a local community-based board. The series covers board member roles and responsibilities, conflict management, fiscal responsibilities and strategic planning. The interactive sessions will help community board members understand their roles and responsibilities and connect with others in the community doing similar work. The goal is to help board members and their organizations become more effective in their efforts.

The sessions will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Feb. 16, Feb. 23, March 2 and March 9 at the Douglas County Extension Center, 2110 Harper St. Dinner is included. The cost is $75. Scholarships are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Construction complete on remodeling project in Courthouse for Clerk's Office

A remodeling project on the first floor of the County Courthouse was completed on Jan. 20. The County Clerk’s accounts payable, payroll and real estate employees are now located in one space instead of on multiple floors. There’s also a new counter and window where staff can assist the public.

The renovation project began after the Clerk’s Elections Office moved to its new location at 711 W. 23rd St. in fall 2021.

Adam Carey is sworn in as a Senior Assistant District Attorney.

District Attorney welcomes two new prosecutors

At a time when district attorney’s offices across the U.S, are experiencing a prosecutor shortage, two new faces have joined the team in the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office. 

With the recent additions of Adam Carey as Senior Assistant District Attorney and Kylee Tokoi as an Assistant District Attorney, the DA’s Office is currently just one prosecutor shy of being fully staffed.

Carey previously served as the elected county prosecutor for Morton County, Kan. Because the prosecutor is a part-time position, Carey also simultaneously served as the county counselor for Morton County and the city attorney for the City of Elkhart. Carey began his criminal justice career as a deputy sheriff for the Morton County Sheriff’s Office before earning his law degree from the Oklahoma City University School of Law. He would go on to work at a private law firm and focused on criminal defense before serving as the county prosecutor.

A former legal intern with the office’s Child in Need of Care (CINC) unit, Tokoi will assist with CINC cases in addition to handling juvenile and truancy cases. She earned her law degree from Washburn University School of Law in May of 2022. She received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Colorado State University. Prior to joining the DA’s Office, Tokoi served as a law clerk with McCollum Crowley in Lakewood, Colo. She also served as an intern with the Disability Rights Center in Topeka and with Ward Potter, a family law firm based in Wichita.

We’re seeking to hire people with all kinds of talents, skills and occupational interests. Our job openings include:

• Registration/Tax Clerk
• Crime Scene Investigator
• Community Corrections Adult Services Officer
• 911 Dispatcher
• Juvenile Detention Corrections Officer

For more information and a full list of Douglas County job openings, visit: http://dgcoks.org/jobs

Judicial and Law Enforcement Center:

111 East 11th Street

Lawrence, KS 66044