Like many organizations, agencies and individuals across the globe, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is contributing to Ukraine’s effort to defend itself against Russia’s deadly invasion. The office has donated bulletproof body armor — specifically 20 ballistic vests — to help Ukraine in its fight against President Vladimir Putin’s military, which invaded the country on Feb. 24. “In law enforcement we seek to help however we can and when we can,” Sheriff Jay Armbrister told the Journal-World Friday. “Like the rest of this community, we have felt very helpless and have wanted a way to help the people of Ukraine.” That opportunity arrived when the National Guard asked Kansas law enforcement agencies if they could contribute to the effort.
Source: LJWorld.com

Valley Center Municipal Court has found a home. At least for now. While court was held in the Public Safety Building on East Fifth for years, it was shut down for a while during COVID. Officials tried to have it at City Hall, but that didn’t work. Now it’s in the community building in Lions Park. Officials said it works much better in the larger space, but some in the community don’t like it. The problem is, the public library shares the same building. The arrangement brings prisoners and library patrons together in one space, though library and court hours have been adjusted to alleviate much of the conflict. Some complain that the public’s open access to the community center could set the stage for a nefarious plot. But police and court officials said court is safe, and the city has no plans to move it anytime soon.
Source: Ark Valley News

Douglas County is in the early stages of imagining an Open Space Plan for preserving natural landscapes located throughout the county. Such a plan seeks to help guide the protection and management of natural lands. That can include areas like trails, native prairies, wetlands, wildlife habitats, agricultural lands and heritage sites. The specific areas in Douglas County that might end up a part of that realized vision aren’t clear quite yet, county Zoning Director Tonya Voigt and interim Sustainability Director Kim Criner Ritchie told the Journal-World in a Zoom interview last week. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some broader ideas already on the table.
Source: LJWorld.com

Another group of workers employed by the City of Lawrence has voted to unionize. The city’s maintenance and Parks and Recreation workers voted this week to join Teamsters Local 696 in Topeka. The 70-worker unit is “seeking improved working conditions and wages, respect on the job, and fair and consistent work rules,” a news release from the Teamsters on Wednesday said. In January, Teamsters organizer Dale Crane told the Journal-World that key issues for the employee group were pay and policies. Crane said that employees have gotten small and infrequent raises in the past, and that pay for some employees did not reflect the hazardous conditions they sometimes have to work in. He said employees would also like to see clearer and more consistent policies.
Source: LJWorld.com

Progress with a new tennis facility in Kenwood Park is underway. The facility will be located where the old municipal swimming pool and rodeo arena stood ground. The new facility will have 12 tennis courts with lights along with repurposing the pool house as a clubhouse with restrooms, showers and other amenities. The Salina City Commission unanimously passed a resolution on March 1, 2021, to partner with Unified School District 305 and Salina Tennis Alliance Inc. for the project that will cost $2.6 million. Naming rights for the complex are still available.
Source: Salina Journal