City leaders have approved an approximately 12% increase to the starting wages for local bus drivers as the industry struggles with staffing shortages, and union leaders anticipate more wage increases will be needed. As part of its meeting this week, the Lawrence City Commission voted as part of its consent agenda to approve an amendment to the service agreement between the city and First Transit to raise the starting pay for bus drivers from $15.61 to $17.50 per hour, or an approximately 12% increase. The commission also approved funding for pay increases for other hourly transit employees, such as dispatchers and road supervisors.
Source: LJWorld.com.

The pilot program of a new traffic control method in the Old West Lawrence neighborhood is entering its next phase, which will include a review of traffic data and potential revisions to the temporary traffic diverters currently in place. The Old West Lawrence Neighborhood Association applied to be part of the Neighborhood Traffic Management Pilot Program, and the temporary diverters were installed in November and will be in place until the spring. The diverters, which prohibit motorists from making certain turns or entering streets at certain intersections, are meant to reduce cut-through traffic and have been met with mixed reactions from residents…
Source: LJWorld.com.

Douglas County is on the verge of again having 1,000 active COVID cases, which will lead local health officials to again consider a countywide mask mandate. “The operative word there, though, is ‘consider,’” Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health Director Dan Partridge told the Journal-World. “We haven’t yet had the meeting.” Partridge said it is not a foregone conclusion that public health officials will recommend that the Douglas County Commission approve a mask mandate once cases hit the 1,000 mark.
Source: LJWorld.com.