Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew announces election and other operations will relocate this summer from the first floor of the Douglas County Courthouse in downtown Lawrence to leased space in The Malls Shopping Center on the southwest corner of 23rd and Louisiana streets. The new location is the former site of Epic Fun, 711 W. 23rd St., Suite 1, which is next to Rent-A-Center. The location is 8,510 square feet and will provide more space, parking and accessibility for staff, poll workers and voters.
County News
Posted Monday, June 7, 2021 - 4:04pm
Posted Tuesday, May 25, 2021 - 12:01pm
Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that District Judge Amy Hanley approved a settlement of a habeas corpus case filed by Sarah Gonzales-McLinn. As a result, Judge Hanley resentenced Gonzales-McLinn to a hard 25 years in state prison.
Gonzales-McLinn was convicted in 2015 of first-degree murder in the 2014 killing of local business owner Harold “Hal” Sasko and received a “hard 50” sentence.
Posted Wednesday, May 19, 2021 - 10:06am
The District Attorney’s Office wants to notify the public that Douglas County traffic court is again being held at 8:15 a.m. every Friday.
Traffic court had been on hold since March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Posted Monday, May 17, 2021 - 3:00pm
Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health through the local health officers will recommend that the Douglas County Commission remove a current local public health order that includes a mask mandate, but LDCPH still recommends residents take steps to limit the spread of COVID-19. Douglas County Commissioners will consider the recommendation as part of their 5:30 p.m.
Posted Thursday, May 13, 2021 - 5:16pm
Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that Johnathon L. West, 43, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the death of Jennifer Mosby, 41, of Lawrence.
Posted Thursday, May 13, 2021 - 2:48pm
Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that a jury returned a guilty verdict on one count of Rape, a Severity Level 1 Person Felony, against Erick Ogwangi, 36, of Lawrence.
Charges stemmed from an incident early Jan. 27, 2017, in which Ogwangi forced himself on a woman who was staying in his home. He was convicted for assaulting the woman under circumstances when she was overcome by force or fear.
Posted Thursday, May 13, 2021 - 9:38am
Kenneth Reed had hit rock bottom. After nearly a lifetime of struggling with drug addiction and serving time in and out of state prison and county jail, he was again facing charges – this time for possession of methamphetamine.
“I was done. I was in total despair. I was sitting in jail wanting to die. I didn’t want to live the way that I was living,” he said of the time after his arrest on Sept. 20, 2019.
Posted Thursday, May 6, 2021 - 3:54pm
The Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council announces the recipients of the 2021 Natural & Cultural Heritage grant program after receiving approval from the Board of County Commissioners on May 5. A total of $200,000 was awarded to 13 projects.
Posted Monday, May 3, 2021 - 2:12pm
For Douglas County property owners whose property includes a historic barn but who are unsure whether it’s worth saving or how to approach repairing it, there’s an opportunity to receive a barn assessment grant through the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council. The Heritage Conservation Council (HCC) will hire a professional who has evaluated barns across Kansas and who has worked in collaboration with the Kansas Barn Alliance. The grants will cover the cost of the structural assessments and the reports will provide a scope of work needed for rehabilitation.
Posted Tuesday, April 20, 2021 - 5:00pm
The Lawrence Humane Society is proposing changes to the Animal Control Codes of Douglas County which would apply to residents who reside in the unincorporated areas of the county. The nonprofit agency is seeking feedback from the public about the proposed changes.
