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MONDAY • APRIL 13 • 2015
Rural gun noise riles neighbors By Peter Hancock Twitter: @LJWpqhancock
Alan Miller has been living in a spacious home in rural Douglas County more than 20 years. For most of that time, he and his wife were able to sit on their back porch and listen to the natural sounds of birds singing and cicadas chirping. But he said all that changed about a year ago when another family moved into the area. They are gun
Douglas County officials limited in their range to respond enthusiasts who enjoy recreational shooting. “It’s not a question of target shooting,” Miller said. “I’m talking about semiautomatics and high-caliber rifles. It’s like a war zone. It’s almost unbearable.” Kerry McMillen, who lives along the same road, said he’s been disturbed by the noise, too. He said the new neighbors have dug out a shooting range, and when
they use that range, the sound reverberates along a ravine, making the noise sound even louder. “There is no way for us to get away from that noise if they shoot from that range,” McMillen said. Miller and McMillen said they have tried talking to the new neighbors about the noise, with little success, although recently the family has moved the shooting activity
farther away toward a wooded area behind the homes. But there is little else that can be done legally, they said, because the county’s noise law, which was last amended in 2011, specifically exempts “the lawful shooting of firearms between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., or in connection with lawful hunting activities.” Please see GUN, page 2A
DOUGLAS COUNTY JAIL
Mental health trip turns up solutions Intervention center for nonviolent inmates tops county’s wish list
‘Love people and feed them good food’
By Elliot Hughes Twitter: @ehughes12
San Antonio — The vast system of help available to those suffering from mental illness or substance addiction in Bexar County, Texas, is impossible to replicate for a community the size of Douglas County. But already officials from Kansas have gleaned ideas and inspiration. Friday, almost 20 We will have officials from Douglas County govern- someone that ment, law enforce- we think doesn’t ment and health care need to be in jail, agencies finished a day and a half of pre- but that’s where sentations, tours and we leave them discussions regarding because they San Antonio’s Center for Health Care Ser- don’t have a vices, a nationally re- (place) to go to.” spected mental health system that has kept the nonviolent, mentally ill out of jail. The trip was arranged by Justice Matters, a local group of religious leaders focusing on justice issues. Douglas County is — District Attorney currently researching Charles Branson how to best react to rising inmate populations and a greater demand to provide mental health care services to inmates in the county jail. The project’s scope has yet to be determined, but officials expect an expansion of the county jail and the construction of a separate intervention center, where nonviolent inmates can be diverted away from the jail for mental health crises or substance abuse problems.
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Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo
NANCY O’CONNOR, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION FOR THE MERC CO-OP, 901 Iowa St., teaches area students like Abigail Fowler, 14, the importance of growing their own food.
Nancy O’Connor helps generations feed themselves By Conrad Swanson Twitter: @Conrad_Swanson
A
s much of the world went through conflict, civil unrest and change in the 1970s, Nancy O’Connor, a New Jersey native and at the
time a university undergraduate in Illinois, was undergoing her own transformation. She began to understand the importance of food, nourishment and the surrounding culture. “There was a lot of questioning and upheaval
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A Monday feature highlighting the behindthe-scenes stars and unsung heroes who make Lawrence a special place to live. To suggest someone for an Only in Lawrence feature, email news@ljworld.com. Put Only in Lawrence in the subject line.
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Housing Among the ideas culled from the trip is including some type of transitional housing for the homeless to use after receiving care for a mental illness or substance abuse
Please see FOOD, page 2A
Please see SOLUTIONS, page 2A
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on campuses. It was the time of the Vietnam War and a lot of people were questioning what they were doing,” O’Connor said. “And here I was, this art major, but somehow I wanted to do
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