By Mike Carberry — Johnson County desperately needs to upgrade the quality of our justice infrastructure. We need a justice center that is safe, disability-accessible and secure on both sides of the judicial bench. We do not have this now. We are one of the fastest-growing counties in Iowa and one of the most politically progressive. [...]
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IOWA CITY – A public tour of the Johnson County Courthouse is being offered the day before a special election on a criminal justice center. The 45-minute tour starts at 4 p.m. May 6. Call the Johnson County Attorney’s Office at (319) 339-6100 to reserve a spot. A 45-minute tour of the county jail will [...]
continue »By The Gazette Editorial Board —- Just a few months after Johnson County voters declined to approve a bond to build a new justice center, the issue is back on the ballot for May 7. Although the proposal has changed slightly in response to critics’ concerns about size, cost and design, our position remains [...]
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By Jim McCarragher —- Johnson County’s 112-year-old historic courthouse and 30-year-old jail are outdated, and represent a threat to public safety, security and access to justice. The $43.5 million bond referendum on May 7 would pay for a new, much-needed Justice Center that combines the Sheriff’s office, jail and court-related offices, all [...]
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By Sean Curtin —- The fight is on over whether we will build a new jail (and courtroom space) in downtown Iowa City. Despite a 14-year campaign to build a bigger jail and lock up more residents, the flaws of this proposed injustice center are obvious. Johnson County doesn’t need a huge new [...]
continue »The Gazette Editorial Board – For 35 years, Johnson County SEATS has provided door-to-door transportation for Iowa City, Coralville, University Heights and North Liberty residents who, because of age or physical limitations, aren’t able to use fixed-route bus service. It’s more than a good service: The Americans with Disabilities Act requires all cities with fixed [...]
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IOWA CITY — The group meets Monday mornings in the Johnson County Attorney’s Office to see who they can try to get out of the county jail. One would expect public defender Tom Woods and jail alternatives counselor Emily Hurst to be trying to secure an inmate’s release. But Lt. Kevin Bell of the jail [...]
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A public forum will be held April 15 to discuss the ongoing controversy over funding for a transit service that gives rides to the elderly and people with disabilities. The Johnson County Task Force on Aging is sponsoring a one-hour forum on the government-run SEATS program. The Johnson County Board of Supervisors say the county [...]
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IOWA CITY — Lisa Sedlacek walked to the end of the long gravel road, her family’s farm on three sides of her. There’s a hayfield to the north, grazing cattle to the south and cropland to the east behind the farmhouse guarded by a row of evergreens — all on a combined 210 acres owned [...]
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With the warm-up in temperatures, the Iowa Department of Transportation is preparing to tackle road construction projects in Eastern Iowa and other parts of the state. Depending on the outcome of bid lettings through June, the DOT will have approximately $600 million of primary highway construction work this year. Iowa’s cities and counties also will [...]
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