Historic milestone: Record number of judges sworn in to Johnson County District Court
The 10th Judicial District of Kansas held five separate judicial swearing-in ceremonies recently to fill three new district judge positions and two vacancies from recent retirements of magistrate judges.
It was a historic milestone for Johnson County District Court to have that many taking oaths on a single day.
“It is an exciting and unprecedented time. Having three new judges will allow greater access to justice, additional jury trials and more expeditious handling of cases,” District Court Administrator Laura Brewer said in a statement.
The new district court judges are Judge Stephanie Goodenow of Lenexa, who will serve on the new Division 20; Judge Catherine Decena Triplett of De Soto, new Division 21; and Judge Jason Billam of Olathe, new Division 22. The two new magistrate judges are Judge Curtis Sample of Olathe in Division M3 and Judge John McEntee of Leawood in Division M4. They filled vacancies of retired Judge Daniel Vokins and Judge James Phelan.
After serving an initial one-year term, the new judges will be up for a retention vote in the next general election.
Learn to help in an emergency
Training for the Overland Park’s Community Emergency Response Team will begin in February. The training teaches civilians search and rescue operations, fire suppression and medical triage skills.
Volunteers may be asked to help with crowd control, donation management, medical operations or searching for survivors in a major emergency. Training is held in evening weekly sessions for six weeks. For more information, go to opkansas.org/city-services/police-fire-safety/community-emergency-response-team-training/
Legislative coffee to be held in Shawnee
An opportunity to discuss the new legislative session will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 28 at the Monticello Library, 22435 W. 66th St., Shawnee. The event will include a discussion and a question and answer session with representatives and senators with constituents in Johnson County.
Registration is not required. There will be coffee and doughnuts. Registration to watch on Zoom is available. For more information, go to jocolibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/63935fd60470e64100b32933
Edgerton’s comprehensive plan advances
The initial round of public input has been completed for the Envision Edgerton comprehensive plan. City officials said residents are “optimistic about the future of Edgerton, with job growth and housing ranking at the top for importance.”
The city also said that during the public workshops, participants asked for more housing to meet the needs of young people, seniors and families. They also want the city to continue to invest in infrastructure and beautification. The city’s consultant is creating a draft that will be given to the steering committee for revisions before it is presented to the Planning Commission and City Council in the spring.
Lenexa takes applications for Farmers Market
The Farmers Market in Lenexa is seeking vendors, musicians, artists, volunteers and sponsors. The market’s regular outdoor season runs weekly from late April through October at the Lenexa Civic Campus parking garage, 17201 W. 87th St. Parkway.
There also are monthly events from November through March at the Lenexa City Hall, 17101 W. 87th St. Parkway. More than 25,000 people visited the Lenexa market in 2022. For more information, go to lenexa.com/news/what_s_new/be_part_of_lenexa_farmers_market_in_2023
‘Sensory’ news for Johnson County Museum
The Johnson County Museum has renewed its Sensory Friendly Mondays program, which includes Kid Scape, a 3,500-square-foot interactive low-sensory history exhibit designed for children ages 2 to 9.
The once-monthly program was developed with support from Britain Development, a program of AdventHealth Shawnee Mission. Britain Development’s continued commitment will include making enhancements to the program, such as providing documents to help families plan their visit and sensory bags for use during the program.
In addition, Britain Development program participants will receive free passes to the museum. In 2022, Sensory Friendly Mondays was honored with the Removing Barriers Initiative award from the National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials, and the Outstanding New or Innovative Recreation Program Award from the Kansas Recreation and Park Association.
The programs take place on the first Monday of every month from 9 a.m. to noon. Capacity is limited to 30 adults and children, and pre-registration is encouraged. The museum is located at 8788 Metcalf, Overland Park. For more information and to register, go to jcprd.com/1686/Sensory-Friendly-Mondays.
