Weekly Connections August 3rd, 2026

Welcome to Weekly Connections! Here is your summary of key updates from the justice industry for the week of Aug. 3.

Let's get started with project updates:

• Columbus, Ohio Mayor Andrew Ginther announced that the city has canceled plans for a new Franklin County Municipal Court building, opting instead to renovate the existing courthouse.
• Macon-Bibb County, Ga., has broken ground on the second phase of a $28.5 million to $31 million expansion and renovation of its law enforcement center.
• Leaders in Cleveland County, N.C., toured the county's new $210 million Justice Center in Shelby, which is currently about 80% complete.
• Anderson County, S.C.’s $83 million detention center is nearing completion and is expected to open by the end of the year.
• Commissioners in Washington County, Pa., have approved $41.2 million in contracts to construct a new 70,000-square-foot public safety building.

Moving on to legislation and funding:

• The Daviess County, Ky., Fiscal Court advanced an ordinance authorizing up to $60 million in bonds for a long-planned Detention Center renovation and expansion.
• Los Angeles County supervisors voted to place a charter amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot that would restore Measure J funding for jail diversion programs.
• The Houghton County, Mich., Jail Committee recommended a $28 million, 30-year bond to build a new justice center.
• Voters in Hutto, Texas, will decide on Nov. 3 whether to fund a roughly $42 million justice center project.

Next, in people news:

• The Correctional Leaders Association (CLA) has announced its newly elected executive board, including President Lindsay Wallace (Arkansas), Vice President Bobby Lumpkin (Texas), and Treasurer Dr. Laurel Harry (Pennsylvania).
• Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro honored SCI Waymart Facility Maintenance Manager Tim Schweinsburg with a Governor's Award for Excellence for leading significant infrastructure improvements.

Now for this week's construction reports:

• Jim Wells County, Texas has issued an RFQ to architecture and engineering firms to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the county's existing 88-bed jail, with submittals due Aug. 19.
• Sandoval County, N.M. is prequalifying contractors for a renovation and addition project at the Sandoval County Judicial Complex, with bids due Aug. 21.

And finishing up with events:

• The American Correctional Association's 156th Congress of Correction, the Correctional Leaders Association Summer Conference, and the Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators Summer Juvenile Justice Leadership Forum recently concluded in Pittsburgh.

For more details or to access the links mentioned, check out our podcast show notes at correctionalnews.com/podcast.