Welcome to Weekly Connections! Here is your summary of key updates from the justice industry for the week of March 23.

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Let's get started with project updates:

1. Leaders in Williamson County, Tenn., broke ground on a new 114,900-square-foot juvenile justice center, with construction expected to be completed in the summer of 2028.
2. A new $105 million justice center and jail in Hamblen County, Tenn., is officially open and operational.
3. Officials in Milwaukee County, Wis., recently shared new renderings for its new $500 million public safety building, with groundbreaking planned for 2029.
4. The Henderson County Board of Commissioners in North Carolina voted to approve a $101 million project to expand the Henderson County Courthouse.
5. Commissioners in Union County, N.C., are considering four options, ranging from $178 million to $216 million, to expand capacity at the Union County Detention Center.
6. Antrim County, Mich., officials released a report estimating its new public safety center to cost $32.7 million, about $5.2 million higher than anticipated.

Moving on to legislation and funding:

1. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has requested that the state's General Assembly pass a budget that would give state law enforcement $211 million in funding to help raise starting salaries.

Up next in people news:

1. Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections Director Annette Chambers-Smith announced she will be leaving the department for a role in Gov. Mike DeWine's office, effective March 28.
2. Dennis R. Patterson Sr. has been named the new Deputy Director for Operations for the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
3. The Virginia Department of Corrections has launched a nationwide search for the agency's next Deputy Director for Institutions, with an application deadline of April 17.

Moving on to construction reports:

1. Wharton County, Texas has issued an RFP for CMAR firms to build a new Sheriff's Office and Jail building, with bids due April 15.
2. The Norman Police Department in Oklahoma is seeking consulting firms to provide a facility condition assessment and space needs analysis, with proposals due May 15.
3. Commissioners in Scioto County, Ohio are seeking bids for a security system retrofit project at the Scioto County Jail, with bids due April 2.

And finishing up with events:

1. The Correctional Leaders Association Spring Deputy Directors and Probation and Parole Conference is currently underway in Hilton Head, S.C., and will run through March 27.
2. Next month, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care's Spring Conference on Correctional Health Care will take place in New Orleans from April 18–21.

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