Welcome to Weekly Connections! Here is your summary of key updates from the justice industry for the week of Sept. 14.

Let's get started with project updates:

• Dallas officials broke ground earlier this month on a $227 million law enforcement training center on the University of North Texas at Dallas's campus.
• The Michigan Department of Corrections announced plans to add 870 high-security beds through new construction and facility conversions under its Safe Prisons initiative.
• Los Angeles County broke ground on the new Warm Landing Place, the county's first dedicated post-release navigation center for people leaving incarceration.
• The city of Lone Tree, Colo., opened a new 37,000-square-foot Justice Center designed to accommodate the city's continued growth.
• Officials in Washington County, Pa., broke ground on a new $41 million, 3-story public safety building last week.

Moving on to legislation and funding:

• Kentucky officials enacted an emergency regulation last month clarifying responsibility for medical costs involving state inmates housed in county jails.
• Maricopa County, Ariz., received a 3-year, $1.5 million federal grant to expand workforce development services for incarcerated and recently released veterans.

Next, in people news:

• Maine Department of Corrections Commissioner Randall Liberty announced that he will retire Oct. 1 after more than four decades in corrections.
• Leo Technologies has named Chase Hallman Vice President of Products.

Now for this week's construction reports:

• Grand Traverse County, Mich., is seeking an independent consultant to perform pre-architectural jail and justice system planning, with submittals due Sept. 18.
• Caldwell County, Texas has issued an RFQ to provide master development services for multiple county facilities, with submittals due Oct. 1.
• Madison County, N.C., is requesting qualifications from design firms for the Madison County Public Safety Center, with bids due Oct. 8.

And finishing up with events:

• The American College of Correctional Physicians’ 2026 Annual Education Conference will be held in Dallas from Sept. 18–20.
• The Correctional Leaders Association's Deputy Directors and Probation and Parole Conference will take place in Palm Springs, Calif., from Sept. 29 through Oct. 2.

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