Welcome to Weekly Connections! Here is your summary of key updates from the justice industry for the week of May 18.

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Let's get into it with project updates:

• The Blair County Prison Board in Pennsylvania approved designs for a new 450-bed prison, with a cost estimate of about $100 million.
• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and other state officials broke ground on four new juvenile justice facilities designed to replace the Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility.
• Officials in Teton County, Wyo., broke ground last week on a new $120 million, three-story justice center, with construction expected to finish in the summer of 2028.
• Commissioners in Liberty County, Texas, have selected White Construction as the CMAR for the county's new $100 million, 600-bed jail project.
• The Whatcom County Council in Washington state has approved a preliminary $240 million planning budget for a new jail project.

Up next in legislation and funding:

• Members of the Florida House of Representatives have cut their proposed correctional facility construction funding budget from $127 million to $80 million.
• Officials in Boone County, Mo., have requested adding a 3/8-cent sales tax increase to the August election ballot to fund the construction of a new 570-bed jail.

Moving on to people and company news:

• Leo Technologies has been awarded a five-year, $106 million contract by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to provide AI-enabled translation and transcription services.
• Macomb County, Mich., Executive Mark Hackel has appointed Sarah Gillies as director of the Macomb County Juvenile Justice Center.

And now for this week's construction reports:

• The Maine Bureau of General Services is accepting bids for the construction of the new Hancock Judicial Center, with bids due June 16.
• The Guilford County Purchasing Department in North Carolina has issued an RFP for firms to provide advisory and oversight for selecting and implementing a modern records management system and jail management system, with proposals due June 12.

And finishing up with events:

• The Correctional Leaders Association's Midwest Region meeting will take place in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., from May 27–30.

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