Welcome to Weekly Connections! Here is your summary of key updates from the justice industry for the week of Sept. 29.

We'll start off with project updates:

• A topping out ceremony was held at the new Nashville Campus for Youth Empowerment. The project, designed by DLR Group and Smith Gee Studio with Bell Construction as the builder, is expected to be complete in 2027.
• In Wisconsin, the joint venture of Gilbane and J.P. Cullen have been selected as the CMAR for the new $490 million Milwaukee County Public Safety Building project, designed by AECOM. Work is expected to begin in 2027.
• Officials in Allen County, Ind., gathered for a topping out ceremony at the new county jail construction site. The $300 million, 1,300-bed facility is led by Weigand Construction and should be finished in 2027.
• The Macon-Bibb County Commission in Georgia approved the hire of Jericho Design Group as architects for the expansion and renovation of the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center, a project estimated between $28.5 million and $31 million.
• Construction of a new behavioral health unit at the Montgomery County Jail in Dayton, Ohio will begin in October. Granger Construction Company is the CMAR for the $20 million project designed by HDR and Levin Porter Architects.

Moving over to legislation and funding:

• South Dakota legislators approved a bill to construct a new $650 million, 1,500-bed men's prison in Sioux Falls. The joint venture of JE Dunn Construction and Henry Carlson Company will work on the project.
• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed two emergency regulations requiring the state's Department of Juvenile Justice to perform more frequent medical and mental health checks on children in restrictive housing.
• Commissioners in Miami County, Ohio are exploring funding options for a new county jail, after a report from HDR recommended a new $100 million, 200-bed facility.
• The Joint Budget Committee in Colorado approved a $2.8 million supplemental budget request to add 153 more private prison beds statewide.

Now covering people news:

• The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has appointed Ron Hudson as its next Chief Operations Officer.
• The National Black Sheriffs’ Association announced that Sheriff Garry L. McFadden of Mecklenburg County, N.C., has been named the association's first national president.

Moving over to construction reports:

• Reeves County, Texas is qualifying architecture and engineering firms for the design and construction of a new law enforcement complex, with submissions due Oct. 16.
• Santa Barbara County in California has issued an RFP for design services for its Sheriff's Annex Relocation Project, with proposals due Oct. 17.
• Santa Barbara County is also qualifying design-build firms for a $165 million expansion project at its North Branch Jail, with submissions due Oct. 30.
• Delta County, Texas, has issued an RFQ for architecture and engineering firms for the expansion and renovation of its existing jail, with submissions due Oct. 28.
• The City of Douglasville, Georgia is seeking proposals from architectural firms to develop a concept plan for a new municipal court facility, with proposals due Oct. 31.

And finishing it off with events for the week:

• The Correctional Leaders Association's Midwest Regional Meeting will be held next week in Omaha, Nebraska from Oct. 6–9.
• Looking ahead, ICPA's annual conference will be held Oct. 26–31 in Istanbul, Turkey.
• Chicago Beyond will host its 2025 National Justice Convening from October 29–30.

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