Author: Fred Atchison

Heather Coates, Director of the Kaw Valley United Way Navigator Program, spoke about helping people in need access community resources. Navigators provide free individual help to community members who are seeking housing, health care, food assistance, transportation, utilities, child care and senior support. There are many people in our community who are unaware of available assistance or who struggle with the application process. Clients are helped to gather and complete documents and applications, and access local programs. Navigators are available in Shawnee, Jackson, and Douglas Counties .

Brooks Robertson, Statewide Prevention Coordinator with Headquarters Kansas, reported on the work of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The 988 phone number is staffed 24/7 by people trained with the immediate goal of helping the caller to be safe. Staff learn rapport building, being non-judgemental, reflective listening, deescalation, and setting boundaries and limits. People experiencing crisis, including depression or thoughts of self harm are urged to call the 988 number. Their call will be routed to one of five call centers in Kansas. Staff members may make mental health referrals, help develop a safety plan, or just talk. Texting, chatting and video connections are available. It is also possible to call on the behalf of another. The service does follow up contacts to make sure the caller is safe. Headquarters Kansas is largely funded by the State.

Bob Marsh is the General Manager of Great Blue Heron Outdoors (GBHO), a locally owned out door outfitter specializing in fly fishing, paddling, out door apparel, and camping gear. The store caters to a community centered around water, conservation and the out doors. GBHO has a coffee shop, serves alcoholic brews, maintains outdoor seating, offers out door classes, clubs and books river trips. There are very few fly fishing stores like GBHO as online sales and big bass stores dominate. Fly fishing is a calm, non competitive and eco friendly pursuit. A trip to the mountains is not required as there are many local settings for fly fishing. Bob maintains that the Great Blue Heron is a fitting metaphor for the store.

Katie Conrad is Professor of English at the University of Kansas and does primary research on technology and culture. She is an expert on uses of artificial intelligence (AI). She spoke about ChatGPT, a form of AI that many people use to create language content. Other forms of AI include fraud detection, algorithm applications, translations, facial recognition, self driving vehicles and military uses. AI has great potential to benefit society but its reliance on algorithms to produce content can produce errors and can be manipulated to create false content. Ethical challenges include labor exploitation, copyright/intellectual property infringement, and the environmental costs of energy consuming data centers. The problems of misinformation and deepfakes are huge, as social media readily distributes fake content as authentic. Finally, will reliance on AI make people less able to think critically? Professor Conrad cautions that a great effort will be necessary to understand and manage this powerful capability.

Lawrence Public Library Deputy Director, Kathleen Morgan, provided an update on library activities and services. The library has recently completed a community survey asking citizens to share their wishes and expectations for the library. They got a great response, learning that people were interested in programing that provided creative engagement, more seating and safety concerns. The bus exchange space across the street has impacted on the library and positive steps have been taken to manage library property. And agreement with the city permits the library to manage the green space adjacent to the building and security staff has been increased. Kathleen said the changes have had good results and that library property is quite safe. She also spoke about popular programs and services like the DYI Memory Lab where personal photos, tapes and scrapbooks may be digitalized, adult services for retirees, summer reading, and convenient book lockers situated through out the city. A recent fund raiser will make it possible to construct a stage for the green space. The library has a very successful foundation and friends group, with city tax dollars providing the major support for the library.