Welcome to Weekly Connections! Here is your summary of key updates from the justice industry for the week of April 6.

Let's get started with project updates:

• Commissioners in Flathead County, Mont., finalized an owner's representative agreement with In2itive Architecture to oversee construction of the new $93.5 million Flathead County Jail, with construction expected to begin June 1.
• Officials in Deschutes County, Ore., said the new $48.4 million Deschutes County Circuit Courthouse is about three-quarters complete, with a ribbon-cutting targeted for August.
• The first phase of renovations has been approved for the 1,200-bed Dougherty County Jail in Georgia, starting with roughly $11 million for security and HVAC upgrades.
• The Grant County Council in Indiana held a public meeting to discuss options for its detention facilities, ranging from a $98 million renovation to building a new $127 million jail.
• Sheriff Mark Herford of Beauregard Parish, La., has proposed building a new 500-bed jail, which could cost approximately $10 million if a sales tax continuation passes.
• The Planning Commission in Kern County, Calif., approved permits for a new expansion at the James G. Bowles Youth Detention Center.

Next, in legislation and funding:

• President Donald Trump is seeking $152 million in the 2027 Federal Bureau of Prisons fiscal year budget to reopen the Alcatraz Prison as a secure detention facility.

Moving on to people news:

• The Iowa Department of Corrections has named Janie Mendez as the new warden of the Iowa State Penitentiary.
• Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced four appointments to the state's Correctional Managed Healthcare Committee.

Next up in construction reports:

• Pierce County, Wash., has issued an RFQ to architecture firms for pre-design and architectural services for a renovation of the county's jail, with bids due April 29.
• Pierce County is also seeking qualified architecture firms to design and construct a new juvenile justice center, with bids due April 29.
• Pryor Morrow, on behalf of Lee County, Miss., is seeking precast detention cell providers for its new $97.8 million Lee County Adult Detention Center project, with bids due May 5.
• Meigs County, Tenn., has issued an RFQ to architectural and engineering firms to address the county's detention facility capacity needs, with bids due May 11.

And finishing up with events:

• The National Commission on Correctional Health Care's Spring Conference on Correctional Health Care is scheduled for April 18–21 in New Orleans.
• The International Corrections and Prisons Association's first Prison Technology and Design Conference will take place in Rabat, Morocco from April 21–24.

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