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The public is invited to a community open house for the city of Leavenworth's First City Vision Zero Action Plan.

A storm that passed through Leavenworth County on Wednesday night produced winds with speeds reaching nearly 80 mph.

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Leavenworth City Commissioner Jermaine Wilson and his wife, Jessica, were selected as one of 18 finalist couples from around the country nominated for the Parents of the Year awards. All of them were recognized during an online ceremony hosted by Universal Peace Federation (UPF).Jermaine Wilson is an ordained minister and former mayor of Leavenworth. Jessica Wilson is a member of the Leavenworth school board. They have five children.Jermaine Wilson was born in Leavenworth, where he grew up in a struggling family. His father was addicted to drugs and cycled in and out of prison. His mother worked two jobs to support the family, which prevented her from taking proper care of her children. Left unattended, Jermaine made friends with the wrong people and got involved in robberies.At 15, he was charged with robbery and sentenced to four years in juvenile corrections. By age 19, he had fallen into drug addiction and dealing. He was soon arrested and sentenced to three years in prison.As Jermaine sat in Lansing Correctional Facility, he began to reflect on his life and decided to make a U-turn. When he heard about Prison Fellowship Academy, he enrolled in the yearlong program that guides participants into replacing criminal behaviors with renewed purpose and biblically-based values of good citizenship.In 2009, Jermaine graduated from the academy and transferred to a minimum-security facility. He was released in 2010. A year later, he married his wife, Jessica. Life as a free man wasn’t easy. He had no money, no transportation and finding employment was another major challenge given his prior convictions. He had to settle at first for menial jobs, like washing dishes and working at a laundromat, but his work ethic eventually landed him an office job.In 2015, Jermaine founded Unity in the Community (www.unityincommunity.org), a nonprofit organization that aims to foster unity, combat racism and build relationships between the community and law enforcement. That same year, his criminal record was expunged. In 2018, Jermaine joined Connections to Success as a recruiter, helping to provide other returning citizens with gainful employment. A government job, he admits, was an exceptional opportunity for someone who once had a felony record.As he served others, Jermaine demonstrated his gifts for bringing people together and improving his community. He longed to serve and soon realized his own capacity to impact the lives of others.While leading the nonprofit, Jermaine started volunteering in student ministry at his local church and became an ordained minister. He also served the local homeless population.With no experience in politics, he ran for office in 2017 and became a city commissioner in Leavenworth. In 2019, he was elected mayor of the city for a four-year term.In 2021, the Prison Fellowship organization hired him to support prison ministry programs in Kansas City and the surrounding areas.Jermaine now serves as a city commissioner and as Prison Fellowship’s regional director. At home, he dedicates his time to his wife and five children.Jessica is a certified nursing assistant by profession. She previously worked at a local rehab center, but recently has been active in public service. In 2023, she was elected to the board of the Leavenworth Unified School District.

When they met this week, Leavenworth County commissioners discussed the idea of an additional sales tax.