At Friday’s county commission meeting, the possibility of zoning the entirety of Crawford County was discussed as a way to combat the building of solar and wind farms within the county. As of now, three-quarters of the county is not zoned, meaning any developer that wants to build such a farm can do so with little interference from the county. Commissioners discussed asking for a moratorium to delay construction of wind and solar farms. According to County Counselor Jim Emerson, a moratorium can only be used to create zoning ordinances, or at the very least, to pass regulations that address some issues. Several neighboring counties are considering the same. Passing zoning laws can allow the county to outright ban the construction of farms in the county. The issue is that zoning laws are very unpopular with Crawford County residents. When broached in the past, the issue was met with angry residents packing the courthouse.
Source: Morning Sun

After nearly eight months of restoration, the two-story building known as “Gay Parita” has returned to the town of Carona, which is nestled at the north end of Cherokee County, just five minutes west of Scammon. Under building owner John Parsons’ leadership, the Gay Parita, which has been vacant for decades, is restored to its former state. From the mid-1930s to the mid-1970s, the Gay Parita served as a destination for dance and music lovers from across the Four-State area and beyond. Parsons said in restoring the iconic night spot, he is seeking to bring back its historical relevance. Carona was initially one of the many settlements that sprang up during the coal mining era in southeast Kansas, where immigrants came in the late 1800s, seeking employment in the mines. One of the many immigrants seeking a job included Pete Ferraro, who immigrated from Italy in 1901, according to James M. Green’s historical account from 1985 of the Gay Parita Ballroom. Ferraro soon opened a grocery store that burned down before building another during the prohibition years. In 1934, Ferraro entered a partnership with Frank (Chee Chee) Parise, building a huge ballroom for $11,000. The two inserted a local newspaper advertisement announcing a contest for the new ballroom’s name. The name “Gay Parita” was chosen and the opening night of the ever-popular event center was June 23, 1934.
Source: Morning Sun