Emporia City Commissioners accepted a $17,000 donation from the Emporia Eastside Community Group during an action section Wednesday afternoon in the Municipal Courtroom. The funds, which were awarded to the group by the Jones Trust, are designated to be used toward improvements at Eastside Memorial Park, located at Ninth Avenue and East Street. The Jones Trust awarded $90,000 toward a $135,000 upgrade project at the park in July, with work on basketball courts and sidewalks already underway. Al Slappy, a longtime member of the group, said the organization has been working for more than 20 years to bring improvements to the [...]

After almost two years of study, preparation and campaigning, the USD 253 Bond Issue passed by a significant margin Tuesday evening with a total of 2,514 votes in favor and 1,450 against. “We’re extremely grateful for all the support we received from the community,” Emporia Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Case said. “We felt really good about our needs-assessment process and all the involvement we had from all of the stakeholders. I think the fact that our community is very supportive of what we’re doing just validates what that needs committee said. It’s exciting for all our students and staff that attend [...]