Is a big settlement coming with drug companies, the way there once was with tobacco companies? If there is, Lyon County Commissioners want to be part of it. They voted Thursday to sign a Settlement Participation Form, in a class-action lawsuit involving what some consider the national opioid epidemic. “We don’t really have any cases in Lyon County,” Commissioner Scott Briggs said after the meeting. “It left us available for money... The money would go for addiction centers within the county.” That assumes a settlement with “Big Pharma” occurs. Kansas was part of a 21-state agreement on a proposed settlement in [...]

TikTok isn't only for teenagers and milk crate stacking anymore. It's now used by Lyon County first responders. The Lyon County Emergency Communication Center launched its own TikTok feed in late August. It's now approaching 4,800 followers. “See a new side of dispatch,” a Facebook post about the feed said this past week. The first TikTok post was serious, marking “National I Am 911” Day. Other videos are humorous, with several “education bloopers” available. Source: Emporia Gazette

Child care access has been identified as one of the four major barriers to local workforce development. Through the course of the pandemic our community saw the critical role that our child care providers contribute and how limitations and disruptions can impact families in a variety of ways. One critical impact is the decision that families must make to balance workforce participation with the cost and access of child care services. To better understand the needs our community is facing, Ignite Emporia has partnered with the University of Kansas Center for Public Partnerships and Research. This brief online survey will help [...]

Lyon County voters had a penny for their thoughts Tuesday. They decided to keep it. The 1% county sales tax won a 15-year renewal by a 67.6 % majority. Final unofficial returns showed 3,438 for it, while 1,650 were against. “Those things are pretty popular among our voters,” Tyler Curtis, treasurer of Vote Yes Lyon County, concluded Tuesday night. Curtis says since the county sales tax took effect in 2009, it’s produced more than $50 million for Lyon County. He doesn’t expect much will change now. Source: Emporia Gazette

His resume might not reflect it, but Trey Cocking has Emporia connections. “Both of my brothers went to Emporia State. My mom and my aunt went to Emporia State,” Cocking said. “I’ve spent a lot of time there with my family.” Now Cocking and his family will live here full-time. Cocking is in line to become Emporia’s City Manager after the city commission approved his hire Wednesday night to replace Mark McAnarney. “When I heard that Mark was going to retire, it was one of those moments,” Cocking said Friday from his current office in Topeka. “If there was ever a [...]

The city of Emporia has found its next city manager. The city commission approved an employment agreement with Trey Cocking to replace outgoing city manager Mark McAnarney Wednesday evening, with Cocking to officially take over the role Dec. 7. ... Cocking currently serves as the Deputy Director of the League of Kansas Municipalities. He was the city manager for Atchison from 2009-2017 and the city administrator for Cherryvale 2006-2009. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice/law enforcement administration from Washburn University in 2002 and a master’s degree in public service and administration from Texas A&M University in 2004. He is [...]

Repaving is on the way to parts of Madison. But that doesn't mean everyone in town wants it. “They have raised the highway up so high that they're higher than our curbs,” city employee James Paugh told Monday night's Madison City Council meeting. Paugh, who manages the city's water treatment plant, said he's been informed by the Kansas Department of Transportation that state repaving is planned either in 2022 or 2023, beginning from Southwest Boulevard or K-249. “We don't have that drainage,” Paugh said. He promised to talk with KDOT staff members in Topeka about cutting down the pavement. Source: Emporia [...]

The Emporia Public Library has received a grant from Humanities Kansas worth more than $12,000. The SHARP Recovery Grants are awarded to Kansas cultural organizations providing humanities programming that are facing financial difficulty as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Emporia Public Library was one of 121 organizations to receive a SHARP Recovery Grant. The $12,080 grant will be used for general operating support, staff retention and needed digital and/or operational transitions for cultural work in the post-pandemic era. “Humanities Kansas is honored to be able to support Kansas cultural organizations as we recover from the impact of Covid,” [...]

The Emporia City Commission discussed potential updates to its property maintenance codes during its study session Wednesday morning. Chief building inspector Kory Krause reported to the commission that in recent years the Code Services Department had received an increasing number of complaints regarding poor living conditions in rental properties. However, the city’s current property codes are limited and seriously restrict what can be enforced, leaving the city with very few options for how it can assist its citizen renters. “The extent of our current interior maintenance codes allows inspection to only look at five sections or eight items,” he said. “This [...]

The Emporia City Commission will take a look at its rental property maintenance codes during its study session Wednesday morning. Chief building inspector Kory Krause has reported an increasing number of complaints in regard to poor living conditions in rental properties and has asked the commission to consider adopting the International Property Maintenance Code. The IPMC is intended to provide safe and sanitary conditions for those living in Emporia rental units. Emporia is the only Kansas city that hosts a state university and has not adopted the IPMC. Additionally, it is one of only three of the state’s 20 First Class [...]