Authorities in Kansas have closed a trail around a creek as they try to catch an alligator spotted there. The 5-foot alligator is believed to be one of two stolen from a pet store in the northeastern Kansas city of Manhattan last weekend, the Mercury reported. A man called 911 to report seeing an alligator while he was walking along Linear Park Trail on Wednesday. Animal control officers who responded saw the animal lounging on log in Wildcat Creek. (Read more: Emporia Gazette)

Emporia State University President Allison Garrett said school leadership had cut 20 positions — including four current employees — and would be looking at more budget cuts as the university is facing a $2.2 million shortfall heading into the fall 2020 semester, during a Tuesday morning town hall.  The forum addressed faculty- and student-submitted questions concerning the virus’ effect on the school’s budget, as well as covering initial reopening plans for the fall semester. “I know that you all are aware that Emporia State, like other institutions, is facing some budget challenges,” Garrett said. “I shared that with you back in [...]

City of Emporia Finance Director Janet Harouff spoke with city commissioners about estimated decreases in the transient guest tax fund during a Wednesday morning study session. The decrease, which has been spurred on by the novel coronavirus pandemic, could affect some remaining appropriations payments for 2020. Without such economic drivers as the Glass Blown Open and Dirty Kanza over the summer, Harouff estimated the city could see an approximate $400,000 decrease in guest tax revenue. She advised that commissioners could be facing some tough decisions in the realm of appropriation requests moving forward, especially for entities such as Emporia Granada Theatre, [...]

Greenwood County commissioners met for a special meeting Monday evening after Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced control would pass to local counties to establish restrictions for their individual county reopening plans. Commissioners voted to continue the current restrictions put in place by the modified Phase 2 of the state reopening plan until June 8. Greenwood County Public Health Officer Vickie Lindsey-Ross recommended continuing to observe this two-week period in order to monitor any outbreaks of COVID-19 resulting from gatherings over the Memorial Day holiday. If there is no outbreak of positive COVID cases by June 8, commissioners will allow the order [...]

The smaller Lyon County communities are also enduring the effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Gazette spoke with the mayors and city clerks of these communities to glean insight into how the small city, rural life is continuing. 2020 marks Reading’s sesquicentennial, and its birthday party has been postponed until gatherings are safer. Mayor Todd Hensley said Reading has seen a lot of things in its 150 years, “but I don’t believe we’ve ever seen anything like this,” he said. The community is resilient, though that is apparent whether or not the world is enduring a pandemic. The local Miracle Cafe [...]

Lyon County Commissioners approved a 60-day extension of the county’s existing emergency disaster declaration during a regularly-scheduled action session Thursday morning. Originally signed March 15, the goal of the declaration was to provide the county with chances for financial reimbursement due to costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The first agreement was set to expire Friday, but will now be in effect until mid-July. “The local declaration of emergency gives us opportunities for financial assistance,” Lyon County Emergency Manager Jarrod Fell said. “While it may not be required for the pandemic, it still may open some doors for us. So, that’s [...]

City Finance Director Janet Harrouff gave Emporia City Commissioners recommendations on potential budgetary cuts that could be made as the city continues to navigate the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic Wednesday morning via Zoom. The recommended cuts are a proactive measure at this time, Harrouff said, to help mitigate any lost tax revenue in the coming months. So far, the city has not seen a decrease in property tax or sales tax revenues because of how they are distributed. “With property taxes, we receive a distribution in January and a distribution in June from the county for the big ad [...]

Lyon County Commissioners approved a near-$50,000 agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation for emergency-relief roadway repair during a regularly-scheduled meeting Thursday morning. The funds will be used in the maintenance of “federal aid roads” within Lyon County, some of which suffered damage during last spring’s flooding events. According to County Engineer Chip Woods, federal aid roads — such as Americus Road — are classified by KDOT and the Federal Highway Administration as “major collectors,” making them eligible for federal aid. “Being through KDOT and the Federal Highway Administration, this won’t have anything to do with our non-federal aid routes,” Woods [...]

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress with bipartisan support and signed into law by President Trump on March 27 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has since impacted communities across the nation. While the more than $2 trillion economic package mainly strives “to protect the American people from the public health and economic impacts” of the virus, it has also been used during this time to support numerous businesses, organizations and educational entities. In an online forum Monday, Emporia State University President Allison Garrett announced initial details of what the CARES Act could [...]

Lyon County Public Health announced the addition of several provisions and restrictions to the local implementation of a statewide reopening plan Friday. "We spent the day talking with partners about what this looks like for our community, and what this looks like in our own community," Emergency Manager Jarrod Fell said. "We encourage everyone to follow the state plan — that is the foundation moving forward — however, we do have some added restrictions in our public health order dated May 1, 2020." In addition, all dine-in services at restaurants and other facilities that prepare and serve food are prohibited. Food [...]