The city of Emporia released a coronavirus (COVID-19) schedule and operations of City Buildings on Monday afternoon. City Offices are highly recommending the public have limited access to the building and departments. In conjunction with the recommendation of health officials these schedules will remain in effect until further notice. The City of Emporia is working toward keeping employees and the public safe by discouraging crowds and encouraging distances of at least 6 feet of each other for a period less than 10 minutes in an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19. (Read more: Emporia Gazette)

The City of Emporia free community bike share is back. After a winter break, 22 bikes have been deployed to six locations across the city: Logan Avenue Elementary School, Emporia High School, Emporia Recreation Center, Do-B’s, near the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office and CrossWinds Counseling & Wellness. The bikes were deployed and activated Friday morning and are ready for use. (Read more: Emporia Gazette)

On Feb. 24, Independent We Stand, a national small business movement, kicked-off its fifth annual America’s Main Streets contest to help consumers, small business owners and Main Street organizations reward a deserving Main Street with $25,000 in cash and sponsor-related prizes. Emporia Main Street is among this year’s nominees. “Our Independent We Stand America’s Main Streets contest gives small business owners the opportunity to share their Main Street stories nationwide,” Independent We Stand co-Founder Bill Brunelle said. “But we know it takes a community to make that possible, so we’re inviting consumers to help recognize their favorite indie businesses.” (Read more: [...]

The Emporia City Commission approved an ordinance granting a 10-year property tax abatement to Cargill Animal Nutrition Wednesday afternoon. The abatement, which exempts Cargill from tax liability on its property, was previously discussed during a May 2, 2018, action session during which commissions approved an incentive compliance agreement with the dog food manufacturer in relation to its $4.5 million warehouse expansion project. At the time, Cargill had invested more than $5 million in new equipment and upgrades at its Emporia Facility. David Belpedio, a partner with MarksNelson accounting firm out of Kansas City, said Cargill was excited to continue its commitment [...]

A 4.5 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter 3.6 miles southwest of Hutchinson shook Kansas at 1:08 p.m. Sunday, with tremors felt throughout the region — including the Emporia area. The US Geological Survey had initially reported that the earthquake was a magnitude 4.4 earthquake, but later upgraded it. No damage was immediately reported. After a 4.2 earthquake damaged buildings in the Hutchinson and Burrton Public Schools districts in Aug. 2019, and with earthquakes becoming more frequent occurrences, the Kansas State Department of Education added earthquake drills to the list of safety drills some Kansas schools are required to complete throughout the [...]

Seven non-profit organizations in the greater Emporia area will start 2020 on a much brighter note as they receive a total of $21,899.38 from the Emporia Community Foundation’s Grants Committee. The ECF Grants Committee selected grants for innovative projects and programs based on meeting changing community needs in the areas of health, social service, education, recreation and cultural affairs. “This year the ECF Grants Committee received 18 grant applications totaling over $147,000 for projects in the greater Emporia area.” ECF Executive Director Becky Nurnberg said. “The Committee carefully considered each application and the potential impact for the community. It took several [...]

Lyon County Commissioners unanimously approved a pair of conditional use permits allowing for the construction of two new communications towers during an action session Thursday morning. The towers — which will be located in the 2300 Block of Road G near Americus and the 700 Block of Road M near Olpe — will be operated by US Cellular with the goal of providing a signal boost to customers in more rural areas. The towers are expected to be approximately 150 feet tall and could eventually be used by other cell service providers pending future leasing agreements. “These towers are stand-alone towers, [...]

The Emporia Public Library celebrated a major milestone Saturday. The day marked exactly 150 years since, on Dec. 14, 1869, a group of Emporia citizens recognized the need for a library in the 12-year-old community. A year of special events, speakers and more culminated with a 150th birthday party. Library staff, board members and advocates along with local politicians and patrons helped mark the occasion. Emporia Public Library Director Robin Newell said it is the longest continuously operating library in Kansas. (Read more: Emporia Gazette)

The Cottonwood Falls Fire Department has turned to an unlikely method of raising funds for outdated equipment — modeling. Firefighters from Chase County will be on display the entire year in 2020, after the department teamed up with Rosebud Studio for its take on the traditional sexy firefighters calendar. Geneva Cahoone, wife of firefighter Kevin Cahoone, sprung the idea when the fire department began discussing ways to raise funds without having to ask the city or county commission. (Read more: Emporia Gazette)

The ELC-Z zoning workshop series concluded Thursday evening at the Civic Building with a discussion on residential and other personal property topics. City of Emporia Planning and Zoning Officer Joe Foster and Lyon County Planning and Zoning Officer Sam Seeley took turns fielding questions from concerned parties, many of whom took issue not so much with proposed zoning regulations, but aspects of the comprehensive plan. In Nov. 2017, Lyon County and City of Emporia officials completed and unanimously adopted a joint zoning regulations draft known as PlanELC. Since then, both have been working to update their zoning regulations for its support [...]