The Lyon County Commission approved the purchase of a drone for the Sheriff’s Department at its meeting Thursday morning. The drone, in the amount of $26,000 will be used for search and rescue, suspect apprehension and scene documentation. The cost also includes training for deputies to operate the drone safely. The commission also approved a quote of Nortex Concrete Lift and Stabilization of Fort Worth, Texas, to lift and stabilize the approaches to the Neosho River Bridge on Road 175 with high-density polyurethane foam. The lift and stabilization will cost $30,420 from the Special Bridge fund. Source: Emporia Gazette

Preliminary design work on a proposed $10 million fire station build and renovation project in Emporia was given the greenlight Wednesday, when Emporia City Commissioners approved a design contract between the city and Lenexa-based firm Archimages for architectural services. Emporia Fire Chief Brandon Beck said Archimages was one of three firms that submitted requests for qualification for the project, which will move Fire Station No. 1 from the southeast side of the Civic Auditorium into a newly constructed building — possibly in the 500 block of Market Street. Source: Emporia Gazette

Cleanup is still in progress throughout Chase County following a series of tornadoes Wednesday evening, reaching up to EF-2 strength. The National Weather Service is continuing its survey of the damage, which spread from one mile east of Elmdale to three miles southwest of Strong City and 3.5 miles south of Dunlap. As of Friday morning, preliminary results classified the tornadoes as EF-2, with winds speeds of 111 to 135 miles per hour, while specifics, such as how many tornadoes touched down and how large they were, were still under investigation. Source: Emporia Gazette

The Emporia City Commission will receive its first report on the homelessness taskforce, created to find workable solutions for the community last year. The taskforce is expected to recommend that a camping ordinance be maintained in the City of Emporia through July 8, in order to give the group more time to study the ordinance and formulate longterm solutions and recommendations for the city. The homelessness taskforce was established in Dec. 2022 following the city’s approval of an “unlawful camping” ordinance on Nov. 17, 2022. Source: Emporia Gazette

The City of Emporia announced Thursday the selection of Mark Detter as its next assistant city manager. He fills the position left vacant by Lane Massey, who accepted a position in Spring Hill last year. Detter begins his position on May 30, 2023, where he will support and direct aspects of city operations and lead pivotal strategic plan initiatives for the community. Detter told The Gazette that he grew up in Seattle, Wa., but both of his parents were from Kansas and he spent many summers traveling to the Midwest to visit family. He came back to Kansas for college, earning [...]

The Lyon County Commission discussed longevity pay increases for full-time, hourly county employees at its meeting Thursday morning. Director of Human Resources Janice Huffman presented commissioners with the idea of the increase as part of three first-quarter employee task force policies. Huffman said the longevity pay increase is currently 29 cents every five years and has been set at that figure for many years. Huffman proposed a new rate of 40 cents for five years, 60 cents for 10 years, 80 cents for 15 years and so on. Commissioners said they were in favor of the increase but would like to [...]

They traveled from Kentucky to the “Promised Land” on the Solomon River of Kansas. Emancipated African Americans found a road to freedom after the Civil War, and established the oldest and only remaining Black settlement west of the Mississippi at Nicodemus, Kan. Emporia State University Special Collections and Archives hosted “Children of the Promised Land,” a Humanities Kansas presentation by Angela Bates Tuesday evening. Bates is the executive director and past president of the Nicodemus Historical Society. A direct descendant of the town founders, she presents programs across the country about her unique hometown. Bates graduated from Emporia State University in [...]

Emporia Main Street, along with several local businesses, have become the new homes for a collection of Fairy Doors. The community is invited to come downtown starting this week and look high and low (well mostly low) around local businesses for some new and colorful installations. Emporia Main Street launched this concept to provide the community and visitors a fun, free activity to do while visiting downtown and surrounding businesses. “We had such a great response to our interactive murals, and we wanted to produce another initiative that would draw people downtown,” explains Jessica Buchholz, Community Development Coordinator for Emporia Main [...]

The City of Admire is planning to build a pickleball, basketball and tennis court, thanks to $30,000 in funding from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas as part of Healthier Lyon County’s Pathways to a Healthy Kansas grant. The City of Admire worked with the Healthier Lyon County Coalition to assess the active infrastructure environment at the Admire City Park including tobacco-free grounds policies, making the City eligible for implementation funding. The City of Admire has been prioritizing community health by working hard to make improvements to the city park, most recently adding a disc golf course. The City park [...]

Ryan Muhlig knows he has some big shoes to fill, stepping into his new role of Superintendent of Schools for USD 252 Southern Lyon County. And he couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity. “How lucky am I that Southern Lyon County opened up, because it’s a phenomenal district,” he said. “And Dr. Argabright; what huge shoes to fill.” Muhlig, who is currently the principal at Colby High School, was hired by the board of education on Feb. 24. He officially begins his position on July 1, following the retirement of Dr. Mike Argabright at the end of the 2022-23 school [...]