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EMPORIANS
FOR GROWTH: SALES TAX MUST BE RENEWED

Emporians for Growth
members Evora Wheeler (left) and Ray Toso (center) appeared on KVOE’s On-Air
Blog on Wednesday with Regional Development Association President Kent
Heermann. All three support renewing Emporia’s half-cent sales tax used
currently for economic development and property tax relief. Photo by Chuck
Samples/KVOE News.
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
Emporians for Growth
detailed its case for renewing a half-cent sales tax on KVOE's On-Air Blog on
Wednesday.
The special Issues Forum
came as the civic group tries to continue the tax currently used for economic
development and property tax relief before it ends in 2014.
Group member Evora
Wheeler said the tax has been instrumental in helping to bring business and
industry to Emporia.
Fellow group member Ray
Toso said the city’s property tax could jump as high as seven mils if the
current tax is not renewed.
The tax was first
approved in 1994 with collections starting in 1995.
Regional Development Association
President Kent Heermann said the tax has generated over $27 million in revenue,
with Emporia's general fund taking in about $13 million of that total. Most of
the remaining money went into the city’s Industrial Development Sales Tax Fund
for land acquisition, infrastructure payments, incentives and RDA operations.
Heermann credited the
tax for helping to bring in new businesses like Camoplast, Hill's Pet
Nutrition, Menu Foods and Norfolk Iron and Metal along with helping existing
businesses like Tyson, Hostess, EVCO, Detroit Diesel, Hopkins and Vektek expand
their local operations.
RDA relationship
with Fanestil discussed
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
Several questions from KVOE
listeners on Wednesday's On-Air Blog dealt with the RDA's relationship with
Fanestil meats as the company tries to move out of the Cottonwood River flood
plain just south of Emporia.
Heermann said the RDA's
confidentiality requirements forbid him from going into details on the Fanestil
negotiations, but a "workable solution" was difficult to find because
two of the city's three performance-based incentive benchmarks for job
creation, capital investment and wages were "missing" in Fanestil’s
plan.
Heermann said Industrial
Park No. 4, Fanestil's preferred location, is lacking the necessary
infrastructure to proceed in a timely manner, including no sanitary sewer or
water nearby. There is also only single-phase power from Westar at that
location, and there would need to be additional traffic safety improvements to
the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 and Road "F."
Heermann said the RDA
offered several other locations around Emporia to Fanestil, which declined
those offers.
NTHF
BEGINS UNCOMFORTABLE PROCESS OF EXPLORING OPTIONS OUTSIDE EMPORIA
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
The National Teachers Hall of Fame is worth keeping open, but can
it stay that way in Emporia?
The NTHF Board of
Directors is dealing with a more uneven budget picture, diminishing interest
locally and the shutdown of similar programs like Disney and Wal-Mart-sponsored
efforts nationally -- and as a result is starting to explore whether to move
out of Lyon County in order to keep recognizing the best teachers in America.
Board President Dr. Mike
Lane tells KVOE News the immediate concern is still whether the Hall can sell
its former home at 1320 C of E Drive, as has been the case for years, but the
need to sell that building has become much more urgent in recent months because
the Hall's liabilities are now approaching the value of the building.
Lane says board members
aren't as confident in the level of local support as they have been just a few
years ago, and they are concerned the shutdown of national teacher recognition
programs indicate a lack of overall interest in properly recognizing teachers
for the work they do.
Lane says the board will
now pursue grant options to support a major fundraising drive. It may well also
begin looking for a major corporate partner, but Lane says the board will
consider moving out of Lyon County if said partner says the Hall has to move as
part of an agreement.
Branson, Mo., had
expressed interest in hosting some NTHF activities two years ago. Lane says
that option will not be pursued at this time because of financial concerns.
WILSEY
MAN HURT AFTER CRASH INTO TRANSFORMER POLE
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
A Wilsey man was hurt in
a crash in south-central Morris County on Tuesday night.
The Kansas Highway Patrol
says 20-year-old Carey Penrod was westbound on U.S. Highway 56 approaching
Delavan when his car went into the southbound ditch for unlisted reasons. The
car hit a transformer pole.
Penrod was taken to
Stormont-Vail hospital in Topeka. His condition has not been released.

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Demolition of two houses
at Fifth and Market street makes way for the new construction of a building to
house the Mother-Child Project to be offered by Corner House Inc. The project
is about helping mothers with addictions, including veterans, and their
dependent children. It will help the mothers get through their addictions, and
the kids work through changes that may happen at home as a result. Photos by
Jeff O’Dell/KVOE News.
HOUSING
CONDITIONS AND CITY INCOME DOMINATES EMPORIA CITY COMMISSION TALK
By Jeff O’Dell/KVOE News
Concerned about housing
conditions, and cleaning up decaying neighborhoods, members of the Emporia Human Relations Commission and those
interested in housing conditions in Emporia told the Emporia City Commission
they are interested in identifying properties that are substandard. Fred Nuer
spoke to the city commission, and said they will work with different agencies
to determine what is a problem and what is not.
City commissioner Kevin
Nelson said he is willing to let others help in the process.
Another clean up project
comes up October second. June Hubert tells KVOE News it takes place October second,
and will involve both sides of Constitution street to both sides of Union
street, from 6th Avenue to 12th Avenue.
Commissioners again
looked at revisions to the city budget for next year. There are a couple of
curve balls, coming for the city. City manager Matt Zimmerman said it’s getting
harder to predict city income, especially in sales taxes, and gasoline taxes.
Some news was not good, such as May sales taxes being down about 25 percent.
Commissioners Jeff
Longbine and Bob Agler, both involved in new car sales, say they know what it
was; lower sales of big-ticket items like news cars. Gasoline taxes are down
$16,000, but water sales are up 26 percent, with a lot of late fees being paid.
Merit raises, insurance
costs, and what was referred to as "Obama Care" are unknowns. But
health insurance turned out to be a plus with fewer claims, and getting some
money back, with a zero percent increase.
Commissioners talked
about again waiving the law against shooting fireworks for next year. They
seemed favorable, except for the fact that the fourth is on a Monday, and
people will be going back to work on Tuesday. They did not appear to overly
favor sales of fireworks in the city.
City commissioners will
have two meetings next Wednesday---an action meeting and then a study meeting.
EMPORIA
BOARD OF EDUCATION HOLDS BUDGET FORUM BUT NO ONE CAME
By Jeff O’Dell/KVOE News
The Emporia Board of
Education Wednesday night was scheduled to
hold a budget workshop for the public, but no one came. The workshop was
intended to explain to any district patrons how income is determined and how
money is prioritized and spent. Adoption of the budget could come in the near
future, but no one appeared to hear the presentation by Assistant
Superintendent for Business, Rob Scheib. The board waited an hour, and then
began their regular action meeting at 7 pm.
The board got a progress
report on work being done in the districts buildings. Much of it is being done
on improving buildings energy use, or updating its appearance. Director of Maintenance, Bob Fancher, told
the board, roof work at Walnut Elementary, has been delayed by rains. And the
new turf at the field at the High School has been delayed. You may see the
field lights on as workers try to make up for lost time, by working at night.
Much of the summer work is improving energy efficiency, and Fancher said when
that’s done, the engineering firm doing the work, Con-Edison said will check
for savings.
The board was talking
about the work in August of 2009 that would involve replace lights, fixtures,
boilers, and gain energy efficiencies. Once the new equipment is in place, the
use of energy would be measured, and determined if its operating as planned or
needs further tuning or re-working.
The board got a
quarterly budget report, and later went into executive session to talk about
non-elected personnel.
AGING
SERVICES FACES HIGHER DEMAND FOR SERVICES
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
Demand is increasing for
Lyon County's Aging Services Department.
Director Doug Stueve
addressed Lyon County commissioners Wednesday, saying senior assistance intakes
grew 12 percent from the first six months of last year to the first six months
of this year. Assistance intakes have grown every year since 2007, forcing the
department to ask for additional personnel to handle the load.
Meanwhile, LCAT
ridership remains strong. There have been nearly 21,000 rides so far in 2010,
up 300 from last year.
The new rural routes are
seeing mixed results, with heavier than projected ridership on the north route
and lower ridership than expected on the south route.
NRH
SEES POSITIVE FINANCIAL MONTH
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
For the first time in several months, Newman Regional had a good
monthly financial report.
Newman had over $234,000
in net income for June, well above the projected income of $38,000. This has
reduced the year-to-date shortfall from around $1 million to about $775,000.
Patient days and the
average daily census were below expectations, but the length of patient stays,
payer mix and year-to-date case mix all improved over past months. Operating
expenses were also significantly lower than budgeted.
ELECTION
2010: CANDIDATES, CALLERS FOCUS ON BUDGET QUESTIONS

Rep. Don Hill (left) and
his Republican challenger, Daniel Buller, took questions from KVOE listeners
and KVOE News staffers during KVOE's Candidate Forum on Tuesday. Photo by Chuck
Samples/KVOE News.
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
Budget matters dominated
Tuesday's KVOE Candidate Forum involving Kansas 60th District Rep. Don Hill and
his Republican primary challenger, Daniel Buller.
Hill said responsible
spending and competitive tax policies have been central to his service during
his four terms in office. However, hill said a controversial sales tax passed
earlier this year got his vote -- albeit grudgingly. He said it was the
"least bad option" and didn't jeopardize federal funds for schools or
put local governments in a position to raise property taxes.
Buller said he would
have voted against the sales tax and the 2010 budget, which he said contained a
$200 million spending increase.
Hill defended himself
against claims he voted to increase the budget by $200 million, saying the
state's general fund budget actually went down $1.2 billion the past three
years through budget cuts he voted for and gubernatorial action he favored.
Hill said he voted against $186 million in spending increases put forth as
amendments late in the 2010 session but voted for "two or three"
increases of less than $10 million.
On other topics, Buller
said he would have voted for the Kansas Health Care Freedom Act, which would
have let the state opt out of federal health care reforms if it had passed.
Hill was not in favor. He says the package needs improvements, but the best way
to do so is by hiring representatives committed to making those changes.
With education, Hill and
Buller both say education should get enough money to do their jobs competently,
although Hill doesn't expect any funding increases next year and Buller
questions whether increased money leads to better results.
ELECTION
2010: ADVANCE VOTES GAINS IN POPULARITY AS TIME GOES BY
By Jeff
O’Dell/KVOE News
Advance voting seems to
gather more interest as time goes by. And that certainly is happening in Lyon
County with this primary election.
Lyon county clerk Tammy Vopat said she is a bit surprised by the advance
vote turnout.
75 people voted in
advance Monday: over 800 by late in the afternoon Tuesday. So far there is a
total of 537 advance voters.
Vopat said the weather
plays a role in the turnout, with the greatest numbers occurring in the
morning. Vopat says she is very
pleasantly surprised at the way advanced voting has gotten out the vote.
Electioneering
disallowed, Vopat says
By Chuck Samples/KVOE
News
Lyon
County Clerk Tammy Vopat is warning overexuberant political supporters to avoid
electioneering as the primary election draws near.
Vopat
says there were "a few" incidents of electioneering last week.
Electioneering
includes wearing, exhibiting or distributing labels, signs, posters, stickers
or other materials that either clearly identify a political candidate or
clearly indicate support or opposition to a ballot question.
Electioneering
is not allowed within 250 feet of a polling place.
The
primary election is Aug. 3. KVOE will have complete election coverage that
night with results and reactions beginning almost as soon as the polls close at
7 p.m.
RECENT
HEAT BOTHERS FEEDLOT CATTLE MORE THAN CROPS
By The Associated Press
Last week's heat wave was no friend to feedlot cattle in central
and southwest Kansas. Some 2,600 head died in feedlots from Salina to Dodge
City.
Lyon County Extension
agent Brian Rees says there was no widespread die-off in Lyon County despite
heat indices close to 110 at times and abnormally warm low temperatures.
Part of the reason is
the lack of feedlot cattle. Rees says most area cattle are stocker cattle that
are still on grass at this time of the season.
Statewide, crops did
better than cattle in the heat last week. The Kansas Agricultural Statistics
Service says corn is 14 percent excellent, 58 percent good and 22 percent fair.
About 6 percent was in poor to very poor condition. Over 90 percent has silked.
About 17 percent of the
Kansas sorghum crop has headed. Thirteen percent of soybeans have pods setting.
Locally, though, there
is a wide range in corn and beans -- and the June flooding, not the July heat,
is responsible. Rees says excess moisture has "caused holes" in the
corn fields, but the crop looks very good in upland areas. Lowland corn may
actually bring the overall county yield down to near average levels.
Rain delayed soybean
planting considerably, especially in low-lying areas, and in some cases forced
re-planting. Upland beans look "very good," but Rees is concerned about
a second round of webworm possibly showing up soon.
KVOE News reporter Chuck Samples contributed to this report.
CROP
WALK ORGANIZATION CONTINUES
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
CROP Walk 2010 isn't until
late September, but organizers hope to get people lined up to participate now.
On KVOE's Newsmaker
segment Tuesday, organizer Bill Ballard said "Communities Responding to
Overcome Poverty" is a longstanding effort of Church World Service.
Last year, CROP Walk
raised $1700. Ballard hopes the total goes well above that this year.
The Emporia Walk is
Sept. 25 and kicks off from the First United Methodist Church. Participants get
pledges before going the four-mile route. Most of the proceeds go to Church
World Service. Twenty--five percent of the proceeds stay local, with the local
funds evenly split between the Abundant Harvest food kitchen and the Lyon
County Restricted Emergency Fund.
For more information,
call 342-9511 or 343-2719.
BUDGET
CONCERNS TAKE CENTER STAGE ON MORNING SHOW
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
Emporia city and Lyon County commissioners will spend a ton of
time on budgets over the next four weeks, and people closely associated with
both boards gave their insights to where those budgets stand on KVOE's Morning
Show with Ron Thomas on Monday.
Lyon County Commission
Chair Scott Briggs said a dip in valuations, prisoner care and investment
revenues are forcing a big decision -- and not just with the immediate budget.
Briggs says commissioners wonder whether they should focus on funding
state-mandated functions, reducing funding to quality-of-life allocations the
county has funded for years as a result.
City Manager Matt
Zimmerman says the city should keep the levy flat for the third straight year.
An expected dip in valuations isn't as bad as first thought, and sales tax
revenues look like they are starting to turn around. Zimmerman says the city
doesn't have the same questions the county is facing about strictly funding state-mandated
functions.
County commissioners are
debating whether to adopt a budget reducing the levy by half a mil or one that
boosts the levy by four mils. Complicating that decision is the reduced-levy budget
may not be reliable because it is based on current-year trends that might not
hold the rest of the year and has a larger cash carryover than commissioners
expect will happen.
Zimmerman says the trick
is determining the minimum level of service, the desired level of service and
the level of service people want to fund through their tax dollars.
City commissioners are
asking for your input before a public hearing Aug. 10 at the Lee Beran
Recreation Center. County commissioners don't have any meetings planned yet,
but they also want your input before the budgets have to be finalized Aug. 25.
School Board sets
budget meetings
By Jeff O’Dell/KVOE News
Members of the public
who have questions about the proposed budget for the Emporia School District
for the coming school year can get answers this week. The Emporia public
schools will have a public budget information meeting Wednesday evening at 6
pm, at Mary Herbert Education Center.
The public budget meeting will be held before the regular Board of
Education meeting at Mary Herbert Education Center.
CRIME STATS ON PAR WITH
PAST YEARS
By Chuck Samples/KVOE
News
Lyon
County's crime stats are very similar to those of the last several years.
Through
the first six months of 2010, 320 cases have been charged -- just six more than
last year and two less than in 2008:
2010: 320
2009: 314
2008: 322
2007: 310
2006: 374
2005: 294
2004: 341
2003: 317
However,
County Attorney Marc Goodman doesn't think those numbers are entirely accurate.
Many cases have several charges attached, and Goodman says the actual number of
charges may be a better gauge of the county crime scene. That change will go
into effect with reporting for the last six months of the year.
On
KVOE's Talk of Emporia on Friday, Goodman said burglaries, drug and domestic
violence cases are heavy again mainly because of the ongoing recession, but
financial crimes have dipped. Sex crimes also remain high.
Goodman dismayed
by Court of Appeals, Supreme Court decisions
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
To say that Lyon County
Attorney Marc Goodman is unhappy with the Kansas Court of Appeals and Supreme
Court is a big understatement.
On KVOE's Talk of
Emporia last week, Goodman said changes in legal interpretations after some of
Lyon County's major cases are the reason why convictions against Wallace Dixon
III, Kenneth Waddell and – most recently –Raul Magallanez were sent back for
new trials. The Dixon and Waddell cases wound up in convictions when they were
moved out of Lyon County, while trial dates are pending in the Magallanez case.
Goodman also discussed
the process of charging cases, which he says evolves as investigations
continue. This came up recently with what was originally charged as a sex abuse
case involving a teenaged girl and five young adult males but was resolved when
the defendants pleaded guilty to alcohol-related charges instead. Goodman said
initial evidence warranted the sex charges, but later evidence either called
the original casework into question or refuted it. The pleas, Goodman says,
more accurately reflected what happened.
CAMP
ALEXANDER READIES FOR BON VOYAGE WEEK
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
Bon Voyage Week is next
week at Camp Alexander.
On KVOE's Morning Show
with Ron Thomas on Monday, Director Damon Leiss said the week brings together
the most popular activities of previous camps this summer, including archery,
water slides and "Gold Rush" -- a new spin on the old favorite,
"Capture the Flag." It's all geared towards empowering kids of all
ages.
Cost is $80 for the
week, including LCAT transportation and food.
Leiss also discussed
School's Out camps and possible activities later this year, including a haunted
tour, a winter camp and parent's weekend camp. For more information, call
342-1386 or 757-6443 or go online to www.campalexander.org.
You can also register at the camp office, 501 S. Commercial, from 8 a.m. to
noon.
NORTHERN FLYER ALLIANCE:
OPTION 3 COSTLIEST, BEST

The Northern Flyer Alliance says
Option 3 would provide the greatest economic impact to cities along the
proposed route despite its projected start-up costs and operating subsidy. Map
courtesy of KDOT.
By Chuck Samples/KVOE
News
The
Northern Flyer Alliance says one option for passenger rail service in Emporia
and elsewhere will have a bigger economic impact than three others under
consideration -- even though it will cost more to put in place.
Option
3, as it's called, has a $479 million start-up cost and an operating subsidy of
$8.1 million, higher numbers than any of the three competing options.
City
Manager Matt Zimmerman, an NFA board member, says there's one key reason why
option 3 stands out: daytime service. Zimmerman says train service will help
business travelers, shoppers and tourists, and the best impact will happen
during the day.
There is
still a lot of work left, namely with finishing a service development plan and
making sure the state legislatures along the proposed route are on board. It
may be two or three years at the earliest before passenger trains stop in
Emporia.
LEADERSHIP
EMPORIA APPLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE AND FUTURE LEADERS WILL BE GROOMED
By Jeff O’Dell/KVOE News
An Emporia Area Chamber
of Commerce program, called "Leadership Emporia" works to develop
future leaders for the Emporia area. And applications are now being accepted
for the 23rd class of Leadership Emporia.
This year’s program
begins with an opening retreat on Thursday, September 16 and Friday September
17. The additional five sessions are
held on Thursday, September 23, October 7 and 21; and November 4 and 18. The
celebration luncheon will be Friday December 10. Class members must be present
at all seven sessions to successfully complete the course. Leadership Emporia has been fortunate to
continually transform its program offering the latest in leadership
development.
Leadership Emporia has
been working closely with the newly formed Kansas Leadership Center and through
this training have developed programs and initiatives which teaches four
competencies for civic engagement. This kind of civic leadership is learning
through powerful experiences that provide conceptual frameworks, skills, tools
and ways of being consistent with a more purposeful and collaborative
leadership approach.
Tuition for Leadership
Emporia is $300 and may be paid by the participant or a sponsoring employer or
organization. The Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce will award a maximum of 3 $100
scholarships. Applications can be filled out by going to
www.emporiakschamber.org. Applications must be returned to the Chamber of
Commerce by Friday, August 13.
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT IS AN EFFORT TO THWART
CRIME
By Jeff O’Dell/KVOE News
National Night Out will
be commemorated August 14th in Emporia. The idea is to get neighbors acquainted
with each other, so that they feel more comfortable, and know when crime may be
occurring because they will know when strange people are in the neighborhood.
Brendy Allison is community services aide for the Emporia Police Department.
She told KVOE News people are getting ready for block parties now.
Allison said she was
real pleased with the way that the event went last year, with several block
parties occurring. This year, Emporia Fire Trucks will visit block parties, and
kids can ask questions and ring the bells.
Police cars will visit parties too, and people can hear the sirens, and
look over the cars, and see what they can do. For information on having your
own block party, contact Allison at 341-4327.
EMPORIA
PUBLIC LIBRARY STARTS STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS
By Jeff O’Dell/KVOE News
What services will
people want in the future from the Emporia Public Library? And in what format
will it come? And how will it be delivered? Those are questions to be answered
by the Emporia Public Library Board as they work on their strategic plan.
The process has just
recently begun, and Library Director Sue Blechl, said the library is looking at
direction for the next five or ten years. Blechl said they are setting the
framework of the strategic planning process now. What is guaranteed to occur in
the future is change.
Blechl said the
strategic planning process is in its very early stages now. An example of indicators for library needs
comes in the use of downloadable books. Downloadable books are already
here---free through the state library. Do they need more technology transfer
devices or more book storage space? The
library board will be working on the strategic plan for some time in the
future.