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March
9, 2010
KVOE
PHOTO PAGES AND MORE
·
Click here
to read the National Weather Service’s 2010 storm spotter schedule.
·
Click here
for “Splash! Polar Plunge 2010.”
SCHEDULE
ADJUSTMENTS
·
Lebo Elementary dismisses at noon March 10 because of the Lebo-Olpe girls state
tournament game in Manhattan. Buses will run accordingly.
TUITION
UP AT FLINT HILLS TECHNICAL COLLEGE
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
For the second time in three
years, tuition is going up at Flint Hills Technical College.
On Monday, the FHTC Board of Trustees approved a $7 increase to
$87 a credit hour. The board approved a $2 tuition increase two years ago.
With the state's budget
crisis deepening over time, President Dr. Dean Hollenbeck says there are no
guarantees that Flint Hills will keep all its faculty, staff or programs.
However, he says the tuition increase will increase the chances FHTC won't have
major cuts down the road.
Flint hills has already
improved its energy efficiency measures, cut travel, frozen hiring and delayed
some programs to counter the state budget cuts.
A guest on KVOE's
Morning Show with Ron Thomas on Tuesday, Hollenbeck says the state budget mess
is unfortunate in its timing because Flint Hills has enjoyed record enrollment
for several semesters and the cuts have more than offset any revenue gains the
college would have normally seen thanks to the high enrollment.
THREE
SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE PIVOTAL MEETINGS MONDAY NIGHT
By Roger Hartsook/KVOE
News
A strong turnout for the
South Lyon County School District meeting, but no decisions are made yet, as to
how the South District will adjust to less state money. About 400 people were present
Monday night at the board of education meeting for South Lyon County. Recent town meetings have been held in
Hartford and Olpe as patrons discuss the district's financial situation and how
that might affect the number of attendance centers. Both Olpe and Hartford have
been very protective of their attendance centers, and want to seem them remain
in use.
The school board met at
5:30 pm and did a walk through of Hartford High School with the district
architect who later explained how the school might be used if it had to contain
all twelve grades.
Superintendent of
Schools, Mike Argabright noted the presentation to the board by the architect
and the public input is part of the board's previously announced plans to
thoroughly discuss all options. But they want another perspective.
Argabright also informed
the board that the budget situation seems to be somewhat improved in the last
month or so.
The board was given a
number of options to cut the budget including the possibility of starting
school a week later than last year and adding 15 or 20 minutes to the day.
The board took a brief
recess at 9:30 pm and reconvened in the board conference room in executive
session and was to reconvene to complete routine items on the agenda.
The South Lyon County
Board of Education received some good news at their meeting Monday night. Supt. Mike Argabright reported the district
had received two significant grants in the area of technology.
The classroom grant was $125,000
and includes a $50,000 match by the board.
The second year will be an additional $30,000. It will be used in 5th and 6th grade in classrooms in Neosho
Rapids and Olpe. The second grant was for $98,000 from the Jones foundation and
as Argabright noted would be used throughout the district.
North Lyon County
Board meets to talk about future of Admire School
By Jeff O’Dell/KVOE News
The North Lyon County
Board of Education had as one of their agenda items, the future of the Admire
School. The board voted February 9th to close the school and re-configure, use
of buildings by moving all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students to Americus.
The question then
arose---what to do with the building? Does the property revert back to the city
of Admire, as is sometimes the case in some school districts? Superintendent Mike Nulton said that a title
company has completed a title search, and their information will be referred to
an attorney. Nulton said they also issued resolutions of non-renewal to five
untenured teachers, and another was a reduction in force.
Chase County
School District precedes on schedule on re-configuring schools
By Jeff O’Dell/KVOE News
The Chase County School
Board Monday night approved class schedules that building principals have developed.
The Chase County School District will go with a two-building configuration they
approved back in February. Superintendent Greg Markowitz said the K through 6
building will use 14 teachers, and the 7 to 12 grades building will use 18
teachers.
Right now, the district
will be reducing the number of teachers, and that will come on April 5th.
Markowitz said that would likely be a combination of tenured and non-tenured
teachers. The ones that remain will be able to fill specific roles they need.
EMPORIA
BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETS WEDNESDAY NIGHT
By Jeff O’Dell/KVOE
News
After some talk of
Emporia School District retirements and any effect on district finances, the
Emporia Board of Education has received notification of 23 retirements. The
board has been discussing retirement benefits, and incentives with
teachers. Also on the agenda are
Emporia Middle School course offerings, and a curriculum report from the
Lowther schools. The board also gets a report on the K through 8-school
configuration and possible school consolidation. And they will consider
re-employment of district administrators.
They also get a report
from the capital improvement committee. And board members, who represent the
board on the Flint Hills Tech College board, and the Emporia Recreation
Commission, will report activities to the board. The Emporia Board of Education meets Wednesday night at 7 o'clock
at the Mary Herbert Education Center.
Hopkins
nominations needed soon
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
Wednesday is the deadline
to nominate a current Emporia School District teacher or staffer for a Hopkins
Foundation Star Performer or Wow! Award.
Nominations are still
available at all Emporia schools as well as Mary Herbert Education Center and
online at www.usd253.org.
Nominations should
include a completed form and statement of how the employee has made a positive
difference for students. Star performer nominations also need supporting
materials like letters, newspaper clippings or other documentation.
The awards highlight the
importance of teachers and the positive impact they have on the community.
KVOE
News Links
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Community ·
Click here to view road and
bridge construction projects in ·
Click here to visit the KVOE Talk of
Emporia page. |
WALK
KANSAS STARTS IN EMPORIA; FOUR TRAILS ARE MARKED AT THE LYON COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS
By Jeff O’Dell/KVOE News
Walking and getting in
shape in teams is the name of the game in "Walk Kansas". It was the
kickoff event for "Walk Kansas". Lyon County Family and Consumer Sciences
Agent Rhonda Gordon told KVOE News today was the start for the 8-week program.
If case of rain, or cold, the Tuesday programs move to the Flint Hills Mall.
Counting amounts of fat
consumed is part of the drill. So is carbohydrates, plus checking your heart rate.
Walking trails of different lengths will be marked, and "Meet Me At The Fairgrounds"
will be on Tuesdays. Most women should
eat at least 1200 calories---men should eat about 2,000 calories a day. Contact
the extension office to take part. Wrap up day is April 29th at the Fairgrounds.
AQUIFER
MAPPING PROJECT STARTS SOON IN SOUTHCENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS
By The Associated Press
Researchers will be
mapping the availability of aquifer water in Morris County, and six other counties
in Kansas. The Kansas Geological Survey, based at the University of Kansas, has
received federal funding for mapping projects in some southwest Kansas
counties. Plus, Morris, Harvey, McPherson, Reno counties will be involved, and
some new projects in Jefferson and Atchison counties. As part of the aquifer water-mapping
project, Kansas Geologist Greg Ludvigson says drilling in northeast Haskell
county could begin as early as June 1. Ludvigson says water levels are dropping
quickly around the High Pains Aquifer. That large, but shallow aquifer is the
source of nearly all municipal and irrigation water in the region.
SEX-RELATED
COURT HEARINGS SET FOR MARCH 10
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
Sentencing is Wednesday for Danny Martinez, the Emporia man
convicted a month ago on several counts of sexual assault.
A Lyon County jury
convicted Martinez of two counts of rape, two counts of aggravated assault and
single counts of kidnapping, aggravated battery, aggravated criminal sodomy and
criminal threat for incidents with a 23-year-old woman last summer. The jury dismissed
two counts of criminal threat and single counts of rape, aggravated battery and
aggravated assault.
Sentencing is at 2 pm.
Also Wednesday, a man
accused of sexually abusing children will have a motions hearing.
Max Engle faces four counts
of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and two counts of aggravated
criminal sodomy for alleged sexual activity with two young girls late this
summer.
Engle's hearing is at 3
pm. He has another pretrial hearing March 18 before trial begins March 22.
TUNK-JONES
CHARGED WITH CRIMINAL THREAT
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
A preliminary hearing is coming April 21 for the Flint Hills
Technical College student who allegedly made a bomb threat last week.
Alex Tunk-Jones, 19, of
214 S. East, now faces one count of criminal threat after his first appearance
in Lyon County District Court on Monday.
Court documents say
officers were dispatched to Flint Hills last Wednesday after a report that a
student would bring a bomb to the college. Court documents say officers located
Tunk-Jones in a classroom and took him to police headquarters for questioning
after searching him and a bag, finding nothing bomb-related.
The records don't say
what was asked during that session, but they do say Tunk-Jones had an alleged
altercation with a female student which triggered the call. Tunk-Jones
reportedly hit a classroom vehicle and also allegedly said women who didn't
agree with him about whether women should do men's jobs should be tied up and
left in a building that he would blow up.
No additional court
dates have been set at this time.
WEST
EMPORIA STREETS TO GET SHUT DOWN DURING RECONFIGURATION WORK
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
Work will continue on
two west Emporia streets despite the rainfall, but the schedule of work on
parts of 12th and Graphic Arts has changed somewhat.
In the short term,
contractor APAC Shears will remove pavement on Graphic Arts because the
subgrade material on U.S. Highway 50 is too wet for work. An extra crew will be
in next week to help with storm sewer and grading work near the current
intersection.
On Wednesday,
construction crews are shutting down Graphic Arts just south of 15th and 12th
Avenue near Graphic Arts as the city continues its work to reconfigure that
intersection. The city is making sure that westbound traffic on 12th can only
go north onto Graphic Arts, eliminating the longstanding access to Highway 50
on that side of the road, and the work should be done within a month if the
weather cooperates.
This will affect access
to the KDOT office and Didde building on Graphic Arts. KDOT workers will need
to use their north entrance. Didde employees using the north entrance won't be
affected, but those entering from the south will have to enter off 12th at a
new entrance.
SYMPHONY
SELLOUT
Tickets gone in
under two hours
People have enjoyed the
Symphony in the Flint Hills since its first appearance at the Tallgrass Prairie
National Preserve in 2006 as shown here. The 2010 concert will be on Ed Bass’
property eight miles west of Bazaar. It’s the first time Bass has opened his
property to the public. File photo by Chuck Samples/KVOE News.
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
Some of the hottest
tickets in the area are now gone -- in less than two hours.
Five thousand Symphony
in the Flint Hills tickets disappeared Monday, and there were at least 20,000
requests for tickets before they were all gone.
The fifth annual
symphony is June 12 at Ed Bass's South Clements pasture in southwest Chase
County.
Symphony Executive
Director Emily Hunter, a guest on KVOE's Morning Show with Ron Thomas on
Monday, said interest has certainly grown in the concert, which has generated
$3 million in revenue so far. Over 70 percent of that has gone to local
merchants and enterprises. Hunter also said Monday's demand demonstrates a
widespread willingness for "an authentic Flint Hills experience."
Once again, the Kansas
City Symphony will play. This time, Grammy award winner Lyle Lovett will make a
special appearance as well.
BROWNBACK
TALKS ABOUT THE ISSUES IN CONGRESS, AND WHAT KANSAS COULD BE
US
Senator Sam Brownback talks to Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce Keystone Group about
what’s ahead for the Senate and the
House. Photos by Jeff O’Dell/KVOE News.
By Jeff O’Dell/KVOE
News
Kansas’ Senator Sam
Brownback told an Emporia Chamber of Commerce group Monday that Kansas needs to
get back to the basics, in rising out of the recession and attracting new
business. Brownback was a speaker Monday at a chamber luncheon for the Keystone
group. He said the Chinese are pegging
their currency to the U-S Dollar, forcing Chinese goods to be cheaper than
ours.
Brownback wants to increase
the opportunities for comparison costs in health care insurance, and
procedures. Much of what drives costs up are defensive medicine practices.
Brownback said
education, growth of business, and support for families. He said the state has
the abilities and attractions to leverage into a stronger business base, and a
stronger economy.
Before the arrival of
Sam Brownback, Emporia Mayor Jeff Longbine, and RDA President Kent Heerman
talked about getting the economic development sales tax on the August primary
election ballot. The tax previously paid for economic development, the aquatic
center bonds, and property tax relief. The current tax sunsets in 2014, but
Heerman and Longbine see a need to get it in place early, and hope to put it on
the ballot this August.
MENTAL
Study meeting
By Chuck Samples/KVOE
News
Commissioners
will discuss a collaborative effort between the Lyon County Health Department
and Mental Health Center of East Central Kansas. The
Speaking
of the Health Department, commissioners will consider signing its state grant
application.
In other
business, County Facilities Director Mark McKenna will discuss construction work
at the Lyon County Courthouse and a gutter replacement project at the Lyon
County Annex.
BUDGET,
INFRASTRUCTURE AT FOREFRONT OF CITY MEETING
Emporia City Commission
Study meeting
10 am Wednesday
Emporia Public Library
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
Commissioners will
review proposed amendments to the 2010 budget. Commissioners will discuss
whether to remove stop signs at Sixth and Weaver and will look at the future of
a yield sign at Del Oso and Monterey.
In addition, commissioners
will talk about possibly creating a Fire Code Board of Appeals and will review
a draft ordinance that would let City Manager Matt Zimmerman issue permits for
using city parking lots.
Lyon County
commissioners are also set to have a study meeting Wednesday. The agenda for
that has not been released.
AMERICUS
MAN OUT OF HOSPITAL AFTER WRECK
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
An Americus man was
treated at Newman Regional and released after a crash in west Emporia on
Saturday night.
Emporia Police Officer
Matt Kelly says 42-year-old Franz Donelson was westbound on 12th Avenue when
the accident happened around 9:45 pm. Donelson failed to turn north at Graphic
Arts, instead crashing into a ditch.
THE
PATRON SAINT OF WALES IS COMMEMORATED IN EMPORIA SUNDAY
Traditional Welsh bread,
cheese and tea are served after the St David’s Day Celebration. Right, the St.
David’s Choir performs, in English and Welsh, a very difficult language.
By Jeff O’Dell/KVOE
News
This years St David's Day
Celebration in Emporia was the 122nd, and the ethnic celebration of
Welsh heritage in Emporia is regarded as one of the more successful events in
the country. Former Welsh National Opera singer Geraint Wilkes led the
production again for the 18th year. The celebration is made up of Welsh hymns.
Lyon county and
surrounding counties received strong immigration from Wales in the late 1800's
and early 1900's.
A strong part of the
Welsh celebration is the serving of a welsh bread, bara brith, pronounced
"bar-breeth", and tea. The bara brith was baked by Carolyn Tourney
and Ruth Fowler. Tourney said she herself baked about 72 loaves. It’s a dense,
sweet bread, with ingredients that set it apart from other breads, clove,
raisins, currants, candied fruit, and spices.
Wilkes was destined for
a singing career. His parents were both professional singers, and his career
was started when he was seven years old, performing, as Uncle Sam in a show to
entertain American soldiers, singing "I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy".
BUDGET
ADJUSTMENTS INCLUDE PRIMARY SEAT BELT LAW, CUTBACKS IN HIGHWAY PROJECTS
By The Associated Press
TOPEKA -- Kansas Gov.
Mark Parkinson has made a tougher seat belt law part of his plan for keeping
the state budget balanced through the end of June.
He also announced Friday
that he would cancel highway maintenance projects, including a bridge
re-decking plan at Highway 99 and the Kansas Turnpike north of Emporia, a box
culvert replacement in southern Chase County and a patching and sealing project
in Lyndon.
In addition, Parkinson
wants to suspend a payment into a disability fund for state employees and take
advantage of extra federal funds.
Parkinson included a
tougher seat belt law because it would attract additional funds from the federal
government.
Some of his proposals
require approval from the Legislature.
Parkinson is trying to
erase a projected $105 million deficit in the current budget, caused mainly by
lower-than-anticipated tax collections in February.
His plan includes no new
cuts in education or social services spending.
KVOE News reporter Chuck Samples contributed to this report.
CITY
SOLICITS INPUT ON CABLE TV FRANCHISE AGREEMENT
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
The city of Emporia has started
the process of renegotiating a franchise agreement with Cable One. City Manager
Matt Zimmerman wants your input on the things the city can control like
customer service – and even the things it can't like programming.
Zimmerman says the city
hasn't gotten many complaints about service issues, although there have been
some concerns about programming, especially with some TV channels getting
blacked out for legal reasons.
There will be a public
hearing March 17 as part of the City Commission meeting that night. You can
also write:
Emporia City Manager's Office
104 E. Fifth
Emporia, KS 66801
In addition, you can
email mzimmerman@emporia-kansas.gov
or go to the city's website at www.emporia-kansas.gov.
BISCUITS
AND GRAVY BREAKFAST HELPS SIGHT ISSUES
By Chuck Samples/KVOE News
The Emporia Lions Club
uses its annual biscuits and gravy breakfast to help with sight issues locally.
Judging from Saturday's turnout, area residents wanted to help the Lions.
An estimated 450 meals
were served at the Emporia Senior Center. Fundraising totals will be announced
Monday orTtuesday.
Event co-chair Gary Post
says club members are glad to help the cause.
The club and Alpha Sigma
Tau sorority also teamed up to get seniors signed up for the Yellow Dot
program, a special information venture from Lyon County RSVP that alerts first
responders or other medical personnel about medications and potential drug
interactions in case of an emergency. Close to 50 people signed up Saturday.
FANESTIL
MEATS RECIEVES A GRANT TO MOVE TO ANOTHER LOCATION, AWAY FROM THE RIVER
By Jeff O’Dell/KVOE
News
Emporia meat processing
firm Fanestil Meats has been awarded a grant for $1-point-6 million from the
Federal Emergency Management Agency for relocation out of the flood plain. Dan
and Jan Smoots of Emporia said that flooding has been a regular occurrence
since they bought the plant in 1997.
In their second year of
ownership, they had a bad flood that caused a lot of damage and they were shut
down for several weeks. Reoccurring floods causes a lot of headaches and
unnecessary company cost. Smoots said that for the past two years, they have
been working on a grant and relocation project with FEMA and the Kansas
Department of Emergency Management.
The FEMA application has
been approved, and the money set-aside at the state for Fanestil Meats to
relocate. Fanestil's would like to start construction of a new facility as soon
as they possibly can, perhaps this spring or summer. The new facility will be a
little bigger than the one they are now, and would be designed to streamline
the processing operations. The existing Fanestil site would be level and turned
back to green space.
EMPORIA
FRIENDS OF THE ZOO AUCTION GROSSES $20,000, WITH A LOT OF INTEREST IN HELPING
THE ZOO
Zoo
photos and artwork were big attractions at the Emporia Friends of The Zoo
fundraising auction Friday night at the Emporia Country Club. Photos by Jeff
O’Dell/KVOE News.
By Jeff O’Dell/KVOE
News
The Emporia Friends of
The Zoo had lively bidding at their annual fund raising auction Friday night at
the Emporia Country Club. A wide range of items was for sale including artwork by
local artists. Director of the David Traylor Zoo, Lisa Keith, said the Emporia
Friends of The Zoo, or "E-FOZ" is important to the zoo, in expansion
or development of the zoo, as well as holiday lighting.
Events coming up at the
zoo in the near future include the amphibian event March 14th, to bring
awareness to the crisis that amphibians are facing right now, called the
"Kitrick fungus". Amphibians
are disappearing worldwide. Climate changes, pollution and habitat destruction
have all played a significant role in the reduction of diverse amphibian
species numbers. And a fungus is playing a role.
The Mountain Lion
sponsorship brought $2,000, the Tamarin sponsorship brought over $500; the
Eagle sponsorship brought $500. And the opportunity to become the Editor of The
Emporia Gazette for a Day generated $600. About 150 attended—30 more than
expected.
