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1 week ago | 
emporiagazette.com | Amanda Davis
City Commissioners discussed and reviewed three proposals, from the Chamber of Commerce, Emporia Main Street, and the City of Emporia, for the management of Visit Emporia at a study session early Wednesday afternoon. Visit Emporia has been historically hosted in the Chamber of Commerce since 1982. Due to remaining questions about budgets and collaboration efforts, the City Commission will revisit the issue on May 7.
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1 week ago | 
emporiagazette.com | Amanda Davis
For the second year in a row, Emporia Main Street has been crowned second best Main Street nationwide. The 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, hosted by USA Today, evaluates nominees for Best Main Street from across the county. Nominations are reviewed by a panel of experts, including judges from USA Today and 10Best.com. Casey Woods, Main Street Executive Director, credited the strong community support and constant voting as a strong reason that they came out second.
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1 week ago | 
emporiagazette.com | Amanda Davis
Last Friday, Emily Steinert and Kylie Powers, flight nurses, and Matthew Crysler, medical pilot, reunited with a Chase County family after saving their daughter’s life. According to Powers and Steinert, reuniting with a patient after transporting them to a hospital is very rare. Powers has never met with a patient afterwards in her seven year career as a flight nurse. On March 13, 2025, Trenna Dold and her boyfriend, Jacob Griffith, two Chase County residents, were riding a motorcycle.
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1 week ago | 
emporiagazette.com | Amanda Davis
Two candidates met with community members, staff, and the Emporia Recreation Commission tonight to talk and discuss the position of Emporia Recreation Center (ERC) Director. John Mark Woolums, the former Facility Program Manager for the Deerfield Park District, in Deerfield, Illinois, was drawn to apply for the ERC Director position while he was looking for a new challenge.
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1 week ago | 
emporiagazette.com | Amanda Davis
Three proposals for the management of the Emporia Visitors Bureau and Operation Services will be presented and discussed during the City Commission’s study session, following a regular session Wednesday morning. Emporia Main Street, Emporia Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Emporia have all responded to a Request for Proposals (RFP) to be the next home of the Emporia Visitors Bureau.
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1 week ago | 
emporiagazette.com | Amanda Davis
Community members, along with staff and the Emporia Recreation Commission, will meet and talk with the two candidates for the position of Emporia Recreation Center (ERC) Director tonight. The event is scheduled for at 5:30 p.m. at Lee Beran Recreation Center. The two candidates listed are Amanda Gutierrez, the current Interim Director of the ERC, and John Mark Woolums, former facility program manager for Deerfield Park District in Deerfield, IL.
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1 week ago | 
emporiagazette.com | Amanda Davis
National 911 Telecommunicators Week, observed April 13-19, honors the sacrifice and dedication of dispatchers throughout the country. The Gazette sat down with local operators from the Lyon County Emergency Communications Center (LCECC) to learn what it takes to answer a call from someone potentially experiencing the worst moment of their life. Carson Powers, Communications Officer Two, was hired as an operator last October.
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1 week ago | 
emporiagazette.com | Amanda Davis
The Emporia Arts Council is one of twenty six stops scheduled on the five-day inaugural “Community Impact Tour,” hosted by the Kansas Department of Commerce. The Community Impact Tour celebrates National Community Development Week, April 21-25, by visiting communities around Kansas with ongoing projects utilizing Quality Places Division initiatives.
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1 week ago | 
emporiagazette.com | Amanda Davis
The Flint Hills Gravel Ride and Run, an annual event that drew over 850 cyclists to Americus on Saturday, was met with an unfortunate tragedy. Steve Bell, a Lawrence native, was racing when he went into cardiac arrest. The Lyon County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene, and Bell was transported to Newman Regional Health Medical Center. According to a statement by Bobby Thompson, organizer of the event, Bell passed away Saturday night. He had a previous history of health related illness.
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1 week ago | 
emporiagazette.com | Amanda Davis
The Latino Veterans Memorial, the product of Gilbert Rodriguez, the ESU Intercultural Center, and the Emporia Brown Express, was unveiled and dedicated at Sacred Heart Cemetery late Saturday morning. The Memorial honors the sacrifice of past, present, and future Emporia Latino veterans. The stone was funded and sponsored by families and organizations in the area, such as Casa Ramos, Roberts-Blue Barnett, Simmons Pet Food, and Emporia State Federal Credit Union.
