Spending a milestone holiday cleaning up after severe weather isn't exactly what Hartford residents had in mind when they woke up July 4, but that's the task they faced after a damaging windstorm blew through the community. Mayor Kenny Hamman: Hamman expects the city's insurance company to be in town Monday for damage ...

Months of work and years of planning should culminate soon for a repurposing project in downtown Emporia. Rick and Colleen Mitchell took over the former Emporia Gazette headquarters at 517 Merchant in late 2021, announcing tentative plans for the space almost 3 years ago. Colleen Mitchell is targeting late summer for a...

You were promised a bang-up Fourth of July fireworks show in Emporia, and that's what you got. Nearly 30 minutes of crowd-pleasing explosions launched from the north end of the Emporia State University campus, and the fireworks went off seamlessly after a day involving periods of heavy rain. Pyrotechnician Bernie Toso ...

As America celebrates its independence this weekend, it's also well into processes for applying one of the freedoms that's critical to our democracy: the right to vote. In Kansas, processes are ramping up for the primary election Aug. 6. With voter deadlines fast approaching, Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab enco...

The US Department of Agriculture has announced a pair of programs, one offering short-term relief to beef processing locations and another to bolster domestic production of fertilizer. The Strengthening Processing for US Ranchers, or SPUR program, is offering up to $500 million in payments to what USDA calls eligible e...

Pioneer Bluffs has filled out its leadership team. Annabelle Arndt has been named as the rural heritage agency's operations manager. Arndt gained a bachelor's of science in psychology from Emporia State University and has developed a career in nonprofit work, most recently as the prevention coordinator for the Kansas C...

After strong attendance at Emporia's America 250 activities Friday, more is coming Saturday night to celebrate America's big anniversary. Initially, the goal was to have at least 50 floats and other entries involved in the parade. Earlier in the week, the word was the field would be capped at close to 70 entries. Actua...

Emporia and Lyon County had slight year-to-year decreases in population in the 2025 Certified Kansas Population by County report. Released by the Kansas Division of Budget on Wednesday, the report shows Emporia's population declined from 24.534 in 2024 to 24,137 last year, a decline of 0.9 percent. Other Lyon County to...

Research is ahead at several central Emporia locations after the Environmental Protection Agency granted the city $500,000. Assistant City Manager Tayler Wash says the federal money will help to start the process of potentially making several addresses viable business locations. Wash also says this is a no-match grant,...

The state of Kansas ended fiscal 2026 with a financial bump. The Department of Revenue says total tax collections for June were $1.07 billion, beating estimates by over 3 percent and June 2025 numbers by 1 percent. Both individual income tax and corporate income tax collections were above estimates. Individual income t...

With some work beginning soon to ultimately demolish and rebuild the Kansas Turnpike's Emporia service center, a special event is coming for the area's other service exit. The Turnpike Authority has been working with Love's Travel Stops on significant renovations, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 10 am ...

Kansas WorkforceOne has set up a job fair next week. The latest Emporia Forward Job Fair will be from 11:30 am to 2 pm Thursday at the Bowyer Community Building. Veterans and Michelin employees will receive early access beginning at 11 am. Job seekers can look at local and regional careers and meet directly with hiring...

A forum highlighting potential changes to the selection method for Kansas Supreme Court justices has officially been rescheduled. Kansas Appleseed has moved its "Justice for All: The Future of the Kansas Courts" panel discussion to July 23. The location has also changed from the Bowyer Community Building to t...

Local business owner Jessica Symonds' childhood fantasy became a reality a few years ago and now it has a new location where she hopes more residents will be able to bask in it with her. Symmonds and her staff of Gourmet to Go held a ribbon-cutting at their new location, the former Cooltura Connexion nightclub space, a...

Heat alerts continue for Lyon and several surrounding counties through Saturday. Heat advisories continue until 8 pm Saturday for Lyon and Wabaunsee counties, while heat warnings continue for Coffey and Osage counties until 8 pm Saturday. Air temperatures in the low 90s and dewpoints in the low 70s will push heat index...