Emporia | ESU Bulletin

Written by Bulletin Staff
Wednesday, 06 February 2013 23:24
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Local police confirmed by phone shortly after 9 p.m. tonight that the individual who allegedly fired gunshots near downtown Commercial Street was detained.

The Bulletin asked Emporia police for a statement but was told, “everyone gets a press release tomorrow (Feb. 7).” Authorities declined further comment in regard to the time and location of the incident, as well as the condition of an alleged victim, but in an interview with KVOE, Scott Cronk, interim police chief, said authorities responded “after receiving a report of shots fired around 7:30 p.m.”

Cronk also told KVOE the alleged shooter was arrested, and that no one was injured in what police are calling a domestic disturbance.

Lucas Shenk, junior theater education major, said he was outside the campus library when he heard first one gunshot, followed by four or five more.

“I just tried to figure out where it was,” Shenk said. “A few minutes later, I was walking home and saw between 10th and 11th on Mechanic (Street)…a lot of cop lights.”

At 7:50 p.m., Shenk posted in a Facebook status that he had heard the shots “go off relatively close” to campus.

Campus police declined to comment on whether or not the Rave Alert system was activated.

Victim allegedly shot near campus

Written by Bulletin Staff
Wednesday, 06 February 2013 22:51
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Local police confirmed by phone shortly after 9 p.m. tonight that the individual who allegedly shot a victim near downtown Commercial Street was detained.

The Bulletin asked Emporia police for a statement but was told “everyone gets a press release tomorrow (Feb. 7).” Authorities declined further comment in regard to the time and location of the incident, as well as the condition of the victim.

Lucas Shenk, junior theater education major, said he was outside the campus library when he heard first one gunshot, followed by four or five more.

“I just tried to figure out where it was,” Shenk said. “A few minutes later, I was walking home and saw between 10th and 11th on Mechanic (Street)…a lot of cop lights.”

At 7:50 p.m., Shenk posted in a Facebook status that he had heard the shots “go off relatively close” to campus.

Campus police declined to comment on whether or not the Rave Alert system was activated.

Bulletin Staff

Dealing With What’s Been Dealt

Written by Andrew Potter
Thursday, 23 August 2012 16:30
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Andrew Potter

In light of the alleged drug raid at Blitzed Detox Shop downtown, the stones that normally welcome travelers to Emporia have instead forced us to re-evaluate the perceived luxury of living in an idyllic town.

This drug bust creates not only a diminishing sense of pride, but it also produces negative images in others’ minds. When I speak to my friends about Emporia, they no longer think of the cleanliness that I used to describe. Their minds instead fill up with images of dirty alleys full of refuse and drug peddlers who line the streets to pawn their merchandise to any student or passer-by. Some openly show their disgust with mouths agape and ask me if I am referring to the same town.

I am furious with these miscreants and how they have altered not just the town, but also my own perception of Emporia. This drug bust, as well as others in the past few months, make me question my choice of living in Emporia and going to a university that occupies a town with these problems. If most school districts are afraid and unwilling to hire teachers based on their facebook photos, then I know they will question the hiring of a teacher from a town full of meth labs.

But to ask what happened here is the wrong mindset, as this kind of change could have been a gradual change that we never noticed, or perhaps the police have simply started stepping up their crack-downs while school is in session.

Instead of us asking these questions and mulling them over in silence, we must assist with the changes to help this town regain its status. Whenever we see the slightest resemblance to a meth lab or a drug deal in our own backyard, we cannot be afraid to call the police immediately. We bystanders have to become active members of society and call out these transgressions before they make their place permanent in our lives.

This town needs to stop drawing parallels to the world of “Breaking Bad” and resume its position as a small university town, a town where people aren’t disgusted by just hearing its name.

Communal garden helps make Emporia self-sufficient

Written by Bulletin Staff
Thursday, 22 September 2011 11:55
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Approximately 28,250 square feet of gardening plots are available for the taking at Flint Hills Technical College.

The garden, which has been cultivated since February 2009, and is sponsored mostly by Emporia’s Food Network, is an attempt to increase a sustainability program in order to help Emporia become a self-supported town, said Carlos Urgiles, sophomore biochemistry and molecular biology major.

“The benefit is local food grown right here,” said Amy Becker, FHTC’s information manager. “(There are) no harsh chemicals and it’s much more healthy for you than what you buy at the store.”

This effort is headed by Bill Hanlon, director of the Green Building Sustainable Development Center at FHTC. Due to the creation of high tunnels around Emporia, there was an opportunity for FHTC to start the garden.

“The purpose of the high tunnel was for the FHTC to provide the opportunity to citizens to plant their own organic products and use them in their household,” Urgiles said. “FHTC decided to use some of their own plot in the back of the college to plant more organic products. Both of these projects tie back to the sustainability idea.”

Each plot costs $30 per gardening season, and they are located behind FHTC with an entrance driveway on Graphic Arts Road. The college provides all the necessary tools for gardening, such as a tiller, gloves, shovels, hoes, rakes, hoses, seeds and a compost bin, Becker said.

Free gardening classes, such as Seed Savings and Organic Gardening are held in the garden to help educate its users.

“Eating food grown in the garden is a healthier alternative, opposed to the cafeteria,” said Victoria Slinkard, sophomore business major.

Overall, the idea of the garden goes back to the effort of becoming a more self-supported town, Urgiles said. This would include things like planting seeds, eating resources or using them and placing them back in the compost.

“My dream is to one day be able to use the resources of the earth, but give them back and reuse them,” Urgiles said. “This way, we can continue having unlimited resources, use the resources efficiently, and maintain the earth.”

Not only is FHTC taking advantage of the sustainability effort, but also the community, Urgiles said. Anyone who pays for a plot is allowed to garden. Plots not rented by individuals are used by the college to grow food for local food pantries, most of which goes to the charity Abundant Harvest.

“Gardeners take home their own food or they could donate it,” said Becker.

Normal items grown in the garden include everything from flowers to zucchini and okra. Perennials are not allowed. For individuals with busy schedules, the garden is accessible at all times.

Susan Welte

Great American Market hits Emporia streets

Written by Bulletin Staff
Thursday, 15 September 2011 09:53
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Library science graduate Jennifer Graves promotes the Flint Hills Fury roller derby team Saturday at the Great American Market on Commercial Street. About 4000 people attended the market. Chris Franklin/The Bulletin

The Great American Market returned to Emporia last Saturday, stretching from 3rd to 12thSt. along Commercial. Vendors for the event included local business, charitable organizations, religious organizations and citizens from Emporia.

“It looks really interesting,” said Caroline Hoag, junior elementary education major. “There’s a lot of different things going on…I like that Emporia does it.”

This was Hoag’s second year visiting the Great American Market.

Among the groups that held booths were Flint Hills Fury, a local roller derby team, the Emporia Symphony, Kiwanis International and the Heartland Samaritan Riders, the local chapter of the Christian Motorcycle Association. David Claridge, a member of the group, said Riders has been a part of the Great American Market since the event’s first year.

Muslims for Life also held a blood drive at the market.

“Because of 9/11 and everything we just wanted to show that we’re about peace, it’s not about the terrorism that you see,” said Rehanah Wali, member of Muslims for Life. Wali said that the national organization also held blood drives at several other sites across the country.

Another booth belonged to a local honey farm called John and Wayne Farm, which produces a number of honey and wax-based products such as Honey Stix, lip balm, soap and several varieties of natural honey.

But booths and tables were not the only things lining Commercial Street. A car show was held, featuring both vintage cars and motorcycles, which were judged both by adjudicators and participants.

The Market has been an annual event in Emporia for eight years, said Casey Woods, director of Emporia Main Street. The event was originally started by the Emporia Gazette who then asked Emporia Main Street to take over the planning and implementation in the second year. The market originally took up only two blocks.

“It’s become much larger over the years…it should be even bigger and better next year,” Woods said.

Woods said that there are already businesses that have submitted applications for next year’s market.

Businesses or individuals who wish to have a booth or table at the Market need to fill out an application for a space. Applications can be found online or paper copies can also be procured from different locations such as the Emporia Main Street office. The Emporia Gazette also runs the application in their print edition.

Luke Bohannon

The Day the Music Died

Written by Bulletin Staff
Thursday, 24 February 2011 16:41
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Pedersen

I love Emporia’s music scene.

At my house alone there have been concerts of some of the most talented and unique musicians Emporia has to offer. We have had everything from hip-hop to punk to noise metal all under the same roof.

We even have a couple house bands and, let me tell you, getting a solid dose of live music almost every week does great things for the soul. I have also been to shows at bars and the Granada Theatre and I’m blown away at the music that comes into Emporia.

But one thing that has always disappointed me during the last few years of going to music shows is the level of attendance. It seems that no matter how many people are at a show, I always want there to be more. I see more people walking to one class than I do at an amazing local music show.

During these shows, I always wonder why there are so few people. Is it because of the quality of the music or the venues? Is it because we are a “commuter school?” Or is it because we simply don’t have enough motivated people?

Of course the weather has played a large part in low attendance as of late but I think the reason people don’t come is a combination of the above things. Strangely enough, those are all assumptions people make which may come from a false perception.

We all know the simple equation: no people = worse music in the future. If people don’t attend events of any sort, those venues make less money and can’t book as good shows and eventually Emporia sucks even more.

There is a schism in people who stay in Emporia and enjoy what is here and those who do not. Those who don’t are afraid to even try enjoying what Emporia has to offer because they are solidified in the mindset that Emporia is boring.

On the other side of the coin, you have the people who realize that Emporia is fairly boring and do all that they can to make it fun and interesting.

It feels like when I first came to Emporia, this side was much larger and people went to bars to see live music, not to Natasha’s or Desperado’s to shake it to a DJ playing canned music.

I am not asking that you change your way of life and go to every show possible, but I am asking for you to have an open mind and take a taste of some local flavor.

Don’t shut down, get down.

Alex Pedersen/ The Bulletin

Emporia boasts strong Veterans Day history

Written by Lauren Walbridge
Thursday, 05 November 2009 15:38
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Alvin King (second from left) and Congressman Ed Reese (third from left) talk to President Dwight Eisenhower (center). Armistice Day became Veteran’s Day after King made the initial suggestion in 1954. Courtesy of the Lyon County Historical Society

One year after the first Veteran’s Day celebration was held, the day became a national holiday. Now, 56 years later, Emporia is recognized as the founding city of Veteran’s Day.

“We had a celebration for veterans, it was Armistice Day and it celebrated the veterans of World War I,” said Loren Pennington, emeritus professor of history. “But Alvin King suggested that what we should have in the country was a day which celebrated the contributions of all veterans of all the wars.”

Pennington said that King was a local shoemaker whose nephew, John Eugene Cooper, was killed about three weeks after the invasion of Normandy, France. King was very attached to his nephew, who had no other family, so he proposed that instead of celebrating Armistice Day, they celebrate all veterans.

Ed Rees, congressman for this district of Kansas at the time, went to the House of Representatives and suggested that Veterans’ Day be made a national holiday. Both houses of congress and President Dwight Eisenhower approved, so in 1954 it was celebrated nationally.

“I think it was a very good idea,” Pennington said. “It got to the point where you know the veterans of other wars were kind of forgotten about.”

Now, Emporia has a weeklong Veterans’ Day celebration called the All Veterans’ Tribute Celebration. Starting Thursday, Nov. 5 and ending Nov. 9, there will be various activities honoring veterans in the community.

At 7:30 p.m. tonight, ESU is hosting the WWII Roundtable Discussion in the Memorial Union Kanza Room. The oral histories of three local veterans, James Stolfus, Dwight Spencer and Donald Coldsmith, will be presented by Pennington and Christopher Lovett, social sciences professor, and Max McCoy, assistant professor of journalism.

“We want to look at the war through the eyes of the men at the bottom who are actually doing the grubby work, not through the eyes of the people who are directing the war at the top,” Pennington said.

The Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau is sponsoring the Veterans’ Recognition and USO Show in Albert Taylor Hall at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow. Tickets are free and doors open at 6 p.m. The show will include Bob Hope and Dean Martin impersonators, performances by community members and speaker Major General Donald Jacka.

“We honor veterans and we just want to thank them,” said Susan Rathke, Emporia Convention and Visitors Bureau staff member, “and there will be a lot of veterans in attendance at that show and I believe we’re using some ESU talent as well, so that’s kind of a bonus. It’s just good, fun talent to watch and it’s entertaining and it’s free!”

Next Wednesday is Veterans’ Day and activities for that day include a Veterans’ Breakfast at 7:15 a.m.at Presbyterian Manor, the Veterans’ Day parade at 9:30 a.m. on Commercial Street and an All-Veterans Memorial Service at 11 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park.

Executive Director of Presbyterian Manor Roger Closson said that many people who participate in the parade come to the Veterans’ Breakfast.

“It’s simply our way of paying tribute to the Veterans’ Day events that happen around Emporia,” Closson said. “We’ve been doing this for about five years and it’s been well received as the veterans and the visitors get ready to participate in the parade.”

Pennington said it is important that we celebrate our veterans because every day we lose more and more of them.

“I think they deserve to be remembered,” Pennington said. “Their families, wives, fathers, mothers, children, grandchildren and so forth know something about the contribution that these people have made to the country.”

Lauren Walbridge/The Bulletin

A Midwest Mindset: Why Emporia?

Written by Harrison George
Saturday, 03 October 2009 15:46
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George

A few friends and I were sitting around last Thursday when my blog got brought up in conversation. My friend Ashton said she was interested to keep reading because she wanted to know “how I was going to make Emporia sound good” every week. Before I could answer, my friend Caelee spoke up: “It’s not about making Emporia sound good – it’s what’s good about Emporia.”

I couldn’t say it better myself. The purpose of this blog is not to convince people how great Emporia is. It’s a story about how I’ve grown to love this town for what it is. And in the process I’ve learned to love Kansas and the Midwest.

To understand how noteworthy this is you first need to understand how opposed to Emporia I was. As a senior in high school, I was convinced that KU was the only college for me. (My original dream of attending the Kansas City Art Institute was quickly shot down when I realized you needed a portfolio of work to be accepted, not just ambition and a can-do attitude.)

I had it all sorted out: a double major in Environmental Policy and Filmmaking, living in a hip apartment close to the adventures of Mass Street with live music every weekend. But one little thing got in the way: tuition. Long story shorter, I wound up at Emporia State.

To call ESU my safety school would be a gross exaggeration. I had never been to Emporia before, but I chose to let other people decide for me that the city was no fun and the school was underwhelming. From all that I had heard, Emporia would not be supplying me with the grand collegiate experience I felt I deserved. My first year was a collage of watching movies in my dorm room and frequent weekends back home to Wichita to hang out with my family.

Before the start of my sophomore year, I decided I had to face the facts – I was going to be at Emporia State for the next 3 years, so I better get used to it. Once you accept your situation, it makes it easier to make the most of it. I began exploring the town, going out of my way to meet new people and get involved on campus. I started a few clubs, joined a few others, and within months felt connected to my campus. All it took was a sense of investment. Had I not gotten involved I would have just been a student, walking to class and back everyday.

Now I’m a member of a community, of something bigger than just myself. My senior year is flying by and now I’m not ready to leave behind this community I’ve helped build here in Emporia. Emporia might not have changed a whole lot since I still got here, but my views of it certainly have. I now understand the idea of “small town values.” I always considered that political rhetoric used to stroke the egos of the middle class. But there is a feeling found in smaller towns like Emporia and throughout the Midwest that you don’t find everywhere. There’s a unique type of openness and personality that draws you in.

So I’m not here to convince you of anything. I just want to tell my story about a how I have stopped letting other people tell me what’s cool and instead take the time to find out for myself. It’s a lesson you can carry through a lot of situations in life: don’t judge a place (or a person) by an outer appearance. Get to know it personally and you might realize it’s got a lot more going for it than you first thought.

I’ll end today with a song. A friend of mine had spent some time in Minnesota and discovered a local rap group called Atmosphere. I was a little weary of Minnesotan rap, but I gave it a shot. Their song, “Shhh,” was the start of my interest in studying life in the Midwest. Up until this song I never thought to differentiate life in the middle of the country from life anywhere else. He touches on a lot of the reasons why I’m so happy living where I am, and you don’t hear that kind of stuff in mainstream music very often.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn6iU_c2cM0&feature=related

Check out the lyrics on the side to understand what I mean.

Some of my favorite lines-

“So if the people laugh and giggle when you tell em where you live
Say shhh, say shhh
And if you know this is where you wanna raise your kids
Say shhh, say shhh
If you’re from the Midwest and it doesn’t matter where
Say shhh, say shhh”

It feels like the Midwest feels embarrassed by itself when compared to other regions of America. We have a lot to proud of – we just need to remind ourselves of that every once in a while.

A Midwest Mindset: A brief introduction

Written by Harrison George
Monday, 14 September 2009 20:05
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Harrison George

My name is Harrison George and I have a confession to make. I like Emporia. A lot. I know it’s not popular to say such things: Emporia has been a punching bag for college towns for the last few decades. Most of Kansas sees Emporia as a glorified gas station between Kansas City and Wichita. That’s definitely how I saw it before I came here. I predicted I would be just another commuter student, packing up every weekend for a more exciting town.

But over the last four years I have learned to view Emporia in a better light. I stopped focusing on what Emporia didn’t have and started noticing what it did. And now, my last year here, I’ve become a full fledged advocate for Emporia. And that brings us about up to speed I think. I’ve started my last year at college and I’m already wondering what life will be like living outside the city limits. I’ve taken life in Emporia for granted these last few years, without even knowing it. And now that it’s almost over, I’ve started taking it more seriously.

I recently had the pleasure of traveling across the country with one of my best friends. The road trip began in Seattle, WA, where my sister lives. My friend and I spent 6 days driving back to Kansas through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska. We explored the country, took in the sights, and ate at a few amazing roadside diners. It seems every time I travel to new places I wind up discovering more about where I’m from than where I am.

After more than a week and a half away from my home, I realized how much I missed the comfort of familiarity. New places are great, but after it was over nothing sounded better than my own bed in my apartment.

When I returned to Emporia and Kelsey Ryan came to me about writing a blog for The Bulletin’s Web site, I knew exactly what I would write about – Life in Emporia. Life in Kansas. Life in the Midwest.

They always say write what you know, and boy do I know about life in the Midwest. It’s more than just where I was born in raised, it shaped me into the person I am today. I am a man of the plains. I have the ideals and the mindsets of a true Midwesterner, and I couldn’t be prouder.

So I invite you to join me as I travel through my last year in Kansas and I try to experience everything that is truly unique to the Midwest. It might not be full of big city adventure, celebrity run-ins, or constant partying, but that’s alright with me. This is my home.

New businesses bolster Emporia economy

Written by Shawna Berry
Thursday, 20 August 2009 17:07
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The Villas, 1839 Merchant St., are open and accepting residents. Amenities include a workout room, pool, hot tub, tanning, on-site laundry and free wireless internet. KELSEY RYAN/THE BULLETIN

On the back wall, a sign reads “Your mouth isn’t watering. It’s crying for Jimmy Johns.” Like Jimmy Johns, other businesses have opened in Emporia in the last few months. Tyler Clabaugh, the head manager of Jimmy Johns, was very anxious for his store to open on August 18.

“We’re expecting a lot of business,” said Clabaugh. “We will offer delivery, and we will be open until 3 a.m., with delivery and in-store options until that time as well.”

Jimmy Johns will offer many catering opportunities to other businesses in town, including schools and hospitals. They are mainly here for the college population and intend to cater to their late-night needs.

Jimmy Johns will open daily around 10 a.m. or 10:30 a.m., “whenever the bread comes out of the oven.”

The Villas, a brand-new apartment complex, located at 1839 Merchant St. is open and still accepting residents. Jacqueline Dill, property manager of The Villas, mentioned a few of the features of the complex.

“We have apartments that are two and four bedroom, but each resident is contracted individually, so if one of the renters decides to bail at semester, it will only affect that person,” she said.

The Villas include a workout room, a pool and hot tub, free tanning, on-site laundry and vending, a social room that includes four televisions, two poker tables, a ping pong table and free wireless internet. Outside by the pool they have a sand volleyball court, a basketball court and they are hoping to build some permanent grills.

“We will also be having a pool party that will be open to the public this Friday, the 21^st, at around 4 p.m.,” Dill said.

On August 4, Bravo Salon in the Granada Plaza at 726 Commercial St. They are located in Suite D, with parking off of 8^th street. Shawna Short, one of the stylists at Bravo Salon, talked about the services they offer.

“We offer a full range of services pretty much – cuts, color, manicures, pedicures and facial waxing (for) men, women and children,” said Short.

The two other stylists, Heather Bailey and Aimee Morris, each carry different lines of hair products. Another feature unique to their salon is the hand-held blow dryers that hang from the ceiling. Each dryer is weightless, meaning that when they pull the dryer down, it turns on and stays at the precise length it was pulled to so it won’t fall on your head.

Bravo Salon does accept walk-ins, Tuesdays through Fridays from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., with Mondays and Saturdays by appointment only.

Flint Hills Laser Expressions is also new to Emporia. They occupy the location where Jock’s Nitch used to be at 912 Commercial St. Rick Robidu does his own granite marble laser engraving, and offers many other kinds of services and merchandise.

Laser Expressions offers athletic apparel for ESU, KU and K-State, as well as other memorabilia. They can also do customized screen printing for t-shirts, unique gifts and glassware engraving for any occasion.

Laser Expressions is open Tuesdays through Fridays 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Some other businesses that have opened within the past few months include Pumpkin Doodles Children’s Boutique, 725 Commerce St. and RuYi, 1113 Merchant St., an Asian restaurant.

Shawna Berry/The Bulletin

STATE BANK’S POLICY COOLS DOWN GOLD PRICE.

States News Service October 10, 2011 HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — The following information was released by the Government of Vietnam:

VGP – Gold price, foreign exchange rate, and the foreign currency market have signalled signs of cooling down over the past week following strong measures employed by the State Bank of Via’t Nam. in our site gold price history

The central bank said that it would secure the exchange rate stability until the end of this year with variation rate under 1%.

No chance for gold speculation Earlier this morning, gold price fell down to over VND 43 million a tael, representing the lowest figure since September 26.

The trend was attributed to the State Bank of Via’t Nam’s decision to allow five commercial banks (Eximbank, ACB, Sacombank, Techcombank and DongA Bank) to re-open their foreign gold trading accounts.

Local gold price is forecast to continue dipping in the context of minor fluctuations in the world market though it is now VND 1 million higher than the global price compared to the difference of VND 3-4 million several weeks ago.

Mr. Nguya’…n Thanh Toa* i, ACB Vice Director, said with the new measures for the gold market, the difference in global and domestic gold prices may continue to step back to the maximum of VND 400,000 a tael.

Other banks like Sacombank, Eximbank, DongA Bank all said transactions have plunged by 50-70%.

Ms. Nguya’…n Tha’e Kim Xuya* n, DongA Bank Vice Director said “Customers become more cautious about purchasing gold.” Falling demand for dollar The decrease in gold price has strongly affected the USD/VND exchange rate. go to web site gold price history

In the morning of October 5, the State Bank of Via’t Nam suprisingly increased the inter-bank exchange rate to VND 20,638 per dollar from the previous VND 20,628. Now, the rate stands at VND 20,653 per dollar.

Dr. LA* Xu-n NghA[c]a said the current exchange rate is quite stable, but pressures stemmed from the last months still remain.

The central bank has requested credit institutions to closely monitor loans in foreign currency.

By Ha*[pounds sterling]i Minh