TEG
FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016
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FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1895
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Good Evening
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Creating new memories
with the Senior Prom.
WWW.EMPORIAGAZETTE.COM
ESU ATHLETES PREPARE FOR SENIOR PROM
BECAUSE YOU ASKED
Fire Marshal
discusses recent
residential fires.
‘Pickin’ & Grinnin’
is this year’s theme.
By Cathryne Scharton
Cathryne Scharton
[email protected][email protected]
Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. the
Emporia State University StudentAhtlete Advisory Committee will
present the 10th annual senior
prom.
The event is open to all seniors
55 and older and free transportation is provided by L-CAT. Carmen Leeds, senior associate athletic director and senior woman
administrator, said reservations
for the event are not necessary but
suggested, if guests plan to take
advantage of L-CAT, they should
call and make reservations to ride
the bus now. The bus will make
rounds around Emporia to pick up
attendees.
This year’s theme is “Pickin’ &
Grinnin” and will feature a barnlike setting and decor. Snacks,
flowers and pictures will be provided.
The Student-Athlete Advisory
Committee has put on a senior
prom for 10 years. The project began after students attended a leadership conference where they were
JOHN ROBINSON/GAZETTE.
challenged to create an event that
would benefit the community.
Ray Terrell and Betty Skillett instruct ESU athletes during a training session for the senior prom.
While students are very busy,
they took time to learn a couple
of different dances Tuesday night
in the Health, Physical Education
and Recreation building dance studio.
Brent Wilson, a senior studying
management, has worked with the
Student Advisory Athlete Committee for three years and enjoys dancing with the senior women at the
prom.
“When they come, they are
ready to dance,” said Wilson. “It
is fun to be able to get to know
some of them who have supported
ESU athletics. I really enjoy being
able to dance with them and get to
know them.”
The student athletes give out
small gifts to the seniors at the
prom as well.
“Every year the student athletes pass out playing cards of ourJOHN ROBINSON/GAZETTE
Please see Prom, Page 2
Dancers and instructors pose for a group picture after learning to waltz for the senior prom.
COUNTY COMMISSION DISCUSSES RURAL HOUSING
INCENTIVES, PROPERTY ACQUISITION
Given the number of unexplained fires recently, The Gazette
sat down with Reason Bradford,
Emporia Fire Department fire marshal, to ask the following questions.
What type of training do the
fire investigators have?
All of the Emporia Fire Department fire investigators
have 160 hours of training and are
certified by the state. Each year
beyond certification requires an
additional 20 hours of continuing
education.
The initial training is two weeks
and each additional year the investigators attend a conference to get
20 additional hours of training. The
initial training costs about $500 and
each additional year is $100.
How many investigators are
there with the Emporia Fire
Department?
There are seven fire investigators, plus Bradford. With
two investigators on each shift, the
fire investigators are firefighters
who have taken on additional duties.
What is the process of investigating a fire?
If the fire occurs at night
investigators like to wait at
least until is it light outside. The
structure may have damage that is
not visible with flashlights, a lot of
the evidence they are looking for is
burned or distorted. Ceiling material, sheetrock, wood and shingle can
pile up around the ignition source,
which may be as small as a paper
clip.
The EFD also uses the NFPA 921
guide book to guide them through
fire investigations. They start in the
least burned area of the structure
and work their way in to the most
burned.
What are some challenges
investigators face when investigating a burned scene?
A lot of times the evidence
is either completely consumed or it’s been distorted by the
fire and with all of the other mate-
Q
A
Q
A
Q
A
Q
A
Please see Fire, Page 3
LYON COUNTY
FAMILIES RECEIVE
TAX CREDITS
By John Robinson
[email protected]
The Lyon County Commission
held an action session on Thursday, but it was the Emporia Assistant City Manager who presented
one of the largest discussion points
on the agenda.
Jim Witt spoke during the
meeting and gave a presentation
a program titled Rural Housing
Incentive Districts, an economic
development tool meant to help
encourage housing developments
in communities.
According to a document Witt
presented to the commissioners, RHIDs have been formed in
various mid-size communities
throughout Kansas. The document cited Garden City, Great
Bend, McPherson and Dodge City
as examples.
“To be honest (RHID) is a residential TIF,” Witt said. “It takes an
increased property value and pays
off those improvements in that
subdivision.”
According to Witt, Emporia is
eligible for this program with the
hope it increases housing in Emporia.
“I talked to one realtor here
Please see County, Page 3
VOL. 124, NO. 234
By Cathryne Scharton
[email protected]
JOHN ROBINSON/GAZETTE
The Lyon County Commission met for an action session on Thursday. Jim Witt, assistant city
manager for Emporia addressed the commission about the Rural Housing Incentives Districts
program
According to a press release
from the IRS, last year 2,700
working individuals and families
in Lyon County received more
than $5.8 million in Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC). An average of $2,170.
“The EITC can put an extra
$502 to $6,242 into the pockets of low income working individuals and families,” said IRS
spokesman Michael Devine. “If
they qualify and claim the credit,
they could pay less federal tax or
even receive a refund beyond the
amount of tax withheld.”