TEG
FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2016
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PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING
FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1895
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Good Evening
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Emporia loves its
local businesses!
WWW.EMPORIAGAZETTE.COM
SMALL BUSINESS RECEIVES BIG HONOR
NO
CELEBRITY
TREATMENT
FOR BATMAN
By Cathryne Scharton
[email protected]
Thursday morning, the owners of Fanestil Meats, Dan and
Jan Smoots, received the Small
Business Administration-Wichita
District Small Business Persons
of the Year award.
More than 50 people gathered
in the Clint Bowyer building at
the Lyon County Fair Grounds
as Wayne Bell, district director
of the US Small Business Administration, presented the award to
the Smoots.
The Smoots have owned
Fanestil Meats for 19 years out
of its 74 year history. In 1998, the
Smoots overcame a disastrous
flood of the Cottonwood River.
In less than five years the company went from 62 employees to
90, providing local jobs. Fanestil
has seen a 23 percent growth in
sales in two years, strengthening
the local economy.
Dan Smoots said the greatest
achievement Fanestil has experienced was the opening of the
new facility on west U.S. Highway 50.
“We appreciate the community support of our new store and
we are excited that we represent
25 Kansas products at our new
retail store in Emporia, Kansas,”
said Dan Smoots.
The Smoots were nominated
by Wayne Symmonds of Frontier
Financial Partners, Inc.
“Fanestil is a very well managed company that has extraor-
By Cathryne Scharton
[email protected]
THE EMPORIA GAZETTE
Please see Fanestil, Page 3
Jan and Dan Smoots accept the US Small Business Persons of the Year award from Wayne Bell Thursday.
Questions were raised if proper procedures were followed following the release of Randall Batman, a Topeka police officer who
was jailed in Emporia for allegedly driving under the influence and
failure to maintain a single lane.
According to the Emporia Police Department procedures following the arrest and release of a
police officer are no different than
the arrest and release of a citizen.
Additionally, the availability of
the records for the arrest of an
officer are no different than the
availability of a citizen’s arrest
and release record.
After booking people may be
held at the jail for up to 12 hours
and then may be released using
their signature as bond, promising to return to court at the given
time or a warrant will be put out
for their arrest.
The nationwide limit for blood
Please see Batman, Page 3
HOPKINS AWARD PRESENTED TO FOUR
EMPORIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS STAFF
By John Robinson
[email protected]
A trio of Emporia Public School
teachers and a secretary became
the most recent recipients of a
Hopkins Award on Friday.
Michelle Hopkins-Molinaro,
vice president and managing director of the Hopkins Foundation, along with her son Jacob
Molinaro, presented Jane Pientka,
Randy Wells, Erica Huggard and
Liesa Wecker with the awards during assemblies at each staff member’s respective school. Each Hopkins Award winner received $2,000
to use however they see fit, along
with $1,000 to give back to their
school.
JOHN ROBINSON/GAZETTE
JOHN ROBINSON/GAZETTE
The Hopkins Awards were started in 2002 by Molinaro’s grandfa- Liesa Wecker(left) poses alongside Carla Fessler after receiving
Jane Pientka after receiving a Hopkins Award Thursday. Pientka
ther, E.L. Hopkins, as a way to a Hopkins Award Thursday. Wecker has worked as a kindergarten
has worked for Emporia Public Schools since 1989 and currently
give back to area educators. The teacher at Logan Avenue Elementary since 1999.
works as a secretary at Walnut Elementary.
foundation has now given out approximately $387,000 to 194 staff
members in Emporia schools.
Pientka has worked for the district since 1989, as both a department clerk at Emporia High School
and is currently the Walnut School
secretary. Pientka thanked the students, saying they are one of her
favorite parts of working at Walnut.
“You don’t know all that love
is coming until all of them are together cheering you on, so that was
wonderful,” Pientka said. “I have a
wonderful group of people I work
with ... and the kids are really nice
to me all the time, that’s why I love
to come to work.”
Wells and Huggard received
Please see Hopkins, Page 3
JOHN ROBINSON/GAZETTE
VOL. 124, NO. 264
Randy Wells after receiving a Hopkins Award Thursday. Wells has
worked as a teacher and coach at EHS since 1990
JOHN ROBINSON/GAZETTE
Erica Huggard after receiving a Hopkins Award Thursday. Huggard
has taught science at EHS since 2007