The Emporia Gazette

HenryVIII (anonymous) says...

I wonder what this means for Emporia Main Street and their beloved director... How's a person supposed to manage all of Main Street when they don't even pay their own taxes?

Karma strikes again! Maybe next time you won’t "misplace" my cummerbund at the last minute forcing me to wear one 3 sizes too small to my brother’s wedding! My muffin top ensured I was the laughing stock of the reception... Try giving a best man speech when you can barely inhale and everyone is giggling at your inner tube-like stature. I can still feel their mocking gaze upon me... I can still hear their scathing whispers in my sleep...

Their salespeople were like wicked vultures circling around you as if you were about to steal their meal. No matter who you were, they always treated you as if you had no money and were wasting their time. Nothing like paying someone to be mean to you!
‘enry

Posted on September 1 at 4 p.m.
On Madelynns Seized by state (before comments were disabled)

September 1, 2009 at 4:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

I see where the comments section on the regular story has been removed. I didn't get to read them, but I can only guess that comments weren't very kind.

I remember when several writers on the forum began discussing this very topic several months ago as a side issue after the city sales tax was hiked. The daughter-in-law of Madelynn came on and took everyone to task for being vicious gossips.

The worm turns.

When my daughter was here visiting this summer, we went to Madelynn's. Madelynn herself was sitting at a desk near the door and all we got from her was a cold, hard stare. Not a very good way to do business.

Bad news.

September 1, 2009 at 5:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

barefootin (anonymous) says...

Does anyone know how much they owed?

September 1, 2009 at 8:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

Facts aren't out yet, rumours and gossips sure is better to keep us ocupie-ied. I herd they owed eleventy million and a cow and a calf.

going to chill out now by listening to my complete boxed set of Logjam C.D.'s

September 1, 2009 at 9:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

barefootin (anonymous) says...

kvoe says they owe $97,149. and there will be an auction, anyone going?

September 1, 2009 at 9:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sociallyconsious (anonymous) says...

Henry VIII you were very presumptive when you made the comment "I wonder what this means for Emporia Main Street and their beloved director... How's a person supposed to manage all of Main Street when they don't even pay their own taxes?"

Do you always blame people for actions which they are not responsible for. The person you were refering to just happened to work in a family business. A business he did not own, and was not responsible for all area's of the business, or for the actions of the family member who did own it?

So does that mean you are responsible for the actions of your employer, or a family member?

Before we start laying blame on innocent people please get your facts correct. The person(s) who own Madelynns does not work for Main Street. You really should not slander someone over something they had no control over!

For the record the owner of Madelyns is not named Madelynn,

September 1, 2009 at 10:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

know_your_stuff (anonymous) says...

Everyone is jumping to the conclusion that the business was in the wrong. Sometimes, just sometimes, KDOR can be wrong and then it becomes David against Goliath. It really does happen.

September 1, 2009 at 10:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...

Tax evasion? What's the big whoop? All the cool politicians are doing it.

September 2, 2009 at 8:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

history_nerd (anonymous) says...

I've gotten nothing but excellent service at Madelynn's, and have always been greeted with a smile - especially from Jean (the owner). I really hope this is a mix up. Crap happens. Sometimes the state is wrong.

September 2, 2009 at 10:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sociallyconsious (anonymous) says...

I would lke to agree with history_nerd. I have also gotten excellent service at Madelynns. I have found Jean and her staff to be courteous and knowledgeable. I really hope this is a mix-up because they carried good quality products and was an asset to Emporia.

September 2, 2009 at 12:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

barefootin (anonymous) says...

This says they have owed the taxes since 2005, if there had been an error it would have been by now.

http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/56...

September 2, 2009 at 2:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

Nothing to add, just trying to move crackpost to the bottom of the page

September 2, 2009 at 8:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

justthinkin (anonymous) says...

Nothing constructive to add, just grateful posts are allowed - not always easiest to get to participate, but allowed.

September 3, 2009 at 6:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

been_there (anonymous) says...

I would just like to apologize to the lady that had to run the cash register yesterday during this craziness. I was among the first 10 in line and witnessed some of the abuse she was receiving. It is my personal opinion that Jean should have been forced to stand there all day and take the grief. Although I never had a problem with the store, I was always treated well, I did listen to several horror stories while standing in line for almost two hours. Regardless, it was not fair for so many to take their frustrations out on this lady, not her fault Jean didn't pay her taxes!

September 3, 2009 at 12:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Blackshirt (anonymous) says...

Why were the comments on the story disabled? Why was this immediately buried in the forums?

September 3, 2009 at 6:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Blackshirt (anonymous) says...

If that is the case then it is a sad commentary on the Emporia Gazette. There are articles that talk about people being killed, charges against public (ex) officials and any number of vehicle accident pictures that have graced the front pages. Why should this be any different? A business is alleged to have been negligent in the proper payment of their sale tax, that they collected, the state steps in and seizes the business. It does appear to that their is an obvious two tiered system in place by the gazette and that, quite frankly is a poor way for them to behave.

September 3, 2009 at 7:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

With all this talk of Madelynn's, I can't help but remember June Cleaver's when it was downtown. That was my favorite place in the whole wide world. As I recall, the owner of Madelynn's bought that place and moved it and the rest is history. But I was just recalling June Cleavers and what a cute place that was and how nice it was to shop there.

September 3, 2009 at 10:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

emporialifer (anonymous) says...

First of all - I would like to give Jean the benefit of the doubt and say this is a mistake, but if it's been going on since 2005 - shouldn't it somehow have been resolved by now?

I feel so bad for all the brides/grooms/families affected by this. The added stress before/after the big day was certainly not needed, and I am shocked by the number of stories I am hearing of people who paid half or in full for things that they will never receive now because the product was not in the store (perhaps never even ordered).

I don't know how a person could sleep at night if they knowingly accepted payment for something that they never ordered and/or knew it was going to come down to this. I agree with been_there, Jean should have been forced to be there to see all the upset people to fully understand how her actions affected them.

I have stood up for the Gazette in the past on different issues, but I am disgusted by their handling of this story and disabling the comments section on it. That is pathetic.

September 4, 2009 at 8:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

Well said, emporialifer. She should have closed up shop long ago; surely she knew she wasn't offering good service to people who paid up front or in part for goods. Now they must settle with her according to the state. Fat chance.

YY4U, you're right. Estee Lauder can't be found in Emporia anymore. I miss June Cleaver's. Newman's too. Alas, we must go out of town or online.

September 4, 2009 at 9:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

Madelynn's is evidently gone, I have also heard unsubstantiated rumors that the Pizza Hut out by Pizza Ranch may also close as well as Golden Corral possibly closing, also the Shanghai Restaurant may also possibly close and that JC Penney will also close when their lease at the mall is up !
I sincerely hope that this does not happen !

September 4, 2009 at 9:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Tell (anonymous) says...

meth you hear alot of rumors do you hear any good ones?

September 4, 2009 at 10:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

Sorry, Tell, it would seem that the bad rumors seem to be the talk of the day, no good ones, Sorry ! Hopefully that is all these are, rumors with no basis in fact !
I have lived here all my life and am fairly well known in the area and hear a lot of rumors, mumblings and rumblings.
Unfortunately more of the rumors, both good and bad have come to fruition than the mumblings and rumblings !
I certainly hope these rumors turn out to be just that, nothing but worthless rumors and gossip !

September 5, 2009 at 1:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

glarson (anonymous) says...

To all who have questioned the disabling of the comment section on the early stories about Madelynn's, I will tell you what I've told others who have asked.

I made the decision to disable the comments. I took no phone calls from anyone asking me to take them down.

Rather, I started reading the comments. The initial comments were nothing my vindictive vitriole. Because I have more on my calendar to do that night than sit at my computer and monitor comments, I decided to stop the comments.

A thread has emerged on a newer story. This time, most posters have stuck to facts not rumor and innuendo. These comments are often negative, but they have remained.

Because I do 90 percent of the forum monitoring at The Gazette and because I have less time these days to monitor forums and because I choose not to tie myself to my computer 24-7 (something about trying to raise a family and other commitments in my life), expect to see more forums disabled.

Posting to stories on The Gazette's Web site is a privilege not a right. As such, when the privilege is abused, it will be removed. It's that simple.

Those posters who have been with our forums from the beginning know we've wrestled with this situation for years. The majority of the time, I've stood up for the posters' privilege of posting. Unfortunately, some have taken this to mean they have a "blank check," so to speak and can say whatever they choose, calling down the gods of free speech when they cross the line.

If you question what can be said or posted online, refer to the Terms of Agreement. And perhaps a little common sense can be considered: Yes, posters are granted anonymity on The Gazette's Web site, but if you wouldn't make the comment to a person's face, do you really need to say it on here?

Gwen Larson
Managing Editor

September 5, 2009 at 3:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

By the way Gwen, this has nothing to do with the present thread, but is there anymore information available on the City Wide Clean Up Emporia, when it will start and where the Refuse Containers will be located !

September 5, 2009 at 9:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

netloafer (anonymous) says...

methusla

It will be over four weekends - Sep 18-19, Setp 25-26, Oct 2-3, Oct 9-10. Times - 8 am to 8 pm. It will start on the west side and move east each weekend. Info will be going door to door in each area starting latter part of next week. Dumpster locations will be noted on a map.

September 6, 2009 at 5:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

Thank you for the info netloafer, I appreciate it very much.
Just one comment on the Madelynns situation, this is not directed at anyone in particular !
What some people don't seem to realize is, that when these business owners fail to pay sales taxes they owe to the State, this act directly affects the whole City of Emporia, because the City does not get its share of those sales tax moneys and therefore results directly or indirectly in, either increased tax mil levys or cuts in services or increase in services rates, because of the short fall in sales tax revenues, because some business owner has made the decision not to pay the sales tax they collected to the State !
So you see the failure of a business owner to not pay the sales tax to the State, the State, City, County, and their citizens will suffer from the failure of businesses and the business owner to pay the required amount of sales tax !

September 6, 2009 at 10:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

admireed (anonymous) says...

Would make a good story to interview a State Revenue person about the sales/withhold tax process so us non retailers can understand fully what is going on and how it works and how far back a business has to be before the real squeeze is applied.

September 6, 2009 at 2:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

justthinkin (anonymous) says...

Gwen, in my opinion, you explanation for remvoing the comments is lame. It's part of the job, I think, and if you don't like it, I guess you should either take it up with your boss or find another job.

September 7, 2009 at 11:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sociallyconsious (anonymous) says...

Although I know this will not be the supported view, I agree with Gwen. Free speech may be a right, but it also is a privledge. As adults we ahould have learned by now how to be tactful. Just because we have an opinion it does not mean we have to be rude, hateful, distasteful or accusing. This is especially true with rumors and innuendo's.

You can be angry or passionate about something and still get you point across without offending. I am not just talking about this post but posts in general.

If some of the people who post on these forums would take a moment and think before typing, putting their name in place of whomever they were starting rumors or commenting about, they comments may still be angry, but not so hateful!

September 7, 2009 at 12:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

And your name is?

September 7, 2009 at 2:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )