Briefcase
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Originally published 10:59 a.m., September 22, 2007
Updated 10:59 a.m., September 22, 2007
Teachers are learners
Five Lyon County teachers were on hand for the opening session of a workshop designed to help them help less-than-expert readers improve their skills. The session, at Emporia State University’s Jones Institute for Educational Excellence, focused on text structure, which helps readers impose meaning on the materials they read.
Those attending from the Emporia school district were Blair Falldine and Christy Over; from Southern Lyon County, the participants were Jennifer Anderson, Carol Taylor and Heidi Davis. Cathy Gowen and Carole K. Cookson attended from the Madison-Virgil district.
The workshop was presented to nearly 50 teachers by Carol Hailey, who has more than 30 years’ experience teaching English to middle- and high-school students.
Toni Bowling, workshop coordinator, said that the information in the workshop was in such high demand that the institute scheduled two more sessions this semester. The Oct. 12 workshop is fully enrolled, but there are some openings for the Oct. 26 session.
Information is available from Bowling at mbowling@emporia.edu or at 341-5672.
Health administrator named
A former Emporian is the new deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Herb Kuhn, the son of John and Carolyn Kuhn of Emporia, received the appointment earlier this month. He has been serving as acting deputy administrator for nearly a year and has been in the centers’ management for more than three years.
Mike Leavitt, secretary of health and human services, is quoted in a news release as saying, “Herb knows the ins and outs of Medicare and Medicaid policy. His strong skills are invaluable to the future of (the agency).”
Agent earns honors
Arturo Palafox, a Farmers Insurance agent in Emporia, is a new member of the Farmers “Topper Club,” an honor awarded to the company’s top sales producers. He earned the recognition for outstanding sales achievements in 2006, the company said.
In a news release, Jim Westerman, senior vice president of sales, said, “Farmers congratulates Arturo Palafox on qualifying for this year’s Topper Club. This award demonstrates a commitment to providing quality insurance coverages and industry-leading services to Farmers’ customers.”
Palafox’s office is at 1128 Merchant St., Apt. B.
Sales honors repeat
Stauffer Seeds dealer Dale Long has received his second consecutive award for sales performance, an honor that was presented during the company’s recent annual meeting in South Sioux City, Neb.
Long has sold seed for 20 years, but he began working for Stauffer just two years ago. In a news release, he said that his favorite aspects of the job are visiting growers and helping them pick hybrids that fit their needs and soil types.
“It’s a small, people-oriented company,” he said of Stauffer, “with excellent genetics to choose from.
Long Farm Services of McCrory, Ark., owns Stauffer seeds, which has its headquarters in Carroll, Iowa. More information is available at www.staufferseeds.com.
Ribbon will be cut
A ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate a new Emporia business is set for Wednesday morning.
The Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau plans to cut the ribbon at 11:30 a.m. at Sherry’s Gift Gallery, 829 Commercial St., inside Sherry’s Dance Workshop.
Sherry Davidson owns the business.
TV news wins notice
KTKA 49 ABC of Topeka is the Kansas Association of Broadcasters’ Station of the Year. The company, a division of Free State Communications, earned the award in the medium-market television category earlier this month.
The news department also won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award in May for the station’s Web site, www.49abcnews.com.