Comments by b3bill
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Posted on December 5 at 9:16 p.m.
This is really good news. Emporia needs passenger train service restored. Of course it won't be suitable or desirable for everyone, but that's ok, nothing else is either. At least having the option to take Amtrak to/from Emporia would be there.
It is a shame that Amtrak's Southwest Chief no longer stops here, even though it still goes through each day. Some other long distance passenger routes have "whistle stops", which means the train is notified ahead of time to stop only if passengers are there to get on or off the train. With The Southwest Chief being an all-reserved train, and with today's communication means, it should be simple for Amtrak to coordinate stopping here for just a couple minutes when there are passengers getting on or off. A depot is not required to do that. Other towns do it.
Hopefully the effort to get Emporia as a stop on the new proposed Amtrak route will get ongoing strong support by the elected officials of Emporia and Kansas. They need to stay on top of this and represent Emporia as being a stop for Amtrak. I hope a lot of their constituents are planning to hold them accountable to work hard on this. As a separate item, these same officials should once again request Amtrak to make Emporia a whistle stop for The Southwest Chief. There is no need to wait to make that request. Emporia needs to be a stop for both The Southwest Chief and the new proposed train.
Emporia needs everything like this it can get. It is one way to help improve the town and provide transportation service for many people.
Posted on December 4 at 1:10 p.m.
I think we need all modes of transportation. Each serves a different purpose, in various ways for the needs of many people.
Regarding Amtrak, it is a shame that it no longer stops here, even though The Southwest Chief still goes through each day. Other major Amtrak routes have "whistle stops", which means the train is notified ahead of time to stop only if passengers are there to get on or off the train. With Trains 3 and 4 being all-reserved trains, and with today's communication means, it should be simple for Amtrak to coordinate stopping here for just a couple minutes when there are passengers.
Hopefully the effort to get Emporia as a stop on the new proposed Amtrak route from Texas/Oklahoma to Kansas City will get good support by the elected officials of Emporia and Kansas. I also believe they should request Amtrak to make Emporia a whistle stop for The Southwest Chief.
Posted on November 13 at 10:38 p.m.
The decision to cancel the 2008 Veteran's Day Parade is history, and we have to move on and think of better ways to handle upcoming parades. I believe that thinking the need to cancel the parade almost 3 hours prior to the start, with all of today's instantaneous communication means, can be improved. A weather cancellation policy needs to be developed, to include the acceptable level of precipitation for the parade to still be held. I know it won't be 100% perfect, but I think it would be a great improvement.
The weather radar can be seen at any time, plus the use of cell phones by weather observers to confirm where it is/isn't raining. Why not wait until the parade start time to decide to cancel, with the option of postponing the parade an hour or so? The weather might clear up, and if it doesn't, then it just doesn't.
Veteran's Day is about honoring the service and sacrifice of our Vets. A Vet's age range could be late teens up to 100+ years old. We want to honor them all. If we show up to see the parade, or participate in the parade to play in a band, drive antique cars, etc., and it is canceled due to weather, then have we really hurt ourselves, compared to everything the Vets have done for us? I know it takes time to travel and to set up for the parade, but that is hardly a burden to mourn about if the parade has to be weather canceled. The Vets did a lot more than this for all of us. If a particular school, or individual (or the Clydesdales, etc) choses to stay out of the parade because of their own policy/persuasion about the weather, then that it is their own choice.
Another option if weather cancellation occurs is to have the Auditorium available to at least enjoy the band music and any other parts of the parade that it would accommodate. I know it won't be the parade inside or take the place of the parade, but at least some parts of the parade could still be enjoyed.
Let's spend some time brainstorming these ideas, and maybe The Gazette will give some coverage to those efforts as well. Emporia needs to pull up to the table and make this work.
Posted on June 19 at 6:32 p.m.
Do people like this guy who try to escape the police in their vehicle get to keep their drivers license?
I think a suitable punishment for that kind of offense is to permanently lose your drivers license anywhere in the USA and to never be able to buy automobile insurance again. Why aren't they considered to be an uninsurable driving risk? There are all too many innocent people injured and killed in vehicle chases, plus plenty of property damage too.
I think he should also pay for the entire cost of the chase. There has to be more of a deterrent to giving a vehicle chase besides some wimpy $100 ticket or whatever it is.
Posted on June 18 at 6:35 p.m.
Of course funding is an issue. Funding of anything always is. There will always be those who complain. Is that going have to stop everything because someone complains?
As a bicycle rider, it is not enough to "just open your eyes, be aware of your surroundings, watch the road, pay attention". Vehicle drivers also have an obligation toward bicycle riders and pedestrians.
Per the traffic laws, unless otherwise posted, a bicycle is authorized to be ridden on the streets, whether vehicle drivers like it or not. Vehicle drivers are not permitted to force a bicycle off the road any more than they are allowed to do the same to another vehicle that they don't like for some reason. Just because vehicle drivers are annoyed by a bicycle going slower than vehicle traffic, or because a bicycle does not require a license plate or pay personal property taxes, etc., does not authorize a motorist to not share the road with a bicycle.
All traffic rules were agreed to when you are granted a driver's license and sign it. Driving is a privilege and not a right. If you don't like the rules of the road, then you need to take that up with those who make the rules, not those who are following them. Or, you could stop driving if you don't like the rules. Ignorance of the traffic rules or not liking some of them are not valid reasons for not following all of them.
I drive a vehicle for 100's of miles every week. Of course I know many people don't follow the traffic rules regarding bicycles. That is why there is interest in having designated bicycle lanes or other provisions for bicycles.
If vehicles shared the road with bicycles as they should per the traffic laws, there would not be the interest in bicycle lanes/paths. It may be children riding bicycles too, not just adults.
Posted on June 17 at 10:10 p.m.
I hope the City will further develop some good provisions for bicycling already in place. One example is the bicycle/walking bridge over I-35 at Prairie Street.
If you were on the south side of I-35 and wanted to go out to Walmart or other locations in that area on the north side of I-35, the Prairie Street bicycle bridge could be a good option instead of riding along Industrial to cross I-35 and dealing with a busier street and very busy intersections. A simple side walk addition along 24th from Prairie to Industrial, in places where one doesn't already exist, would give good bicycle access. 24th isn't exactly a "bicycle-friendly" street in its current form. Similar upgrades could be done along other streets without significant expense or ongoing high maintenance.
The geographic size of Emporia is easily negotiable on a bicycle for a lot of riders. It doesn't have a lot of steep hills either. Just some rather simple enhancements to existing infrastructure would really help make Emporia more bicycle friendly.
Maybe the emporia.com web site could be updated with a good map of the city to show recommended bicycle routes. It could serve as a great resource for visitors and college students new to town wanting to use their bicycles.
As the use of bicycles increases as a substitute for cars, it would be great if someone manufactured some lower cost bicycle trailers to haul cargo in. The child carriers already made would work, but they are quite pricey. Wouldn't it be neat if some individual or business in Emporia was the designer and manufacturer of a lower cost bicycle trailer?
Posted on June 17 at 4:40 p.m.
I couldn't agree more with the above comment and the article. It wouldn't take much for Emporia to work toward becoming a more "bike friendly" community.
An additional enhancement to the use of bicycles around town would be for merchants to consider installing bicycle racks in their parking lots. Bicycle racks are typically of minimal expense and maintenance, and require minimal space. They also provide a good means for securing a bicycle while inside the store.
As a nation, we have to do something to incorporate other means of transportation. For short trips around town, bicycles work great many days of the year. They certainly won't solve all of our nation's energy and pollution problems, but it is one way to help, plus also get some exercise and help save on gas money.
Posted on June 4 at 10:18 p.m.
One significant difference between June 8, 1974 and the weather forecast for tomorrow is the air temperature.
The low tonight is forecast to be in the low 70's. The weather was very chilly and misting on/off most of the morning of June 8, 1974 and stayed that way until mid afternoon. It was cold enough to be wearing a jacket and still feel chilly. I worked outside that whole day and remember it very well.
The temperature really increased later that afternoon. It was a terribly pressing heat when we walked out of the west side of the Montgomery Ward's store at the mall about 5:50 p.m., while the black cloud was approaching from the southwest. We knew an awful storm was on the way, but had no idea where we were would be in the path of the F4 tornado only a few minutes later.
Hopefully tomorrow has no storms like June 8, 1974.
Posted on May 27 at 6:24 p.m.
I like Maid-Rite and I hope they come to Emporia. I like Mom/Pop places and wish them all the best of success. I like the other chain restaurants already in Emporia.
An abundance of eating establishments has a positive effect in making a location appear more economically viable. Each establishment has had confidence in the local economy to sustain them, or they would not spend the money and effort opening and remaining there. Maid-Rite's considering Emporia could help encourage some other businesses to consider Emporia as well.
Eating establishments are a good drawing-card for people traveling by to stop and eat, and they might also purchase other goods/services at other businesses. Their spending helps the local economy.
Maid-Rite would mean some more jobs in Emporia and more economic base. Maid-Rite in Emporia would likely not have "high wage" jobs that would serve to raise a family on, but it is still a business that would provide some jobs and help contribute to the tax base. Emporia needs all the economic help it can get.
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Posted on December 19 at 12:16 a.m.
Regardless of the gov't inspections and ratings available, family/friends of the residents in a care home should be conducting their own close monitoring of the establishment and report any problem immediately. The establishment must be held accountable to fix the problem ASAP, they take the money for the 24/7 care of the resident. It makes no difference where the owner(s) is located, he/she/they are responsible to each resident just the same. The watching of the establishment should be ongoing and cannot be done with only a few visits per year. Put yourself in the residents' place, wouldn't you want some family/friends on the lookout for you more than a couple times a year? Hopefully you'll find everything ok. If not, appropriate action needs to be taken immediately. Your action may help many other residents too.
Unfortunately, all too many of the residents have very few family/friends stopping by to see them, even for just 10 or 15 minutes. Lots of times there are several family/friends living within city limits, but seldom stop by. Everyone has choices to make of how to spend their time. However, do not think that your family/friends in care homes are always in safe and acceptable living conditions just because there is some gov't rating system. You need to be there to see for yourself and look out for them as much as you can.
I was at Emporia Rehab this summer on a tour for possible placement of a family member, so I got to see several rooms and other locations throughout. I thought the place looked very run down and in dire need of much attention in so many ways. I found the staff to be quite friendly and compassionate, and I know they were not responsible for the attention the place needed. I blame the owners. I'm sorry for the staff losing their jobs, and hope they find other employment soon.
On Nursing home is closing