TOPEKA — The hopes and dreams of local outdoor enthusiasts and those who see how its preservation can be an economic boon were validated on Thursday by state officials and representatives. About a dozen testified…

Iola officials are throwing their support behind an effort to see the old Elks Lake property developed into a new state park. Mayor Steve French read aloud a proclamation at Monday’s City Council meeting supporting…

Proponents of converting the former Elks Lake and adjoining Lehigh Portland Trails system into a new state park will be in Topeka Thursday to speak to Kansas lawmakers. The House Committee on Agriculture and Natural…

Having a state park in Iola would be a boon to the community, several downtown merchants agreed. In a short survey of proprietors along Madison Avenue, most said they supported an effort to convert the…

For the first 40 years that Iola Industries owned the land surrounding the old Lehigh quarry, “we wondered what could possibly happen here that would be good,” John McRae, president of Iola Industries, is quoted…

The wheels are in motion for the commonly known Elks Lake and its surrounding trails to officially become Lehigh Portland State Park. State Rep. Fred Gardner, R-Garnett, introduced the legislation Thursday afternoon before the Agriculture and…

Thrive Allen County is hosting several volunteer work days at the Lehigh Portland Trails, starting Saturday, Sept. 24. Volunteers will work to clear areas of timber debris and weeds. Volunteers should meet at the east…

At the heart of some of Allen County’s most noteworthy projects are volunteers. They’ve played a vital role with everything from running community festivals, helping develop and maintain local trails, aiding neighbors in need, or…

If there’s an upside to doing grueling manual labor in the sweltering heat Thursday, it’s that the four Southern Star employees volunteering their efforts did so on Thursday, and not next week, James Gentry said.…

Do you remember chasing lightning bugs as a child? “There’s a magical quality about lightning bugs,” Tom Flynn, a metal artist from Rogers, Ark., told a group of trail enthusiasts at the Lehigh Trail System…