As data center debate heats up this Kansas town, answers — and trust — become harder to find

By: Max McCoy

Outlets: Kansas Reflector

Published: August 30, 2026

Words: 2,469

Last Updated: 1 month, 2 weeks ago

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One thousand seven hundred and forty dollars.

That’s the amount Jay Vehige paid the city of Emporia for an open records request in early July.

Like many Emporia residents, Vehige wanted answers about how long the city had known about a proposed hyperscale data center before the project was announced June 2. The city voted the next day to annex 1,000 acres of predominantly rural land just west of town for the project, setting off …

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