The small town
that arrested a person
who clapped
during a city council meeting
about a hyperscale data center
held its meeting on Wednesday virtually
and had no public comment period in the name of “public safety.” It says it will do the same for another meeting later this month.
The city, Emporia, Kansas, announced the change just two days before the meeting.
“In the interest of public safety, the Emporia City Commission meetings scheduled for Wednesday, August 5, 2026, and Wednesday, August 19, 2026, will be conducted virtually,” Emporia said in a
post about the change
on Facebook. “No public comment period will be provided during either meeting.” Then it shared the city’s email and phone number for citizens who wanted to voice concerns privately. Emporia’s police chief
told KVOE News
that city leaders had received death threats.
“The City remains committed to conducting the public’s business in an open and transparent manner while taking reasonable measures to protect the safety of elected officials, City staff, and members of the public,” the post said. “The City appreciates the public's understanding and cooperation as it implements these temporary measures while ensuring the continuity of City business.”
Citizens upset about the data center and no longer allowed to make a public comment gathered outside Emporia’s municipal auditorium to protest on Wednesday. Lux Claridge, the person arrested for clapping, attended the protest and told 404 Media that both the protest and the virtual city commission meeting went well. “The commissioners voted unanimously to get our petition on the ballot measure to ban high-impact data centers to a judge. They said that doing otherwise could open up the city to a lawsuit but didn't really elaborate on who, why, or how,” they said.
Some citizens in Emporia are upset about a proposed gigawatt data center called the
Flint Hills Digital Campus
that would sit on 1,000 acres of prairie land. Zoning and city commiss
… [more]
