EMPORIA — A company that specializes in the manufacture of towing products and accessories is closing its doors.
All but 12 of the 130 employees at Hopkins Manufacturing were terminated earlier this week, with the remainder left to assist the shuttering the facility.
Those jobs will be eliminated April 30, the Emporia Gazette reported.
Parent Company First Brands Group had spent several months marketing Hopkins to potential buyers to continue operations, with one potential deal entering advanced stages.
But the bidder “suddenly and unexpectedly” withdrew its bid last week, the newspaper reported.
That may have stemmed from First Brands deciding not to include intellectual property with the sale, which meant any potential buyer could not legally operate under the Hopkins name or make products covered by patents, the Gazette reported.
A rapid response task force, which was organized to assist affected employees from the February 2025 shutdown of Tyson Foods, will be re-established to assist the Hopkins workers with such things as job placement and working to keep affected workers in the area.
Jan. 6 officer to speak in Lawrence
LAWRENCE — A former police officer who responded to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, will be in Lawrence to discuss issues of democracy and political extremism and share his story on that day’s events.
Michael Fanone, a former Metro Washington D.C. police officer who was assaulted during the riot at the U.S. Capitol five years ago will speak at an event on Sunday, March 1, at Maceli’s, 1031 New Hampshire St., the Lawrence Journal World reported.
Fanone testified with his colleagues in front of the House Select Committee investigating the attack in 2021.
The discussion is hosted by Leading Kansas, a nonpartisan organization that aims to ensure government accountability.
