OTTAWA — This year’s series of legislative coffees begins this Saturday morning at 10 at Ottawa City Hall. This year, there are two new legislators representing the area, Rep. Terri-Lois Gregory, R-Baldwin City; and Sen. Jeff King, R-Independence. Saturday morning’s is the first of at least three coffees this year, said Tom Weigand, Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce president. The Chamber’s Legislative Action Committee, the Franklin County Farm Bureau and the Ottawa American Legion host the coffees. All of the area legislators, except King, have indicated they will attend. Although the coffees give the public a chance to quiz legislators, in the first coffee of the year, the legislators do most of the talking as they explain their views and what they expect from the upcoming session, Weigand said. This session will occur during a time of budget crisis for the state and it will be a difficult proposition to deal with falling revenues and avoid cuts that will cause state services to implode, he said.
Tuesday, Jan. 4, 9 a.m.
