El Dorado

El Dorado lake officials say Kansas residents are staying away and it's hurting their business. The Marina Store Manager says business is down 50% in the last two weeks. She says it's because of the blue-green algae scare. But the El Dorado Lake doesn't have it and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has declared that lake safe. Workers say even though they don't have it, people are staying away and want people to know it is safe to be in the water. "I think they thought it was in Butler County and included everybody but we don't have a problem here," said Marina manager Debbie Haled.

Members of the El Dorado Presbyterian Youth Group don't usually have problems with the law but they have friends who like to stay out late and cause mischief. "Yeah some of my friends stay out way late...they loop around Main Street and central just to kill time," said 16-year-old Meghan Rhodes. That's part of the reason why the City Commission discussed the possibility of a curfew for El Dorado youth at their last meeting. "It can be used as a tool but is has to be narrowly defined and address a pervasive problem," said City Manager Herb Llewellyn.

An El Dorado neighborhood has safety concerns about the design of a new school.  They're worried about rain water retention ponds that could cause a drowning or worsen an existing flooding problem on Arthur Street. Last November, voters approved plans to build a new Skelly school right next to the existing 60 year-old facility.  Construction is underway with at least four large retention basins in each corner of the property. "They will have water in them for a short amount of time during a storm and those pipes are sized such that they'll release it onto the street at the same rate as it was before the new development was done," said project architect Vince Haines of design firm PKHLS.  But longtime El Dorado resident Larry Winzer isn't convinced all the standing water will drain.  He told FactFinder 12 Investigators, even a small amount could pool in the retention areas and create a hazard for young children.

Camper owners return to El Dorado Lake Monday to assess the damage after a Sunday afternoon storm. High winds picked up campers off their jacks and moved them.  Several were flipped over, two sheds were destroyed and a pole barn was left all twisted. The storm hit El Dorado Lake around 4:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon. We have no reports of injuries.

Is it ever too hot to enjoy the great outdoors? Not if you ask David Turner. "We never worry about the heat. " He and his family decided on Thursday to spend the weekend camping at El Dorado Lake. But if you take a look at the neighboring campsites Friday evening, you'd see not everyone is so worry free. He and his family were the only ones in their section of the park. Camp Host, Avola Fitzwater, tells Eyewitness News, "It's slow. There's been a few nights when we don't have anybody out here.

Police in El Dorado release surveillance images of the man who robbed the Verus Bank Tuesday afternoon. He's described as a white male in his mid to late forties with a stocky build and wide hips. He was wearing blue jeans a white shirt with light blue verticle stripes and a two-tone Emprise Bank ball cap.  He also had dark glasses and a medical mask with a pink and purple cartoon animal pattern. The suspect was carrying a computer satchel and claimed to have a weapon, which was covered by a towel.  Anyone with information is asked to call authorities.

Two college students have revamped El Dorado's Star-Vu Drive-In. Brandon McClellan and Tyler Fox bought the drive-in in April, after it had been closed for two years. "It was a lot more work than we anticipated. There was a lot of renovation to do and a lot of stuff that was old and needed to be upgraded," explains McClellan. Friday was the drive-in grand opening celebration. Families were invited out before the movies started to enjoy music, inflatables and a petting zoo. The owners are hoping the drive-in brings back memories for people who grew up with the theater.

It is 100 acres in the center of town, and it's at the center of a debate. More than half of that land in El Dorado is used as a park.  The rest is earmarked for flood control, and a new stadium. The Galen Blackmore Stadium in El Dorado is used for a lot of things. On Tuesday, it was for a Junior Varsity track meet. In the fall, it's used for Butler Community College Football games. "We do not have a locker room in the stadium that we use," said Coach Troy Morrell.

Numana is planning a food packaging event in El Dorado next weekend. They want to package food to help victims of Japan's tsunami. The event is Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at Butler County Community College in El Dorado. Rick McNary with Numana says the organization needs cash donations to put together the food packages. www.savingthestarving.com

No one was hurt when a car slammed into storefronts along El Dorado's Main Street Monday morning. The Chevrolet HHR crashed into El Dorado School of Karate at 109 N. Main Street. It also damaged Wells Designs Screen Printing and Embroidery. The driver suffered a diabetic reaction but is expected to be okay. No one inside the stores were hurt.