Local News - The Morning Sun

L-R: Appeals Court Judge Sarah Warner, District Court Judge Jennifer Brunetti, and Haley Hawn, a research attorney for Judge Warner, spoke to students at Local Government Day.

Students hear from jurists with local ties

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Polls show that Americans’ confidence in our judicial system is slipping, but three jurists with local ties hoped to push back against that tide, Wednesday, with a noticeably younger audience. more

By Ron Womble / rwomble@morningsun.net | 4/11/24

Offering a twist to yoga, The Literary Cat Co. at 915 N. Broadway hosted Eclectic Soul Studio owner LaStacia Marie on Tuesday, who offered a yoga class for residents to stretch, breathe, and meditate the stress away with the help of a crew of kitties. When the class started, the kitties roamed in the bookstore. A few of them were dozing off on mats as calming music played, and the others were staring interestedly at the attendees as they alternated between yoga positions.

‘Cat Yoga’ hosted at The Literary Cat Co.

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4/11/24

Several students tested their nail driving skills in the wet weather during the second day of the Pittsburg State University School of Construction’s annual expo, which hosted more than 300 high schoolers and 100 vendors.

Rain, rain, go away

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PITTSBURG, Kan. — Who’ll stop the rain? Those words from Creedence Clearwater Revival rang true on Wednesday. Rain poured down all through the morning, but that … more

By Aaron Pyle / apyle@morningsun.net | 4/11/24

Midwest Regional Ballet is scheduled to open “Beauty and the Beast,” at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 18, followed by performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 19, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 21, at Memorial Auditorium, located at 503 N. Pine St.

Midwest Regional Ballet to perform at Memorial Auditorium

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PITTSBURG, Kan. — The Midwest Regional Ballet returns to Pittsburg for its latest ballet, “Beauty and the Beast,” which will run Thursday, April 18, through Sunday, April 21. … more

By Aaron Pyle / apyle@morningsun.net | 4/11/24

State Representatives Chuck Smith and Ken Collins, along with State Senator Tim Schalllenburger  discuss the inner workings of the state legislature with high school seniors from across Crawford County.

Area seniors venture to Pitt State for Local Government Day

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PITTSBURG, Kan. — Seniors from all six Crawford County high schools ventured to the Pittsburg State campus to visit with local leaders from the city, county, and state about the importance of … more

By Dustin R. Strong / dstrong@morningsun.net | 4/11/24

PPD will have ability to unlock cell phones

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PITTSBURG, Kan. — The Pittsburg City Commission voted to approve the purchase of a upgrade from Cellbrite, Inc. that allows the police to unlock a password protected cellphone through Brute … more

By Dustin R. Strong / dstrong@morningsun.net | 4/11/24

Drought watch issued for Crawford Co.

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CRAWFORD COUNTY, Kan. — With approximately 73 percent of Kansas under a drought warning or watch, Governor Laura Kelly has approved updated drought declarations for portions of the state, … more

By Aaron Pyle / apyle@morningsun.net | 4/10/24

Students at the Career and Technical Education Center of Crawford County take a break from their masonry work at the Crawford County Fairgrounds on Tuesday to pose for a photo with Fort Scott Community College President Jason Kegler. The students are helping restore historic structures at the fairgrounds.

CTEC students help ‘Restore the Four’

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GIRARD, Kan. — Built in approximately 1936, four barns at the Crawford County Fairgrounds faced the possibility of demolition. Now, thanks to the work of volunteers and students in the Career … more

By Aaron Pyle / apyle@morningsun.net | 4/10/24

Pittsburg High School's Instrumental Music Director Cooper Neil, third from left, and the PHS band perform for parents and their children at Music Monday, as part of Week of the Young Child.

‘Music Monday’

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PITTSBURG, Kan. — There is nothing more precious than little kids playing and learning music. It can also be beneficial for early childhood development. According to the … more

By Aaron Pyle / apyle@morningsun.net | 4/10/24

CUTLINE: With 24 drivers moving more than 1,500 students across 35 individual routes every day, USD 250, like many school districts, is experiencing a shortage of qualified drivers that looks to get worse.

Transportation an issue for next year

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PITTSBURG, Kan. — At Monday night’s Board of Education meeting, USD 250 Superintendent Rich Proffitt brought the possibility of transportation issues within the district next year to the … more

By Dustin R. Strong / dstrong@morningsun.net | 4/10/24

Area athletes from Special Olympic Kansas Southeast Region dressed to impress and showcased their moves for Saturday’s inaugural "Once Upon a Prom" event held at Memorial Auditorium in Pittsburg. Attendees ranged from local ninth schoolers to adults with disabilities as the SEK Princesses made a special appearance at the Disney-themed event. The southeast region partnered with SEK Interlocal #637, the Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative provided food for the prom and Pittsburg High School volunteers assisted at the magical event.

SOKS Southeast Region hosts ‘Once Upon a Prom’

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4/9/24

LimeLight Marketing, 111 N. Broadway, Suite A.

Pittsburg Beautiful picks April winners

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PITTSBURG, Kan. — Pittsburg Beautiful announced the beginning of its 2024 award season. This year’s first recipients are Paul and Dorothy Thomas of 1010 South College and LimeLight … more

Staff Reports / news@morningsun.net | 4/9/24

Fraternity members at Sigma Tau Gamma on the campus of Pittsburg State University climb to get a higher view on the rooftop compared to those positioned down at the Carnie Smith Stadium football field during Monday’s eclipse as people across the world witnessed the special occasion.

Good fortune, a warning, or a love story?

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PITTSBURG, Kan. — Monday’s solar eclipse has been generating a lot of buzz the past few weeks. A solar eclipse is more common than one might think. According to NASA, the earth … more

By Dustin R. Strong / dstrong@morningsun.net | 4/9/24

Jim and Kathi Cooper stand next to their signage that will soon be placed outside Crawford State Park in Farlington as the two continually work on completing the “Girard General Store,” which has an anticipated completion date of August 2024.

‘Step into a simpler time’

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GIRARD, Kan. — Two committed Crawford County residents are making progress on bringing back the days of a nostalgic old-fashioned general shop to the west side of Girard’s historic … more

By Aaron Pyle / apyle@morningsun.net | 4/9/24

‘A Night in New Orleans'

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FRANKLIN, Kan. — Put on your dancing shoes or sit back and enjoy live music provided by the Ernest James Zydeco Band from Kansas City as guests are transported to New Orleans. For a second … more

By Dustin R. Strong / dstrong @morningsun.net | 4/6/24

Eva Maxton and her family make their way down Magnolia Street in Cherokee Friday morning as Southeast Middle School students, staff, and community members hold signs and cheer on Maxton as she heads to Children’s Mercy in Kansas City for treatment.

#EvaStrong

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CHEROKEE, Kan. — A brave Southeast Middle School (SEMS) student received a special sendoff Friday morning as she headed north for treatment and testing. Eva Maxton, a fifth … more

By Aaron Pyle / apyle@morningsun.net | 4/6/24

County scores a win in Topeka

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GIRARD, Kan. — At Friday’s county commission meeting, Crawford County Counselor Jim Emerson announced the state legislature passed the nuisance bill allowing Crawford and Riley County to … more

By Dustin R. Strong / dstrong@morningsun.net | 4/6/24

A map of western Crawford County depicting the 25,000-acre footprint of the Katy Wind Project being developed by EDF Renewables. According to EDF representatives, the project has already secured leases on approximately 22,000 acres from 30 landowners.

EDF reps brief county on wind project

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GIRARD, Kan. — County commissioners met with representatives from EDF Renewables on Tuesday to hear about their proposed wind project to be built in western Crawford County. Associate Director … more

By Dustin R. Strong / dstrong@morningsun.net | 4/5/24

NAC beta tests new survey

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PITTSBURG, Kan. — The Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) met Wednesday afternoon at Memorial Auditorium in Pittsburg for its monthly meeting. At the top of the list for discussion was a new … more

By Dustin R. Strong / dstrong@morning sun.net | 4/5/24

Members of the PHS Culinary Arts team. Made up of two teams, Culinary (in white) and Management (in purple), the students participated in a state-wide contest involving all facets of the restaurant and hospitality industry – from cooking a multi-course meal to developing a business plan. In their first competition, the Management team took 6th and the Culinary placed 7th, although their pork dish placed 2nd.

Breathing Fire!

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PITTSBURG, Kan. — The Pittsburg High School Culinary team was honored Wednesday night during a small ceremony at the high school after a solid performance at their first state competition in … more

By Dustin R. Strong / dstrong@morningsun.net | 4/5/24