|
|
|
PITTSBURG —
5. Pittsburg State University hosts Kansas Baja Competition
Pittsburg State University hosted the Kansas Baja SAE 2011 competition in May, and the event was a success by any standard.
Baja SAE is an event sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers, and pits collegiate design teams from around the world against each other. For the event, teams design mini Baja dune buggies and compete for a plethora of awards, including acceleration, sled pull maneuverability and overall design and endurance, among others. The competition brought teams from as far away as Mexico, Canada, Brazil and France.
“The competitors are just great and they say this is a good track,” said Bruce Dallman, dean of the PSU College of Technology. Dallman said it was the 20th year PSU has been involved in the competition.
The courses, which were set up east of campus, were designed and built by senior construction students, who used it as their capstone project. There were several tracks, including an acceleration track, suspension track and endurance track, which at 1.75 miles was the longest. There were also other sites, including the paddocks, hot pits, and staging areas that had to be constructed.
Sam Barill, Baja SAE program manager, was present for the PSU event and gave it his personal stamp of approval.
“I’m not the important part here, the important part is the local volunteers, the community sponsors,” Barill said. “The local people on-site make this happen. Pitt State has done great, a phenomenal job. SAE is very pleased with everything the university has accomplished.”
The Pittsburg community also threw itself into supporting the event.
“I haven’t gone anywhere in this town where I haven’t seen banners saying ‘Welcome Baja,’” Barill said.
4. Crawford County experiences extreme weather
Crawford County was rocked by extreme weather on both ends of the spectrum in 2011. From extreme cold to extreme heat, residents withstood Mother Nature’s full arsenal this year.
A blizzard hit southeast Kansas in early February, and meteorologists had to turn to the record books to find out the last time a winter storm was so severe. The blizzard dumped between 15 and 20 inches of snow over the area, and was followed several days later by a storm that dropped another three to five inches of snow. The snow was so deep in some areas that Pittsburg State University canceled classes for several days and many area businesses stayed closed.
5. Pittsburg State University hosts Kansas Baja Competition
Pittsburg State University hosted the Kansas Baja SAE 2011 competition in May, and the event was a success by any standard.
Baja SAE is an event sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers, and pits collegiate design teams from around the world against each other. For the event, teams design mini Baja dune buggies and compete for a plethora of awards, including acceleration, sled pull maneuverability and overall design and endurance, among others. The competition brought teams from as far away as Mexico, Canada, Brazil and France.
“The competitors are just great and they say this is a good track,” said Bruce Dallman, dean of the PSU College of Technology. Dallman said it was the 20th year PSU has been involved in the competition.
The courses, which were set up east of campus, were designed and built by senior construction students, who used it as their capstone project. There were several tracks, including an acceleration track, suspension track and endurance track, which at 1.75 miles was the longest. There were also other sites, including the paddocks, hot pits, and staging areas that had to be constructed.
Sam Barill, Baja SAE program manager, was present for the PSU event and gave it his personal stamp of approval.
“I’m not the important part here, the important part is the local volunteers, the community sponsors,” Barill said. “The local people on-site make this happen. Pitt State has done great, a phenomenal job. SAE is very pleased with everything the university has accomplished.”
The Pittsburg community also threw itself into supporting the event.
“I haven’t gone anywhere in this town where I haven’t seen banners saying ‘Welcome Baja,’” Barill said.
4. Crawford County experiences extreme weather
Crawford County was rocked by extreme weather on both ends of the spectrum in 2011. From extreme cold to extreme heat, residents withstood Mother Nature’s full arsenal this year.
A blizzard hit southeast Kansas in early February, and meteorologists had to turn to the record books to find out the last time a winter storm was so severe. The blizzard dumped between 15 and 20 inches of snow over the area, and was followed several days later by a storm that dropped another three to five inches of snow. The snow was so deep in some areas that Pittsburg State University canceled classes for several days and many area businesses stayed closed.
The blizzard also pushed thermometers to -10 degrees — with wind chills as low as -25 degrees — on several days, the coldest temperatures the area has experienced since 1989.
“These types of low temperatures are rare,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Ryan Kardell said.
Mother Nature wasn’t done, though. What meteorologists described as an extra wet and cool spring was followed by the hottest and driest summer southeast Kansas has experienced in nearly three decades, with temperatures routinely topping 100 degrees.
“We flipped on the over really quick,” NWS meteorologist Mike Griffin said.
The heat wave was caused by the La Nina effect — which is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific ocean — and continued through August and into September. Severe drought conditions persisted well into October, and Crawford, Cherokee and Bourbon Counties had rainfall averages of at least 8.5 inches below normal.
“From southern Kansas into Oklahoma and Texas, they’ve seen the worst drought in years,” Griffin said.
The drought caused serious problems for area farmers and ranchers, who saw a serious reduction in corn and soybean yields, said Wildcat District Extension Agent Dean Stites. It also caused a serious shortage of forage for livestock, forcing farmers to dip into their winter hay reserves — production was already down between 30 and 40 percent — three months early.
“There’s good chance we’re going to have hay shortage before the spring grass comes around,” Stites said.
Two days of steady rain in early November brought much-needed respite, but it was too late to help the soy bean harvest, said Ned Johnson, grain manager for the Producer’s Co-operative Association in Girard. Yields this fall were only about 17 to 18 bushels per acre.
“From a receipt standpoint, we’ll take in roughly a third of the amount of beans we took in last year,” Johnson said.
3. Dowtown fire destroys two businesses
A downtown fire May 21, 2011, destroyed two long-time Pittsburg businesses.
The fire, which started just after 3 p.m., destroyed Beitzinger Hardware at 722 N. Broadway and Bud’s Jewelry, 720 N. Broadway. Both were family owned and operated.
The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office was on the scene May 23, and it was concluded that the fire had started in the back of Beitzinger’s, then spread to the adjoining jewelry store. There was no fire wall between the two buildings.
The cause was not determined, but Pittsburg Fire Chief Scott Crain said that it was not suspicious in any way.
Beitzinger’s Hardware, operated by Philip Beitzinger, had been in business for 67 years, and was known for an annual Christmas Eve wildgame feed. The store and contents were a total loss. Beitzinger family members have indicated they do not plan to build another hardware store.
Bud’s Jewelry was started by the late Martin “Bud” Benelli, father of current owner Martin “Buddy” Benelli Jr. While the store building was destroyed, Benelli was able to salvage a significant amount of his stock from the first floor of the building. Soon after the fire he reopened for business in a shop in the Hotel Stilwell, at the corner of Seventh and Broadway.
A third building, the Knights of Columbus Hall at 718 1/2 N. Broadway, suffered such extensive damage that it was recently demolished.
2. Gorillas clinch National Championship game, 35-21
In almost any other year, Pittsburg State winning the Division II National Championship would be the top story of the year. But in 2011, it will have to settle for the No. 2 spot.
Going into the season, there were many questions about what one should expect of Pittsburg State. John Brown was an unknown commodity for the Gorillas. Tim Beck was a second year coach, coming off a 6-6 opening season. The Gorillas were not even in the preseason top 25 and were expected to finish in the middle of the pack in the MIAA.
But much of those expectations changed after the first game. John Brown returned his first touch of the ball for an 84-yard punt return against Missouri Western en route to a 34-7 win on the road that boosted the Gorillas into the top 25.
After rattling off three more wins, including a late comeback against Truman State, the Gorillas went into the Fall Classic X against Northwest Missouri State as a heavy underdog. No. 1 Northwest jumped out to a 21-0 lead which would be 28-6 by halftime. PSU fought back and hit the go-ahead field goal as time expired to snap NW Mo. St.’s 49-game MIAA win streak with a 38-35 win.
Wins against Fort Hays St., LIncoln and Central Missouri came next in dominant fashion for PSU before the team squared off against Washburn at home. The Gorillas would suffer their only loss of the season, a 43-25 setback.
Thanks to a Washburn loss and a win over Missouri Southern in the Sonic Miner’s Bowl, PSU clinched the MIAA championship. Two weeks later, PSU got its revenge on Washburn in the playoffs with a 31-22 victory.
The Gorillas would then thump NW Mo. St. and Delta State at home, giving the team tickets to Florence, Ala., for the D-II title.
In the championship game, Wayne State would return the opening kickoff for a touchdown, but PSU would block and return a field goal attempt by the Warriors for a touchdown in the second quarter, eventually boosting its lead to 27-14 by halftime. The two teams would trade touchdowns in the second half, and PSU would clinch its first national championship since 1991 with a 35-21 victory.
1. F5 tornado destroys nearly a third of Joplin
May 22, 2011 is a date that has been etched into the minds of Four State area residents. On that day, a Sunday, an F5 tornado destroyed nearly a third of Joplin, Mo., causing nearly $3 billion in damage and eventually claiming the lives of more than 160 people.
The tragedy won’t soon be forgotten, but perhaps what people will remember most is the way the nation came together to help the city regroup and recover. Volunteers from across the United States, some of whom were homeless due to the tornado that struck Tuscaloosa, Ala., the month before, poured into Joplin in the days after the tornado hit, setting up emergency shelters and distribution centers. There were so many deliveries of food, water and clothing that some centers had to turn trucks away. Even President Obama came, telling the audience at a special memorial service at Missouri Southern State University that the country would be there with them “every single step of the way.”
Crawford County also played a big role in the days following the storm. Almost immediately after the call for help went out, emergency first responders from Pittsburg, Girard and elsewhere in the county packed up their gear and raced to Joplin to help the beleaguered emergency personnel there. Red Cross volunteers hurried to the scene. The Pittsburg branch of the Salvation Army was at ground zero within an hour after the tornado touched down, serving up sandwiches and hot drinks to dazed survivors as they climbed out of their wrecked homes.
People from all over Crawford County pitched in to help out. There were benefit concerts at area bars. The Southeast Kansas Humane Society helped people adopt orphaned pets. Local Boy Scouts groups spent a weekend helping with the cleanup efforts. Area charitable organizations helped outfit teachers with new classrooms, and area school districts sent personnel to help the Joplin R8 School District re-establish schools. The City of Frontenac held a barbecue rally to raise money. There are simply too many gestures of kindness and community to list.
Pittsburg State University stepped up to help, too. Donations of water and clothing filled John Lance Arena, where they were collected and packaged by student athletes who volunteered their time. The university opened its dormitories to relief workers and law enforcement officers. One student was trained as a first responder and was one of the first on the scene. Professors led students on cleanup trips. Months later, faculty and students from the Kansas Technology Center were integral in the construction of seven homes for ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Again, there are too many kind acts to list.
He didn’t intend to, but President Obama accurately summed up the way Crawford County responded to their neighbors in the wake of tragedy.
“How we respond when the storm strikes is up to us,” he said. “How we live in the aftermath of tragedy and heartache, that's within our control. And it's in these moments, through our actions, that we often see the glimpse of what makes life worth living in the first place ... You have shown the world what it means to love thy neighbor. Amid heartbreak and tragedy, no one is a stranger. Everybody is a brother.”
