Excerpted stories in Crawford County newspaper archives
100 years ago
February 4, 1926
Present indications are that the vote of miners of District 14, United Mine Workers of America, taken by special ballot Tuesday on the proposition of moving district headquarters from Pittsburg to Frontenac, is evenly divided. Returns received today from 46 local unions over the district showed a count of 1,540 ballots cast in favor of retaining headquarters in Pittsburg and 1,068 ballots favoring the move to Frontenac.
The first home talent production to be given in the Shrine Mosque will be presented tonight when the De Mo Pinyers, dramatic organization sponsored by the De Molay chapter here, will give their comedy, "The Cinderella Man." The show will start at 8 o'clock. For the past two weeks the cast of the production, numbering ten members, has been training every night under the direction of Miss Maude Laney. Drass rehearsal was weld last night in the Mosque preparatory to the rise of the curtain tonight.
A banquet featuring addresses on the possibilities for women in the business world, given last night in the dining room of the United Presbyterian church, brought the annual Third District conference of the Business & Professional Women's Club, to a close. A total of 126 women engaged in business and professional pursuits attended the banquet. Mrs. Pearl Kinman of Mankato, state president of the organization, was one of the principal speakers on the program last night. Mrs. Kinman compared the women who are engaged in business lines today to the pioneers of the frontier days.
50 years ago
February 4, 1976
District judges in Kansas should have the power to require the closing of a jail in their districts rather than the State Department of Jail Inspections, Crawford County Jim Sellars said Tuesday. A subcommittee of the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee Thursday proposed the district judge bill along with a bill that would give cities and counties until July 1, 1977, to correct jail deficiencies cited by the State Department of Corrections. Twenty-seven county and city jails in the state were severely criticized following inspection by agents of the department and the State Health Department and were issued recommendations for closing.
Bid requests for the purchase of two new trucks and street materials for the city of Pittsburg were approved Tuesday by the Pittsburg City Commission at their weekly meeting. Bids will be accepted up to Feb. 24 for the purchase of a 1976 model, two-ton truck, cab and chassis only, for use in the sewage treatment plant. A 1970, one and a half-ton Chevrolet truck will be traded in on the new truck. Purchase of the new truck will be financed through the use of federal revenue sharing funds, as approved by the commission on Jan. 13.
Transcontinental bicyclists, as many as 30 a night, may be camping in Schlanger Park this summer as they pedal their way across the country. Pittsburg is located on the official Bikecentennial route, which thousands may travel this summer. The Pittsburg City Commission, Tuesday, approved the request of the Bikecentennial deputy field director for the use of Schlanger Park from May 23 to Sept. 6 for overnight camping. The commission also approved the deputy field director's request to use Memorial Auditorium from May 23 to June 7 and from July 30 to August 16 for indoor camping.
25 years ago
February 4, 2001
The 316 area code outside the Wichita area - include Pittsburg - which would is now area code 620. From today until Nov. 3, callers can use either the 316 or 620 area code, but after Nov. 3 callers will be required to use 620 unless they want to hear an operator's recording. The area code change was caused by a looming shortage of telephone numbers available in the 316 area code.
With many of their energy-bill-assistance budgets already tapped out, a group of local organizations have united to raise money for those in danger of gas service disconnection. The group is working to raise money for Heatshare, a Salvation Army program that provides assistance for people who cannot pay utility bills. Representatives of the groups conducted a press conference at the Salvation Army building in Pittsburg on Saturday. They have met several times over the past three weeks to find a new program through which donors could help.
The crowd mostly gone and his radio show done, Pittsburg State head coach Gene Iba headed out of the mezzanine at John Lance Arena convinced he saw something special. "If there was a better basketball game in the country," Iba said, "I'd like to have seen it." The 3,264 who turned out certainly got their money's worth, and Iba and his team were glad to oblige. Trying to stay in the chase for the MIAA regular-season championship, Pittsburg State knocked off the 11th-ranked and MIAA co-leading Northwest Missouri Bearcats 80-71 Saturday night as the Gorillas pulled into a three-way tie for second place on the strength of a 19-point, 11-rebound effort from 6-foot-7 junior Jai Pradia and a career-high 19 points from junior reserve Jeff Willms.
