Excerpted stories in Crawford County newspaper archives

100 years ago

February 7, 1926

Remodeling of the 3-story building at 614-616 North Broadway, built, owned and occupied by the Kettler Furniture & Carpet Company, into a theatre is proposed by interests represented by A. Josephson of Kansas City. An option, to extend 30 days. for the purpose of the building at $67,000 was filed at Girard Jan 26. Information available here today was that Josephson and his associates would exercise the option. According to Information obtained here today the Josephson Interests plan to spend $100,000 in constructing a theatre.

With returns from 76 local unions in and only about six small ones yet to be heard from, Pittsburg is in the lead of Frontenac for location of headquarters of District 14, United Mine Workers of America, by 313 votes, it was reported this morning by Harry W. Burr, district secretary treasurer. Mr. Burr stated that it is certain now that the headquarters will remain in Pittsburg, as all of the outstanding locals to be heard from are small ones, and that results from these locals are not expected to have much change upon the present count.

Negotiations extending over a period of several months for a lease by the county on the space It uses at the City Hall here from the city, were concluded this morning in. Girard and the contract signed by the county and city boards of commissioners. Mayor C. Mart Montee and Commissioners Bert Mead and V. E. Summers went to Girard to complete negotiations and a settlement was reached comprising the differences which have prevented signing of the contract. It was agreed to date the contract Feb. 1.

The possibility of taking over the Baptist community hospital as a home for children of Shriners was being discussed in Pittsburg today with the announcement that the drive for funds for the completion of the hospital had been postponed for an indefinite length of time. No decision has been reached in theater, and Ben S. Gaitskill, of Girard, a member of the imperial council, declined today to discuss the possibility of such a move, other than to say that it was being talked over by Shriners here.

50 years ago

February 7, 1976

A $750 million bill to provide various child and family services now under consideration by two congressional committees is under attack by a deluge of unsigned flyers being distributed throughout Kansas, including the Pittsburg area. The flyers, purporting to describe the Child and Family Services Act of 1975, urge Kansans to contact their congressmen, and demand the bill be defeated. The flyer claims the bill, sponsored by Sen. Walter Mondale, D-Minn., will legally recognize "that the child is not the care of the parents, but the care of the state."

GIRARD - A letter to be sent to City Court Judge John Gariglietti from the Crawford County Commission will request that the court appointed attorney fee of $50 be reduced to $25. Commission Chairman D.J. Saia said Friday at the county commission meeting that no more than a $25 fee should be paid to court appointed attorneys, and requested that a letter be sent to Gariglietti stating so. Commissioner Johnnie Brown' said that $25 would be sufficient "due to the heavy docket of turning them (those arrested) back onto the street."

Five Kansas Gas & Electric poles, located north of the Pittsburg city limits just off Rouse, must be relocated at a cost of approximately $3,900 to the county due to right of way changes on the Rouse Street project. The utility poles were installed less than a year ago in accordance with the original project right of way. Since then, however, the county has had to purchase additional right of way land and Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) guidelines require that the poles be moved further away from the Rouse project.

A revised grant application for extension of the main runway at Atkinson Municipal Airport has been approved by the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) and now all that seems to be missing are the grant funds. "The application is in the hands of the FAA and in limbo," said Community Development Director Stan Smith, who is the airport overseer. "We're waiting for appropriation from Washington to be funded." The city of Pittsburg is seeking a 75 per cent grant from the FAA for the runway extension project, which will include the purchase of 175 acres land, fencing, engineering and a non-directional beacon.

25 years ago

February 7, 2001

GIRARD - A rural Pittsburg roofing materials plant was given permission Tuesday to establish a tire recycling and processing operation on land partially covered by strip pits on South 190th Street just north of U.S. Highway 400. Crawford County commissioners unanimously approved the Crawford County Planning and Zoning Commission's recommendation to give McCabe Industrial Minerals Inc. a conditional land use permit to begin the operation. According to Kevin Mitchelson, Pittsburg attorney representing McCabe, plans call for three phases: tire shredding and processing.

GIRARD - Girard High School students this week are out to save the world- or at least their corner of it. "This is something where we can give something back to the community," Russ Smith, GHS Student Council president, said Tuesday about the school's first-ever Save the World Week. The week's activities consisted of "Feed the World" Monday, where Students and faculty members brought canned goods and other non-perishable items, while Tuesday, students and teachers cleaned out their closets for "Clothe the World."

The Kansas Highway Patrol has announced that its troopers will be participating in the National Child Passenger Safety Week, which is Feb. 11 through 17. The patrol, the Cherokee County Sheriff's department and Columbus police will be conducting a seatbelt/child restraint checkpoint Thursday from 3:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. at the intersection of Kansas Highway 7 and U.S. Highway 69, weather permitting. The check point will be conducted as part of the departments' participation in Child Passenger Safety Week.

Hand painting, an ancient art, has caught on with Madonna and other pop stars. Local residents also will be able get themselves decorated during the International Food and Culture Fair. The annual event, sponsored by the International Friends of Pittsburg, will be 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday on the lower level of Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium. A featured artist will be Sadiya Mehndi. Originally from Pakistan, she spent most of her life in Bahrain before coming to Pittsburg in August to study computer science at Pittsburg State University. She began painting hands in her early teens.