Martin leaves mark at MSSU

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JOPLIN, Mo. – Missouri Southern basketball standout, Cam Martin, has enter the transfer portal. Martin plans to transfer to a Division I program as a graduate student.

As Martin enters this new chapter in his career, he leaves the Missouri Southern basketball program changed forever.

“The things he did on the court are special. I don’t think they’ll ever be duplicated here,” says MSSU Head Coach Jeff Boschee. “In three seasons for him to almost become the all-time leading scorer is just beyond remarkable.”

Martin’s decision to transfer wasn’t easy.

“I felt like it was best for me to go to another year of college,” Martin says. “I’d like to play at the Division I level and try and prove that I can do the same at the Division I level that I did at the Division II level.”

Martin credits Missouri Southern for shaping him into the player he is today.

“I feel like the coaches at Missouri Southern and my teammates got me a lot better over the three years,” Martin says. “A big way you can tell I got better is my perimeter game. That just came from all summer working with Coach Boschee.”

His hard work has paid off.

“His points and his production on the floor will be something that will go down in history,” Boschee says. “I don’t think at this level I’ll ever coach a kid as dominant as Cam.”

Martin’s announcement wasn’t very surprising.

“They all pretty much said they didn’t think I belonged at the Division II level,” says Martin of his coaches and teammates reaction. “They’re excited to see me do what I can do at the highest level. That was really cool hearing that from them.”

Since entering the transfer portal, Martin has received numerous calls from prospective programs. He says the experience has been crazy. Martin is taking his time to figure out which program is the right fit.

“I’m looking to go somewhere where my role is similar to what is was at Missouri Southern,” says Martin. “I don’t want to see my minutes drop, my playing time drop, or my points drop. I want to go somewhere that needs me not somewhere that just wants me.”

His long-term plan is to go pro. As for the Missouri Southern program he leaves behind, they have big shoes to fill.

“I’m trying to find the next Cam Martin right now,” Boschee says. “We’re going to have to fill his spot with a couple people to replace the amount of production and things he did for this program.”

Pollard leads MSSU to season sweep over Pitt State

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WATCH: Missouri Southern volleyball beats Pitt State 3-0 on Thursday night to sweep the season series. CC Pollard finishes with a team-high 11 points.

RELEASE FROM MISSOURI SOUTHERN ATHLETICS:

The Missouri Southern volleyball team completed the season-sweep of Pittsburg State and took out the Gorillas in three sets tonight inside John Lance Arena. Individual set scores were 25-16, 25-16 and 25-18.

The Lions (3-6, 3-1 MIAA) were led by CC Pollard who returned to action to bang home 11 kills and zero errors to hit .611 on the match. Abbie Casper had 19 digs, while Brooklynn McCain had 11 of her own. Sophie Mader just missed out on a double-double with 26 assists and nine digs, while Janelle Brehm had five kills and seven digs. Alyssa Diaz had eight kills of her own.

Pitt (2-6, 1-4 MIAA) was led by Hope White with nine kills.

The Lions had control of the match from start to finish taking the first two sets convincingly. The Lions trailed midway through the third set, but took control and pulled out the victory.

Southern will be back in action on March 25 as the Lions will play host to Central Missouri. First-serve from Young Gymnasium is set for 6 pm.

Latest updated blog: Warming up and our next storm system. -Doug

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Good Thursday night!  I hope you are doing well and of course ready for the weekend.  I am out tomorrow as I head to St. Louis as my son will start a clinical trial for his DSRCT Sarcoma Cancer.  So, this is kind of my Friday.  This last storm system was crazy.  In the Heady Pattern, that system was the January 30th system.  We are in a 46 day cycle.  So on January 30th we had severe weather, yesterday severe weather again.  So right around May 4th it comes back through.  Actually that whole week, from April 27th-May 4th we have about 3 shots for severe weather.  Then on the backside last night, it really snowed.  This was mainly in SW MO, but a couple  inches fell and melted with in about 2 hours as we were in the upper 30s all night long.  Here is a look at our rain stats so far.

After a cold night tonight, Friday looks pretty good.

The weekend will be fantastic with sunny skies and highs into the mid 60s.  Next system in on Monday with showers and thunderstorms.

Rain chances on Monday and Tuesday, and then again by Wednesday.  Check out my long range forecast below.

-Doug

Next Friday-Saturday:  Mild with thunderstorms increasing toward the weekend.

March 28th-April 3rd:  While temperatures start cool for Sunday and Monday, we’ll turn briefly mild for Tuesday and Wednesday before we head back into cool territory for the Easter Holiday Weekend. We’ll watch for rain chances on Sunday, t-storms Wednesday, rain chances for Thursday & Friday before we see a chance for a rain/snow mix on Saturday.

April 4th-April 10th: We’re expecting rain chances as we stay cool for Easter Sunday before we turn dry for Monday and through the middle of the week. After we deal with t-storms on Thursday, we’ll stay dry to start the weekend out. Temperatures stay cool for the early part of the week before we turn mild for Wednesday and Thursday. We’ll briefly turn cooler for Friday before we turn mild again for Saturday.

April 11th-April 17th: We’ll start mild for Sunday before we turn briefly cooler for Monday. Mild through the middle of the week before a brief cool down stops by on Friday. We’ll watch for a slight chance for t-storms on Sunday, slight rain chances on Tuesday, t-storm chances on Thursday and departing rain chances on Friday.

April 18th-April 24th: Temperatures look mild Sunday through Wednesday before we turn warmer for Thursday and into the weekend. Aside from t-storms on Tuesday, much of the week looks dry.

April 25th-May 1st: The week starts warm on Sunday. While much of the week looks mild, we’ll start to warm up again on Saturday. It’s looking like an active week overall. We’ll have chances for t-storms Sunday through Thursday with a severe threat on Sunday and Thursday.

1 year since Joplin’s COVID-19 emergency declaration

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JOPLIN, Mo. – “Well, the last time we had Third Thursday would have been October, 2019,” explains Lori Haun, Executive Director of the Downtown Joplin Alliance.

The community event that brings thousands to downtown Joplin has been missing for more than a year.

“I think we canceled them one at a time in the beginning just kind of thinking, oh, this is just a blip,” says Haun.

On March 18th, 2020, then Joplin Mayor Gary Shaw signed a State of Emergency Declaration. On the same day, the Joplin City Council passed an ordinance limiting the capacity of certain types of businesses to 50 percent, and large gatherings to 50 or less people.

That meant the Downtown Joplin Alliance had to cancel Third Thursday — something that continues for the entire 2020 season.

“It was impactful not only to our organization, to our downtown in general and our downtown businesses, but also to the vendors that set up. And, you know, all the different pieces that fall into place,” explains Haun.

If you would have asked me in March of 2020 whether we would still be in it in March of 2021, I would have been surprised,” says Joplin Mayor Ryan Stanley.

Mayor Ryan Stanley says every decision about the pandemic the city council has had to make has been challenging, and the first one was no exception.

“Hindsight is 2020. We can always look back and say we should have done this sooner, we should have done this later and so forth. So it’s absolutely not been perfect,” says Stanley. “But we had to do something, and I’m glad we listened to science.”

Not long after the emergency declaration, on April 6th, stay-at-home orders were issued in Joplin and in the state of Missouri as a whole. Joplin passed a mask mandate, let it expire, and reinstated it for a second time in November. Cases ended up reaching a peak in November, when the seven day average was 47 new cases a day, and hospitals were overrun.

But now, the seven day average is just above three new cases per day — with hospitalizations tapering off so much that Freeman Health System has closed its medical COVID-19 unit. The city of Joplin has also allowed the mask mandate to expire, and has removed restrictions related to outdoors gatherings.

“It does feel like we’re playing a winning hand,” says Stanley.

So now, the Downtown Joplin Alliance feels confident they can bring back Third Thursday. The first Third Thursday of the year will be April 15th, and will have a few small changes. There will be fewer vendors, vendors will be spaced out, and there won’t be any big live performances to keep congested areas to a minimum.

“We’re feeling pretty confident with the numbers going down, with the vaccines rolling out,” says Haun. “I think something like this, an outdoor event like this, is more feasible of course than it was at all last year.”

Asian Americans grieve, organize in wake of Atlanta attacks

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Asian Americans were already worn down by a year of pandemic-fueled racist attacks when a white gunman was charged with killing eight people, most of them Asian women, at three Atlanta-area massage parlors.

Hundreds of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders turned to social media to air their anger, sadness, fear and hopelessness. The hashtag #StopAsianHate was a top trending topic on Twitter hours after the shootings Tuesday evening.

“I think the reason why people are feeling so hopeless is because Asian Americans have been ringing the bell on this issue for so long. … We’ve been raising the red flag,” said Aisha Yaqoob Mahmood, executive director of the Atlanta-based Asian American Advocacy Fund, which does political and advocacy work across Georgia.

Many also were outraged that the suspect, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, was not immediately charged with hate crimes. Authorities said Long told them the attack was not racially motivated and claimed that he targeted the spas because of a sex addiction. Six of the seven slain women were of Asian descent.

Law enforcement needs “some training understanding what a hate crime is,” said Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups. “This man identified targets owned by Asians.”

The gunman “was very clearly going after a targeted group of people,” Huang said.

Being Asian American herself, Huang said the shootings felt personal. She is worried that not classifying the attack as a hate crime will “absolutely discourage others from coming forward and seeking help.”

She also cringed at the comments of a sheriff’s captain who said of the gunman: “It was a really bad day for him.”

The remark “appeared to be trying to explain and justify” the suspect’s actions, Huang said. “Hopefully it was a misstatement.”

Cherokee County sheriff’s Capt. Jay Baker, whose remarks drew outrage, was replaced Thursday as spokesman for the case. The sheriff’s office said it regrets any “heartache” caused by his words and that “they were not intended to disrespect any of the victims, the gravity of this tragedy or express empathy or sympathy for the suspect.”

It also emerged that a Facebook account tied to Baker promoted a T-shirt with racist language about China and the coronavirus last year. The account was deleted Wednesday night.

Mahmood said Asian American business owners in the Atlanta area were already fearful because of incidents like graffiti and break-ins. The shootings will raise that worry to new heights.

“A lot of Asian American business owners in the beauty parlor industry and food service – these are often the most visible front-line faces in the community,” Mahmood said.

Her organization is partnering with other groups such as the Atlanta chapter of Asian Americans Advancing Justice to offer resources in multiple languages, including mental health assistance, self-defense training and bystander training.

Meanwhile, from Phoenix to Philadelphia, Asian American organizations organized events aimed at showing unity.

Asian Americans United, the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance and several other partner groups held a vigil Wednesday afternoon in Philadelphia’s Chinatown neighborhood.

“After the month and year we had, we knew our folks needed the time to come together safely just to grieve and heal and mourn and speak to what’s happening,” said Mohan Seshadri, Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance co-executive director.

As much despair as Asian Americans feel, Seshadri said, the shootings also mark a flashpoint.

“Our folks are pissed off and ready to fight,” Seshadri said. “The way we get through this is together by organizing our people and feeling solidarity.”

Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce CEO Vicente Reid is planning a vigil next week in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa, which has a high concentration of Asian American-owned shops and restaurants. He thinks the slayings have galvanized the local community to go beyond vigils.

“I think there is this whole outlet of this younger generation who’s passionate and has the energy. They just need someone to step up and lead them,” Reid said.

For the past several weeks, Asian Americans have questioned how to deal with a recent wave of assaults – many on the elderly – that have coincided with the pandemic. The virus was first identified in China, and former President Donald Trump and others have used racial terms to describe it.

Numerous Asian American organizations say Trump’s rhetoric has emboldened people to express anti-Asian or anti-immigrant views. Nearly 3,800 incidents have been reported to Stop AAPI Hate, a California-based reporting center for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and its partner groups, since March 2020. Nationally, women reported hate crimes 2.3 times more than men.

Following the release Wednesday of a report showing a surge in white supremacist propaganda in 2020, the Anti-Defamation League told The Associated Press that a significant amount of the propaganda included anti-immigrant rhetoric.

The anti-hate group said 10% of propaganda descriptions in its inventory contained negative references to immigration, multiculturalism or diversity. The 522 physical flyers, stickers or banners included the use of words such as “invasion, deport, disease, illegal, infection and virus,” the ADL said.

There were also seven propaganda incidents with direct anti-China references to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Asian Americans are thankfully getting support from many non-Asian allies, Mahmood said.

“The path forward for us is really just standing together and making sure we don’t let these types of tragedies divide our communities.”

Kansas lawmakers reject requiring in-person classes March 26

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TOPEKA, Kan. – A Republican proposal to require all Kansas public schools to offer every student full in-person classes by March 26 failed Tuesday in the state House after some lawmakers complained that it would take too much power away from local school boards.

The GOP-controlled House’s 69-55 vote against the measure showed that some Republicans had misgivings about the proposal, which would have overridden a few local school districts’ decisions to wait longer because of the coronavirus pandemic. Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, pushed for the mandate, and his GOP-controlled chamber approved it earlier this month with no Democratic support.

The mandate for the state’s 286 local school districts to offer all students full-time in-person classes would have been permanent. Supporters said the state still could grant exceptions when a disaster such as a flood, tornado or fire damages or destroys a school building.

But Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly was skeptical, calling the measure “just something the Legislature didn’t need to be spending any time on.”

“The school districts have done a great job of getting the kids back into the classes as quickly as they feel they safely can,” she said Monday after the House debated the bill.

Many Republican lawmakers continue to criticize Kelly for shutting down all K-12 buildings in mid-March 2020 until the end of that spring semester to check the spread of COVID-19. They argue that many students don’t do as well academically in online classes and suffer emotionally from being isolated from school friends.

“There’s no greater treasure on earth than our children, and these parents are entrusting their greatest treasure to use,” said Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Stilwell Republican. “These local school boards have let these children down.”

GOP legislators also have criticized the governor over other actions she took last spring. Senators and House members agreed Monday night on the final version of legislation to keep decisions about mandating masks or restricting businesses and public gatherings in the hands of county officials.

The measure also would strip appointed county health officers of their power to impose restrictions on their own, requiring county commissions’ approval. The House passed the measure, 118-5, and Senate approval would send it to Kelly.

Some lawmakers believed that bill – which would leave decisions on closing school buildings in emergencies to local boards of education – conflicted with Masterson’s proposed mandate for in-person classes. He wanted a chance to clarify the issue, calling it a “misunderstanding,” but isn’t clear that the House will reconsider.

“I don’t know why they’d be voting against parents and kids,” Masterson said.

State Department of Education data showed that only six of the state’s 286 local districts do not plan to have a majority of their students returning to all in-person classes by March 26. A seventh district, Wichita, the state’s largest, plans to resume in-person classes for all students March 29 but has its spring break next week.

The Baldwin City district near Lawrence has been offering hybrid learning for students between seventh grade and 12th grade since September, school board president Kelley Bethell-Smith said. The school district doesn’t have plans to fully reopen until the fall, she said.

Bethell-Smith said the district’s classrooms aren’t large enough to accommodate full in-person learning and maintain social distancing, she said.

“Right now, if you have 10 kids coming in on A day, 10 kids coming on B day, you can space the desks out enough to have six feet of distance. We can accommodate for lunch, when they are unmasked, and keep them six feet apart,” Bethell-Smith said.

Bethell-Smith also said the school district has a shortage of teaching assistants and wouldn’t be able to comply with special education laws.

The Shawnee Heights district in the Topeka area has decided to keep Wednesdays remote for most students, said school board member Eric Deitcher. He said that gives some teachers extra planning time to accommodate students who choose to attend school remotely five days a week. Keeping Wednesdays remote would also allow the school district to disinfect schools, Deitcher said.

But Ben Wilson, a school board member in Valley Center outside Wichita, said he agrees with the bill. The district plans to return to full-time in-person learning by March 30. He said kids are not “super spreaders” of COVID-19 and the district has seen “very, very, loose, if any” evidence of child-to-teacher transmission.

He added that his own children want to return full-time in-person classes.

“They learn better,” he said. “There’s more rhythm to their lives and there’s a sense of normalcy that we haven’t had for a year.”

2 charged with zip-tying boy to porch swing on cold day

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Multiple felony charges have been filed against a man and woman who are accused of zip-tying a 13-year-old boy to a Springfield porch swing last year on a day when temperatures barely inched above freezing. The Springfield News-Leader reports that 43-year-old Jerry Smith and 51-year-old Rebecca Herndon were charged Tuesday with four counts of child abuse and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Court documents say the boy told police that Smith punched him in the face and zip-tied him to a porch swing outside in February 2020 to prevent him from running away.

Little Balkans Days festival returns for 2021

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PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Festival Committee announces the return of Little Balkans Days and is looking for input on activities.

Organizers canceled the event in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns. The Festival has been held annually on Labor Day weekend in Pittsburg, Kansas since 1985. It pays homage to the region’s history, ethnic diversity and community spirit.

The board is asking residents to help determine what activities to continue, and what to bring back from previous years. They’re also asking for ideas for new activities.

You can give your input on social media. They have pinned a post to the top of their Facebook page: Facebook.com/LittleBalkansDays/.

A release from the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau stated, “The Festival Committee is working diligently and will begin announcing activities, events and the entertainment lineup in the weeks to come.”

Funds donated in 2020 by sponsors and donors will roll over to the 2021 event. The board will also work with the Crawford County Health Department to create a mitigation plan due to the COVID pandemic.

To help vendors who have been unable to sell their goods at festivals for the past year, fees will be reduced for the 2021 Little Balkans Days Festival. Artisan, craft, antique, and food vendors can get details and register at LittleBalkansFestival.com/vendors/.

Lions top Southern Nazarene in first game under Atiba Bradley

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BETHANY, Okla. – The Atiba Bradley era started on the right foot for Missouri Southern football on Thursday night.

The Lions topped Southern Nazarene 21-20 in Bethany, Oklahoma in their first game under head coach Atiba Bradley – their first win since October 26th, 2019.

The Crimson Storm led 7-0 after the first quarter, before the Lions responded with 14 unanswered in the second quarter. Missouri Southern got a two-yard rushing touchdown from Josh Mercer in the second to tie it up. They picked up their first lead of the game with a Taylor Thomas rushing touchdown with 1:02 left in the first half after an SNU turnover inside the five.

Neither team scored in the third quarter, with Missouri Southern maintaining a 14-7 lead going to the fourth.

Southern Nazarene tied the game at 14 with a QB sneak with 12:52 left in the fourth.

The game stayed tied until the 4:03 mark in the fourth quarter, when Jaylon Banks connected with Jaedon Stoshak for a 51-yard passing touchdown down the middle. (video: SNU Athletics)

Southern Nazarene was able to respond with a touchdown to pull within one. However, Missouri Southern was able to stop the Crimson Storm on the 2-point attempt and recover an onside kick to preserve the 21-20 victory.

Missouri Southern will open the fall 2021 MIAA season on September 2nd, on the road against the University of Nebraska-Kearney.