The Emporia State baseball team came up short in an 11-1 loss in seven innings to #5 Pittsburg State in the MIAA Tournament final on Saturday at Wendell Simmons Field in Edmond, Okla. The Gorillas jumped in front 6-0 through four innings before Logan Myers launched a solo homer in the fifth inning to get the Hornets on the board, but ESU didn’t score again and the Gorillas added three in the sixth and two in the seventh to secure the run-rule victory. E-State was outhit 16-2 in the game as Jake Khasaempanth (3-2) took the loss on the bump. ESU is 37-15 and came into the week ranked ninth in the Central Region rankings. The Hornets must now await their NCAA Tournament fate as the NCAA will announce the field on the Selection Show, Sunday at 9:00 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Pittsburg, PA
Signs of hope that Pittsburgh’s Hays bald eagles could rebuild nest
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – All eyes are on Pittsburgh’s iconic Hays bald eagles, and anxiety is high as their biggest fans wait to see if the majestic pair rebuilds their nest that collapsed during a storm last year.
The Hays eagles usually welcome new eggs in their nest in mid-February. Many people are wondering if they will reconstruct their nest in time for the upcoming breeding season.
But with time running out for the birds, the experts are seeing new signs of hope.
“We’ve been seeing a lot of activity with the pair on the hillside within the last couple of weeks, which is a really good sign that there could be potential nesting,” said Bill Powers, president and owner of PixCams Inc.
The eagles have been seen chasing away intruders on the live-streamed nest camera that’s provided by PixCams and the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.
A few days ago, the eagle pair was seen on camera chasing a young eagle perched on their tree.
“Typically, they wouldn’t have this territorial behavior unless they were thinking about nesting because they wouldn’t put that energy into protecting that site from potential fishing or other birds being in that area,” Powers said.
He said they’re even listening for the majestic birds with a new tool called BirdNET-Pi, which allows them to pick up eagle call detections.
“It lets us actually look at the audio signals and identify what the species are. We’re getting ticks of the eagles’ chatter that we can’t actually see on the camera, which really helps us to know that they’re there,” Powers said.
He said the tool has recorded bald eagles making noise in the evening.
“We’re seeing these nighttime calls, which are a really good sign because we’re seeing the eagles are actually roosting near where this nest tree is and they’re roosting in a pair. So, that shows us there was this pair bonding is actually starting,” said Powers.
Bald eagles have been nesting in Pittsburgh’s Hays neighborhood since 2013, with 20 eaglets taking flight.
It’s the fifth time the birds have had to build a new nest. Rachel Handel with the Audubon Society said they have faith in them.
“When the nest fell back in 2016, they rebuilt in three days. So, they have a history of being able to pull together a nest very quickly if they need to. We could really be seeing something pretty exciting happening very soon. Generally, these birds lay eggs in mid-February,” Handel said.
“We’re going to be looking for mating. We’re going to be looking for bonding rituals. And one of those rituals is nest building,” she added.
The hope is that the beloved eagles don’t soar in another director.
“Our hope is that if they don’t build in that tree, they’ll at least be close,” Handel said.
No matter what happens, it’s too late to move the PixCam camera from its current location.
“We’re just hopeful it’s going to be in the tree or where we can see it. And if not, we move it next year to where the new location would be,” Powers said.
Kennywood honored two longtime employees Saturday who together have worked at the park for a combined 100 years.
Larry Russ and Bobby Trygar started working at Kennywood in 1976.
Russ began his Kennywood career as a games employee, working at the Big Apple dart game. In 1980, Russ applied to the security team and has held positions there ever since, including roles as a corporal, lieutenant, chief, and captain, according to a press release provided by the park.
Trygar began his time at Kennywood by working in the Parkside Café. Since he joined Kennywood, he has helped to maintain some of the park’s most iconic attractions, including the Racer, Log Jammer, and Merry Go Round.
“This is something you dream about. It’s so amazing,” Trygar said. “One of the best things when I worked out here was when I met my wife on the Racer. I was the mechanic. It’s just a great feeling to come here every day, see smiles on people’s faces, it’s tremendous. It gives you that extra boost and happiness.”
“I was planning on going into the mill, like everyone else was during my era,” Russ said. “Of course, the mill shut down. My father told me, ‘You don’t want to [work at the mill]. This place isn’t going to be here that much longer,’ and he was right, so I stuck it out here. I got a full-time position in 1980, and the rest is history.”
The park also dedicated two benches in their honor.
The new policy requiring anyone under 18 to be accompanied by someone over 21 in Market Square may not be as firm as some first thought.
KDKA observed unaccompanied kids in and around the square in Pittsburgh on Saturday evening, but in very small numbers, especially compared to the hundreds of kids who gathered as recently as during the NFL draft last month. Many of the kids were walking through the square or to restaurants like Chipotle.
It was the kids who lingered on Saturday evening who were approached by either youth outreach teams, private security or officers.
Von Madden — the founder of AIM, a youth outreach group — said it’s when kids start gathering in large numbers that they’ll be asked to leave.
“I don’t think they are going to be kicked out of the space for buying food or walking by,” Madden said. “The policy was so they’re allowed to hang out, but if they’re causing disruption, they were asked to move.”
Outreach workers within the square on Saturday evening said they’ve been approaching kids to make sure they are aware of the rules, but aren’t forcing them to leave. Some workers suggested alternative places they could go, as they work to form relationships with the kids
Madden, who was not at the square on Saturday, said in theory, enforcement works by private security engaging kids first, and then if that doesn’t work, outreach staff comes over. Only as a last resort are police officers brought in.
KDKA watched as a group of about 15 to 20 kids formed along Market Street steps away from a police SUV on Saturday evening. A member of the private security approached the kids first, pointing toward the exit of the square. Once more kids gathered, a group of five to 10 officers walked over, and the group dispersed toward Liberty Avenue.
A group of teenagers near Chipotle told KDKA that officers told them they had to leave if they weren’t actually going to the restaurant. Madden said the policy, which is in effect from Thursday to Sunday from 3 p.m to midnight, has worked well this week.
“It was phenomenal. Thursday was great,” Madden said. “The kids came, a lot of kids. They were absolutely excited about everything going on.”
Thursday was the first night for the temporary roller rink in Market Square, and a rainy Friday kept many people away. People enjoying their Saturday evening in the square gave mixed reviews about the policy.
“I think it’s definitely necessary,” Cristina from Butler told KDKA. “It keeps the community safe, and it allows adults and parents to know that their kids are safe as well, and just a more controlled environment.”
Danielle Graham from Robinson said she’d been observing kids interacting with police and believes kids aren’t welcome in Market Square, even if they are not being disruptive. She said there was a discrepancy in what private security and officers knew about the rule, adding that police asked her if the child she was chaperoning was her legal guardian.
She said she offered to chaperone kids to allow them to enjoy the square and so she could observe what was going on.
“There’s no clear understanding from the people that are supposedly enforcing it,” Robinson said. “You just put more vulnerable kids in front of law enforcement, things can go wrong.”
Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Barb Warwick shared her own criticism of the policy during a meeting last week.
“Not only does this feel highly unwelcoming to families with teens, it also seems questionable in terms even of enforcement,” Warwick said. “I don’t know that there’ll be like a private security, what are we checking IDs like, you know? How is this working? My understanding is it’s on an event permit.”
KDKA-TV did not observe any IDs being checked on Saturday and saw at most 12 officers in the square at once, along with the private security.
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