People of Pittsburg: Kelly Tippie

'It's scary and bloody, and it's all OK' Val Vita | Managing Editor If you haven’t decided on a Halloween costume yet, Kelly Tippie can help. Tippie has run Broadway Productions since last year, and now is her busiest time of the year. Despite the Halloween rush, she finds time to search for the perfect costume for every client. You can almost get lost inside Broadway Productions, 216 S. Broadway. The store has unending shelves of clothes, masks, wigs and other accessories. Most of them were already there when Tippie bought the store, she says. Others came from a place called Roy’s, in Joplin, when it went out of business. Tippie lives in Joplin, but…

Pittsburg style

Val Vita | Managing Editor Every once in a while, a song becomes a smashing success overnight and seems to be played ubiquitously. It doesn’t matter if you love it or hate it, you are going to hear it sometime. The 2012 viral hit “Gangnam Style” is in Korean. Even though you probably don’t have the ability to sing all the lyrics, you have probably already caught yourself singing the only English part of the song: “Eeeeeeh, sexy lady.” You know you have already heard the hit “Gangnam Style;” you may be one of the 410 million viewers who have seen the clip on YouTube, which is performed by Psy, a Korean singer. The song…

People of Pittsburg: Vonnie Corsini

The woman who wants to save the Fox Theatre Val Vita | Managing Editor Vonnie Corsini was a flight attendant living in New York when she fell in love with the pilot, Gene. “It was true love,” Corsini said. “I would have gone anywhere with him.” Gene, at that time, had already served in Vietnam and wanted to spend more time with his family, who lived in Pittsburg. That was what brought the couple to Kansas more than 30 years ago. And Corsini, who was born in Texas, fell in love again – this time with Pittsburg. Corsini enrolled at Pitt State and got a degree in education. After that, she worked on her master’s….

Internationals struggle with harassment

Val Vita | Managing Editor Collin Joy says that coming to study in the United States was one of his dreams. He left his home country of India to study automotive engineering at Pitt State one year ago. Sadly, he says, during one night about four months after arriving here, he received a “shock treatment.” “I was walking to the rec center in September last year when all of the sudden, around six or seven guys … started yelling at me and calling me ‘Al-Qaeda’ and ‘terrorist,’” Joy said. He says what happened was such a shock that all he did was plug his earphones in and keep walking. “It was outrageous,” Joy said. “I…

People of Pittsburg: Bobby “Bobby G” Gardullo

The bartending firefighter Val Vita | Managing Editor Bobby Gardullo is known as “Bobby G, the bartender” or “Firefighter Bob.” Gardullo is the owner of JST Bobby G’s, a bar at 108 Sixth St., which opened in May. He runs the place at night, after he finishes his shift as captain of the Pittsburg Fire Department. “I have been a bartender for 31 years,” Gardullo said. “It was my dream to open my own bar. I wanted to do it before I turned 50, and I’m 49.” He says his brother-in-law, John Kutz, owns the building, which used to be a hookah lounge, and offered him the opportunity to build the bar there. Gardullo decided…

Drinking prohibited after kickoff (WITH NEW VIDEO)

Val Vita | Managing Editor The fights during tailgating at the first home football game on Sept. 8 led the University administration at PSU to change their drinking policy permanently. From now on, nobody is allowed to drink in the parking lot after the game starts. WEB EXCLUSIVE: New video of the altercation on Sept. 8. Steve Erwin, associate vice president of campus life and auxiliary services, says the possession and consumption of alcohol shall cease no later than scheduled kickoff. “About 30 minutes in advance we’ll begin to make announcements reminding people about that,” Erwin said. “Nobody needs to leave, but they need to stop consumption at this time.” Since the Gorillas start playing…

People of Pittsburg: Manuel Pavon

“I’ll sleep when I die” Val Vita | Managing Editor The recipes Manuel Pavon and his family cook are the same as those his mom used to make in Mexico, which are the same as those his grandma cooked. The traditional Mexican foods handed down for generations arrived in Pittsburg and are found at the Pavon business, Yoselin, a restaurant and minimart. “I have known these recipes since I was 6 years old,” Pavon said. “My mom explained to me how to do it.” Pavon, who runs Yoselin with his wife, Maria, says he works so much that sleeping became rare. He says Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, when the bars around the store get busy,…

People of Pittsburg: Joe & Emma Pecnik

Goat, mmaaaan’s best friend Val Vita | Managing Editor Joseph Pecnik was reading a local newspaper in April when he noticed an ad about a woman who was selling goats for $30. That was the day he bought Emma, a nine-month-old Spanish mountain goat. Pecnik, who adopted her as a pet, gives her food, love and attention, as if she were a dog. Emma can be seen in front of Pecnik’s house on Joplin Street (between Fourth and Fifth streets), and she can be spotted nightly around town when he takes her on walks. “Goats can make better pets than a dog,” Pecnik said. “A lot of people ask me why do I have a…

‘Simply unacceptable’ [VIDEO]

Tailgate party turns violent Val Vita | Managing Editor WEB EXCLUSIVE: Parking Lot Fight During PSU vs. UCO Game [VIDEO] While the Gorillas were fighting Central Oklahoma’s on the gridiron last Saturday, some fans were fighting each other in the parking lot. The fights between tailgaters are preoccupying the community and have school administrators considering game day alcohol policies. Joe Allen says he was at the tailgate with some friends, when he saw one of the fights start after a verbal argument. “I saw people shoving and yelling back and forth,” said Allen, senior in commercial graphics. “A punch got thrown, then everyone just started going at it— even people not in the initial argument.”…

A new life for Lauren

Val Vita | Managing Editor  
 An accident almost killed Lauren Renfrow seven months ago. Almost. This month, Renfrow, celebrated her 23rd birthday with friends and family at a hospital in Omaha, Neb. The most important celebration that day was that Renfrow is learning how to walk again. Renfrow, a marketing major at PSU, was visiting a friend in Spain on Jan. 7 when she fell from the fourth floor of a building. To this day, no one is quite sure what happened. She suffered a brain injury and was kept in an induced coma for seven weeks at a hospital in Spain until she returned to the United States for treatment. Melissa Archuleta was…