City recovers most funds following business email fraud

Finance department tightens security after cyber theft

City approves economic development funds for historic building

Family-owned sushi restaurant slated for downtown relocation

South Dakota delegation studies city as 'model community'

City officials highlight importance of trade and technical education

City leaders urge community support for local university

Fire department approved for $64,000 digital radio upgrade

Zoning change paves way for three new residential homes

City recovers most funds following business email fraud

PITTSBURG, Kan. - The City of Pittsburg announced Tuesday that the city was the victim of a business email compromise scheme in early March, resulting in a fraudulent payment to bad actors posing as a current city vendor. According to city officials, employees quickly identified the fraud after the actual vendor reported missing a payment, prompting immediate coordination with the Pittsburg Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, First National Bank and EMC Insurance. Through swift action, related accounts were frozen, and the city expects to recover approximately 97 percent of the stolen funds while a federal criminal investigation continues.

Finance department tightens security after cyber theft

PITTSBURG, Kan. - In response to the recent fraud incident, the Pittsburg Finance Department has implemented new procedural changes to prevent future financial compromises. An internal review determined there was no intentional wrongdoing by city employees, who fell victim to a sophisticated phishing scheme that a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent noted is increasingly common among municipalities and businesses. City leaders praised the staff for acting immediately upon discovering the error rather than waiting, a move that directly led to the successful freezing and impending recovery of the taxpayer money.

City approves economic development funds for historic building

PITTSBURG, Kan. - The City of Pittsburg approved a recommendation to reimburse 412 N. Broadway LLC up to $32,846 for the renovation of the long-vacant building at 412 N. Broadway, formerly Harry's Cafe. The reimbursement represents 10 percent of the estimated $328,467 total project value and will be paid by the city only upon the completion of the repairs. The developers plan to update the 130-year-old downtown building's plumbing, electrical and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems while actively preserving historic elements like its exposed brick and original bar area.

Family-owned sushi restaurant slated for downtown relocation

PITTSBURG, Kan. - As part of the economic revitalization project at the former Harry's Cafe building, 412 N. Broadway LLC announced that Kazoku, a family-owned hibachi and sushi restaurant, has signed a five-year lease for the commercial space. Developers expect phase one of the renovation—focusing on the lower-level turnkey commercial buildout—to be completed in time for the restaurant to move in by early May and open in early June. Following the restaurant's opening, developers plan to begin a second phase of construction to add residential units to the building's upper level.

South Dakota delegation studies city as 'model community'

PITTSBURG, Kan. - A delegation of 22 community leaders from Aberdeen, South Dakota, visited the city this week to study the local government and university partnership as a model for community and economic cooperation. Representatives from Aberdeen's local government, the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce and Northern State University utilized a grant to tour various local development projects, the downtown corridor and the Career and Technical Education Center of Crawford County (CTEC) to learn from successful cooperative efforts in a similarly sized municipality.

City officials highlight importance of trade and technical education

PITTSBURG, Kan. - Prompted by the South Dakota delegation's tour of the Career and Technical Education Center of Crawford County, city officials took time Tuesday to stress the vital community role of local trade education. Noting that traditional trade skills are in critical demand across the national workforce, officials praised the center's success in integrating hands-on programs—such as welding—at the high school level to ensure younger generations are prepared to fill essential labor gaps.

City leaders urge community support for local university

PITTSBURG, Kan. - Following their cooperative meetings with Northern State University representatives, city leaders urged residents to actively support and promote Pittsburg State University. Officials pointed to a concerning national trend of small colleges closing due to decreased enrollment and increased operating costs, a trend supported by higher education industry reports citing nearly 90 closures nationwide last year alone. City leaders emphasized that the community is highly fortunate to host a stable institution like the university and stressed the ongoing need for strong city-university partnerships to maintain robust enrollment.

Fire department approved for $64,000 digital radio upgrade

PITTSBURG, Kan. - The City of Pittsburg approved the $64,659 purchase of 50 new digital portable radios for the Pittsburg Fire Department, funded entirely by the public safety sales tax. Fire officials stated the transition from outdated analog units to digital radios—purchased from local dealer Uplink LLC—will resolve critical communication failures experienced during recent mutual-aid fires by allowing direct interoperability with Crawford County, Crawford County Emergency Medical Services and Pittsburg State University emergency channels. The older analog radios will be reprogrammed and kept as a backup cache to distribute to responding mutual-aid jurisdictions during large-scale incidents.

Zoning change paves way for three new residential homes

PITTSBURG, Kan. - A zoning change requested by the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas for a property located at 20th and Grand was approved. The city officially rezoned the plot from a planned neighborhood commercial district to a single-family residential zone to allow for the construction of three new homes. City officials noted the change aligns with recent surrounding property developments and faced no opposition from the public or the Pittsburg Planning Commission/Board of Zoning Appeals during the initial review phase.

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