Western loses to Washburn, 31-24. More information to come.

A stunned silence hit the once hostile crowd in “The Jungle” as Cedric Houston, a Griffons wide receiver, crossed the goal line with 22 seconds left on the clock.

“When I caught that ball, it felt wonderful,” said Houston. “The heat, the crowd, it all meant nothing after that catch.”

That catch gave the Griffons 38-32 lead over the No. 7 team in the nation, which became 39-32 with a Dustin Strickler extra point to cap off the win against all odds.

The Griffons’ defense gave Missouri Western the opportunity to win after the offense stalled with 1:30 left on the clock. Pitt State was in their two-minute offense, trying to march down the field with less than a minute left. (Full story)

Missouri Western students traveling east will no longer have to take the long way home.  Mitchell Ave. will re-open completely from Western’s main entrance to Riverside Rd. Friday, Sept. 28 if the weather permits.

Since June 5, construction paid for by TIF (tax increment financing) funds from American Family Insurance has inconvenienced many Western students and staff. (Full story)

The new building under construction along Mitchell Avenue on West Campus is the Christopher S. “Kit” Bond Science and Technology Incubator, which will be used to give small businesses a place to start their new ideas.

Chris Shove, Dean of the Western Institute, played a major role in getting the grant and funds to put the incubator idea into action.

Dr. Shove proposed the idea when he arrived at Western in 2004 and applied for a federal grant in 2005, which was received in 2006 in the amount of $2.5 million dollars.

“The purpose of this type of an incubator is to develop new businesses and new technologies,” Shove said.

Although the incubator is designed to help small businesses and entrepreneurs grow, it will also house classrooms and laboratories. (Full story)

Despite nine kills from senior Alyssa Berg, Missouri Western could not shake the nationally ranked University of Central Missouri Jennies in their home conference opener. Falling in a three game sweep 30-18, 30-12, 30-24.  (Full story)

Western has received a $1.1 million budget increase from the state of Missouri for the 2008 fiscal year.

This 5.5 percent increase from last year’s state funding brings the total state funding to $21.2 million minus the three percent for the Governor’s Reserve. This increase will be reflected in the general pool of operating expenses of the university. (Full story)

The first month of school is drawing to a close and already I have a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe it is the Derek Zoolander-esque turn that I have to face as I come on to campus in the morning. It could possibly be the 20 minutes or so that I have to wait in traffic when I leave due to the new stoplight that helps the flow of traffic. Or maybe, just maybe, it is the complete lack of direction and motivation everyone seems to have already. (Full story)