Winter Storm Q has caused the fifth of six KSPA journalism regional contests to be moved from a college campus back to individual high schools. The latest victim is the regional scheduled Friday for Wichita State University.
Contest coordinator Amy DeVault and KSPA Executive Director Jeff Browne made the decision this afternoon, citing safety of students, particularly those in rural areas who may have a difficult time getting to Wichita early Friday in time for the contest.
As a result, the students scheduled to compete in Wichita will compete off-site, at their high schools, and send their completed entries to DeVault at WSU’s Elliott School as soon as early next week, per KSPA’s newly instituted regional weather policy.
Students who finish in the top six places in each category at every regional will qualify for the state contest, scheduled for May 4 at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.
In all, regionals in Hays, Emporia, Manhattan, Lawrence and Wichita had to be moved off-site because of a snowstorm that has so far dumped up to a foot or more of snow throughout most of the state, beginning Wednesday. Most forecasts have snow lingering through Friday morning, especially in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Only the regional at Pittsburg State University, held Wednesday, went off as planned.
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