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Great Plains Athletic Conference

The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The conference was founded in 1969 as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC), later becoming the Nebraska–Iowa Athletic Conference (1992) before being renamed the Great Plains Athletic Conference (2000).

History
The Great Plains Athletic Conference was founded on September 22, 1969, as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC). The first president of the conference was Art Nicolia (NWU) while Glen Hinkle (Doane) was the vice president and Roger Olsen (Dana) was the secretary/treasure. Jack Anderson (NWU) was named the first publicist on February 28, 1970. The six charter members were Concordia University, Dana College, Doane University, Hastings College, Midland University, and Nebraska Wesleyan University. With the addition of Northwestern College in 1992, the NIAC was renamed the Nebraska–Iowa Athletic Conference. The NIAC became the Great Plains Athletic Conference in 2000 with the addition of Dakota Wesleyan University, Dordt University, Mount Marty University, and the University of Sioux Falls. Later, Briar Cliff University and Morningside University joined the GPAC in 2002 and 2003 respectively. The College of Saint Mary, a women's only institution, joined in 2015. In 2018, University of Jamestown joined the conference as a full-member, while Presentation College joined the conference as an associate member. All former members of the NIAC remain affiliated with the GPAC except for Dana College, which closed in 2010, the University of Sioux Falls, which left the conference in 2011, and Nebraska Wesleyan University, which left the conference in 2016. Paul Clark was the commissioner of the GPAC when it formed in 2000. Corey Westra in Sioux City, Iowa, is the current commissioner of the league.

On January 17, 2023, Presentation will end its affiliate status with the GPAC as it announced that it will close, effective that spring.

Chronological timeline

 * 1969 – On September 22, 1969, the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) was founded as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC). Charter members included Concordia Teachers College (now Concordia University of Nebraska), Dana College, Doane College (now Doane University), Hastings College, Midland Lutheran College (now Midland University) and Nebraska Wesleyan University, beginning the 1969–70 academic year.
 * 1992 – Northwestern College of Iowa joined the NIAC. Therefore, the NIAC has been rebranded as the Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference (NIAC), beginning the 1992–93 academic year.
 * 2000 – Dakota Wesleyan University, Dordt College (now Dordt University), Mount Marty College (now Mount Marty University) and the University of Sioux Falls joined the NIAC. Therefore, the NIAC has been rebranded as the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), beginning the 2000–01 academic year.
 * 2002 – Briar Cliff College (now Briar Cliff University) joined the GPAC in the 2002–03 academic year.
 * 2003 – Morningside College (now Morningside University) joined the GPAC in the 2003–04 academic year.
 * 2010 – Dana left the GPAC as the school announced that it would close after the 2009–10 academic year.
 * 2011 – Sioux Falls left the GPAC and the NAIA for the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as an NCAA D-II Independent (which would later join the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), beginning the 2012–13 academic year) after the 2010–11 academic year.
 * 2015 – The College of Saint Mary joined the GPAC in the 2015–16 academic year.
 * 2016 – Nebraska Wesleyan left the GPAC and the NAIA to fully align in the NCAA Division III ranks (during that time, they held dual membership with both the NAIA and the NCAA), primarily competing as a member of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC; now known as the American Rivers Conference) after the 2015–16 academic year.
 * 2018 – The University of Jamestown joined the GPAC effective in the 2018–19 academic year.
 * 2018 – Presentation College joined the GPAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's soccer in the 2018 fall season (2018–19 academic year).
 * 2020 – Central Christian College of Kansas and Ottawa University joined the GPAC as affiliate members for men's volleyball in the 2021 fall season (2020–21 academic year).
 * 2021 – Kansas Wesleyan University joined the GPAC as an affiliate member for men's volleyball in the 2022 fall season (2021–22 academic year).
 * 2023 - Presentation left the GPAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's soccer as the school announced that it would close after the 2022-23 academic year.
 * 2023 - Waldorf University joined the GPAC as an affiliate member in both men's and women's soccer effective the 2023-24 academic year.
 * 2024 - Waldorf joined the GPAC as a full member in the 2024-25 academic year.
 * 2024 - Jamestown was removed from the GPAC after the 2023–24 academic year due to their pursuit of a move to NCAA Division II. Jamestown subsequently rejoined the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) (which they were members prior to joining the GPAC) for the 2024–25 academic year.

Current members
The GPAC currently has 12 full members, all are private schools:

 * Notes:

Associate members
The GPAC currently has three associate members, all are private schools:

 * Notes:

Former members
The GPAC had four former full members, all were private schools:

 * Notes:

Former affiliate members
The GPAC has two former affiliate members, both of which were private schools:

 * Notes:

Membership timeline
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title: Great Plains Athletic Conference


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MIAC

MIAC may refer to:

 * Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan's interior ministry
 * Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, the minister of the above
 * Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, a liaison between the government of Minnesota and the Native American tribes in the state
 * Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, a college athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III
 * Missouri Information Analysis Center, a fusion center collecting data from the Department of Homeland Security and local agencies to help Missouri police
 * Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe, New Mexico

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: MIAC


text:
WKRP in Cincinnati

WKRP in Cincinnati is an American sitcom television series about the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional AM radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta, including many of the characters. Wilson once told The Cincinnati Enquirer that he selected WKRP as the call sign to stand for C-R-A-P.

The ensemble cast consists of Gary Sandy (as Andy Travis), Howard Hesseman (Dr. Johnny Fever), Gordon Jump (Arthur Carlson), Loni Anderson (Jennifer Marlowe), Tim Reid (Venus Flytrap), Jan Smithers (Bailey Quarters), Richard Sanders (Les Nessman) and Frank Bonner (Herb Tarlek).

The series won a Humanitas Prize and received 10 Emmy Award nominations, including three for Outstanding Comedy Series. Andy Ackerman won an Emmy Award for Videotape Editing in Season 3.

WKRP premiered on September 18, 1978, on the CBS television network and aired for four seasons and 90 episodes, ending on April 21, 1982. Starting in the middle of the second season, CBS repeatedly moved the show around its schedule, contributing to lower ratings and its eventual cancellation. When WKRP went into syndication, it became an unexpected success. For the next decade, it was one of the most popular sitcoms in syndication, outperforming many programs that had been more successful in prime time, including all the other MTM Enterprises sitcoms.

Jump, Sanders, and Bonner reprised their roles as regular characters in a sequel series, The New WKRP in Cincinnati, which ran from 1991 to 1993 in syndication. Hesseman, Reid, and Anderson also reprised their roles as guest stars.

Premise
The station's new program director, Andy Travis, tries to turn around struggling radio station WKRP by switching its format from dated easy-listening music to rock and roll, despite the well-meaning efforts of the mostly incompetent staff: bumbling station manager Arthur Carlson, greasy sales manager Herb Tarlek and clueless news director Les Nessman. To help bolster ratings, Travis hires a new disc jockey, New Orleans native Gordon Sims (with the on-air persona of Venus Flytrap) and allows spaced-out former major-market DJ John Caravella (with the on-air persona of Dr. Johnny Fever), already doing mornings in the easy-listening format, to be himself on-air. Rounding out the cast are "bombshell" receptionist Jennifer Marlowe and junior employee Bailey Quarters. Ruthless business tycoon Lillian Carlson appears periodically as the station's owner and the mother of Arthur Carlson.

Main ensemble

 * Andy Travis (Gary Sandy). For the most part, vice president and program director Andy Travis serves as the straight man for the eccentric staff of the station he has been hired to run. Before coming to WKRP, he had an unblemished record of turning around failing radio stations, but meets his match in his wacky staff members, of whom he becomes reluctantly fond. The show's opening theme song is about Andy and his decision to settle down in Cincinnati. In the Season 4 episode "The Creation of Venus," Andy echoes the opening-theme lyrics in talking about his past ("Got kinda tired of packing and unpacking, town to town, up and down the dial").
 * Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump), occasionally called "Big Guy", is the middle-aged general manager, whose main qualification for the job is that his mother, a business tycoon, is the station's owner. Mama Carlson adopted strict methods in raising him in the mistaken belief that it would make him strong. Instead, it made him weak, and his bumbling, indecisive management style is one of the main reasons the station is unprofitable. Despite this, he is a principled, kind, decent and sometimes surprisingly wise man. He has far more interest in his hobbies (fishing, playing with various toys) than he does in the radio station, often hiding in his office from people who want to see him on business.
 * Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) (real name John R. Caravella) is a veteran disc jockey who comes to WKRP after being fired from a major Los Angeles station when he said "booger" on the air. In the Season 4 episode "Three Days of the Condo", always-broke Johnny surprisingly receives a $24,000 out-of-court settlement from that station for wrongful dismissal. Cynical and neurotic, and an occasional insomniac who consumes large amounts of coffee, Johnny is usually in trouble. He adopts the "Fever" on-air name as a quick improvisation in the pilot episode upon being told by Travis to abruptly change the format of his morning show, but he has used other monikers on the air at other stations, mostly to conform to whatever station format he found himself working with.
 * Les Nessman (Richard Sanders), the fastidious, bow-tied news reporter, who is a "mama's boy" of a man, approaches his job with absurdly earnest seriousness, despite being almost totally incompetent (a fact to which he is oblivious). He and salesman Herb Tarlek refer to themselves and Mr. Carlson as "the suits", compared to "the dungarees" (Andy, Johnny, Bailey and Venus). As a running gag, Les wears a bandage in a different spot each episode, presumably due to attacks from his unseen monstrous dog Phil; the gag was inspired by Sanders bumping his head on a studio light and needing a bandage while making the pilot. Other gags are his fixation on agricultural news ("the hog report"), and putting masking tape on the floor around his desk, which he insists his co-workers treat as the walls of his "office". He is staunchly patriotic and politically conservative, with the discovery that his biological father was a card-carrying Communist making him deeply conflicted. Venus Flytrap ribs him with wordplay by describing WKRP on the air as having "more music and Les Nessman."
 * Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson) is the station's receptionist and highest-paid employee. Contrary to a common assumption that she is merely "eye candy" for the station, Jennifer is informed, wise, connected, and able to handle practically any situation, no matter how absurd, with aplomb. She herself sees her main job responsibility as deflecting any business calls (in person or over the telephone) for Mr. Carlson. Although very aware of her sex appeal, with various wealthy, powerful older men at her beck and call, she is friendly and good-hearted with the station staff. She is very strict about the limits of her job duties: she does not type letters (though she is in fact an expert typist), and neither makes coffee nor brings any to the office staff.
 * Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner) is the boorish, tasteless, and vain sales manager at WKRP, who is sometimes referred to as "Little Guy" to Mr. Carlson's "Big Guy". He often wears loud plaid suits, with his belt matching his white shoes. He is unable to land the big accounts, but is effective in selling air time for products such as "Red Wigglers – the Cadillac of worms!" Although a married man with children, he persistently pursues Jennifer, who has absolutely no interest in him. While Herb is portrayed as buffoonish most of the time, he occasionally shows a sympathetic side. One of Herb's catch phrases is "no problemo"; another is "okay fine". Herb is based on radio executive Clarke Brown. Bert Parks appears in one episode as Tarlek's father, Herb Sr. The elder Tarlek is very much like his son.
 * Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid), the soulful, funky evening DJ, runs his show with a smooth-talking persona and mood lighting in the studio. His real name, Gordon Sims, is almost never used, and he maintains an aura of mystery. In an early episode, it is revealed that he is a Vietnam War deserter wanted by the US Army. In later episodes, his backstory is elaborated upon and it is revealed that after deserting, he spent several years as a high school teacher in New Orleans while working part-time as a radio personality. In spite of the fact that he is a nighttime DJ and Johnny Fever works the early morning shift, the two are often seen together and become good friends as the series progresses, with Venus taking the job in the first place in part due to his admiration for Johnny as a DJ.
 * Bailey Quarters (Jan Smithers), the young ingénue of the radio station, is originally in charge of billing and station traffic. However, having graduated from journalism school with some training in editing, and intent on becoming a broadcast executive, she is later given additional duties as an on-air news reporter, in which she proves more capable than Les Nessman. As the series progresses, she overcomes her shyness and develops self-confidence. Beginning with the second season two-part episode "For Love or Money", she occasionally becomes linked romantically with Johnny Fever. The dynamic between Jennifer and Bailey has been likened to that between Ginger and Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island. Jan Smithers was one of two WKRP cast members who was the first choice for the role she played, Gordon Jump being the other. Creator Hugh Wilson said that despite Smithers' lack of experience (she had never acted in a situation comedy before), she was perfect for the character of Bailey as he had conceived her: "Other actresses read better for the part," Wilson recalled, "but they were playing shy. Jan was shy."

Other characters

 * Lillian Carlson (Sylvia Sidney in the series pilot, Carol Bruce afterward) is Arthur Carlson's ruthless, domineering mother – often referred to as Mother Carlson (with Arthur calling her Mama) – and the owner of WKRP. An extremely successful and rich businesswoman, her only regret is that her approach to parenting (the "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger" school of child-rearing) backfired as her son ended up indecisive, weak-willed, and afraid of her. As a display of her cutthroat attitude, she has a painting hanging above her fireplace in her living room of two pairs of dangling legs of people just hanged. In the series' final episode, it is revealed she had always intended WKRP to lose money (for the tax write-off), which explains why she allows the incompetent employees to continue working at the station. The only one who is regularly able to get the better of her is her sarcastic butler, Hirsch.
 * Carmen Carlson (Allyn Ann McLerie) is Mr. Carlson's sweet-natured wife. The two met in college, he being her chosen date to a "bring a loser" dance at the sorority she was pledging, something he was unaware of until their twenty-five-year college reunion as they never did go to the dance and she never did pledge that sorority. Though happily married, they are so anxious to avoid hurting each other's feelings that they rarely tell each other what they really think. They have a son, Arthur Carlson Jr. (Sparky Marcus appearing in one episode), whom they've sent off to military school. During the second season Carmen has a surprise pregnancy and during the third season gives birth to a daughter, Melanie.
 * Hirsch (Ian Wolfe) is Mother Carlson's "houseboy." He is well into his eighties, but is energetic and seems unfazed by any new circumstances. Hirsch regularly expresses his dislike for his employer in otherwise charming and polite exchanges. His coffee is terrible, unless there is a guest, in which case he prepares it with care.
 * Lucille Tarlek (Edie McClurg) is Herb's devoted nasal-voiced wife, who, deep down, knows that he chases after Jennifer. Lucille is perhaps the one woman who does see Herb's charms. Herb and Lucille have an adolescent son and daughter, Herb III and Bunny (N.P. Schoch and Stacy Heather Tolkin, one and two appearances respectively).
 * Three other DJs at the station are mentioned, but (with one exception) never seen. Moss Steiger has the graveyard shift after Venus and is mentioned as having attempted suicide at least twice; he eventually dies in The New WKRP in Cincinnati. Rex Erhardt (who was seen in the fourth-season episode "Rumors", and played by Sam Anderson) hosts a program after Dr. Johnny Fever's morning show; and Dean the Dream has the afternoon drive slot. Another DJ, Doug Winter (Philip Charles MacKenzie), is hired and fired in the same episode ("Johnny Comes Back").
 * Frank Bartman (Max Wright) is a cynical but practical attorney retained by the station in the fourth season.
 * Series writer Bill Dial infrequently appears as Buckey Dornster, WKRP's station engineer.
 * Longtime actor William Woodson (though not credited) served as the announcer of the series (imploring the audience to stay tuned for the tag scene, in the episodes that had one) and did various voice-over roles during the run, including the pre-recorded announcer of the intro/outro to Les's newscasts, and the narrator of the trial results in the first-season episode "Hold Up".

Throughout its run WKRP featured appearances by several high-profile guest stars, including Colleen Camp, Sparky Anderson, Hoyt Axton and Michael Des Barres. Hamilton Camp, Craig T. Nelson, and Robert Ridgely also appeared in supporting roles.

Timeslots and success
WKRP in Cincinnati debuted in 1978 in CBS's Monday 8 p.m. timeslot, competing against ABC's Welcome Back, Kotter and NBC's top-20 show Little House on the Prairie. The show initially earned poor ratings, and WKRP was put on hiatus after only eight episodes, even though they included some of the most famous of the series, including "Turkeys Away." But owing to good reviews and positive fan reaction, especially from disc jockeys, who immediately hailed it as the first show that realistically portrayed the radio business, CBS brought WKRP back without any cast changes.

WKRP was given a new timeslot, one of the best on the network, following M*A*S*H. This allowed creator Hugh Wilson to move away from the farcical radio-based stories that CBS wanted and to start telling stories that, while not necessarily dramatic, were more low-key and character-based. To allow the ensemble cast to mingle more, the set was expanded. A previously unseen communal office area ("the bullpen") was added to accommodate scenes with the entire cast.

Partway through the second season, the show was moved back to its original earlier time. CBS executives wanted to free up the prized post-M*A*S*H slot for House Calls (with former M*A*S*H star Wayne Rogers). They also felt that the rock and roll music and the sex appeal of Loni Anderson were better suited to the earlier slot, which was mostly aimed at young people. The mid-season timeslot change did not affect the show's success; WKRP finished at No. 22 in the ratings for its second year. For the next two seasons, the writers and producers often fought with CBS over the show's content in the so-called family hour.

Starting with the second season, CBS moved WKRP around repeatedly, and the show lost nearly 2.5 million viewers on average for each of four timeslot changes in the 1979–80 season.

At the end of the fourth season, the network canceled WKRP. The final first-run episode of WKRP aired on April 21, 1982, and ranked No. 7 in the weekly Nielsen ratings, though the series had already been canceled.

Production
WKRP was videotaped in Hollywood before a live studio audience at KTLA's Goldenwest Videotape Division, later moving to the CBS Studio Center lot in Studio City.

"Real" WKRP people
While Andy Travis received his name and some personality elements from a cousin of creator Hugh Wilson, he was based primarily on innovative program director Mikel Herrington, who also was the inspiration for the character Jeff Dugan in the 1978 film FM, written by Ezra Sacks, who had worked at KMET. Dr. Johnny Fever was based on a DJ named "Skinny" Bobby Harper at WQXI/790 in Atlanta, Georgia in 1968. WKRP writer Bill Dial worked with Harper at WQXI, which is considered Dial's inspiration for the show. Coincidentally, Harper had previously worked at Cincinnati AM Top 40 powerhouse WSAI in 1964, before moving to 11 other stations, including seven in Atlanta. In 1997, Bobby Harper told WSB's Condace Pressley, "He went on record as pointing out which ones, including myself, that he based the characters on. [That recognition] was a nice little thing. You know? That was nice. I appreciated that." The Carlsons were a pastiche of Jerry Blum, WQXI's longtime general manager. Mrs. Carlson inherited Blum's brashness while Arthur borrowed his nickname "Big Guy," sense of style, and some of his unorthodox promotions (including the turkey drop).

Transmission tower
Although the show aired on CBS, the self-supporting transmission tower seen at the beginning of WKRP in Cincinnati actually belongs to Cincinnati's NBC affiliate, WLWT.

Studios and offices
In the show, WKRP's offices and studios are in the Osgood R. Flimm Building, an art deco office building. The building shown during the show's opening credits is actually the Cincinnati Enquirer Building at 617 Vine Street in downtown Cincinnati.

Real stations with similar branding
Cincinnati has two radio stations with call letters similar to WKRP. WKRC, an AM station that had a "middle of the road" music format when the series debuted, did not object to the use of WKRP, saying that it was the best publicity that they had ever had, and it was free; it currently brands itself (as it did during the show's run) as "55KRC". WKRQ is an FM station with a similar "contemporary hit radio" format; its primary branding is "Q102."

Other stations have adopted similar branding in reference to the series. In 1986, a Salt Lake City FM station (now KUMT) changed its calls letters to KRPN, and branded itself as WKRP, using the similarity of the spoken letter "N" to the word "in" for a sound-alike station identification: "W KRPN Salt Lake City". In 2008, Cincinnati television station WBQC-LD promoted its conversion to digital broadcasting by rebranding itself "WKRP-TV". In 2015, a low-power FM station in Raleigh, North Carolina began broadcasting as WKRP-LP.

Musical themes
WKRP had two musical themes, one opening and the other closing the show.

The opening theme, a soft rock/pop number called "WKRP in Cincinnati Main Theme," was composed by Tom Wells, with lyrics by series creator Hugh Wilson, and was performed by Steve Carlisle. An urban legend circulated at the time that Richard Sanders (who had comparable vocal characteristics to those of Carlisle) had recorded the song. Wilson stated in the commentary for the first season's DVD set that this was not true. Sanders would later "sing" the lyrics in a promo spot on VH1 for The New WKRP in Cincinnati that parodied the U2 song "Numb."

The closing theme was a different song with more of a hard rock sound performed by Atlanta musician Jim Ellis, played over scenes from the episodes followed by a still photo of the Cincinnati skyline. Ellis recorded the song as a demonstration for Wilson, and as he had not yet written lyrics for it, Ellis mumbled nonsense words. Wilson chose to use the demo version because he found the gibberish lyrics funny and a satire on the unintelligible lyrics of many rock songs. Wilson also knew that the lyrics would not be heard clearly in any event, as a CBS announcer always talked over the closing credits of the network's shows.

A longer version of the original theme song was released in 1979 on a 45-rpm vinyl single on the MCA Records label. It peaked at 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1981 and at 29 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1982.

Music licensing
The show's use of Blondie's "Heart of Glass" was widely credited with helping the song become a major U.S. hit, and the band's record label Chrysalis Records presented the producers with a gold record award for the song's album Parallel Lines. The gold record can be seen hanging on the wall in the "bullpen" set in many episodes.

The songs were often tied into episode plots, and some pieces of music were even used as running gags. For example, the doorbell at Jennifer's penthouse apartment played "Fly Me to the Moon" (which was later replaced by "Beautiful Dreamer" for copyright reasons).

Wilson has commented that WKRP was videotaped rather than filmed because at the time, music-licensing fees were lower for videotaped programs, a loophole that was intended to accommodate variety shows. Music licensing deals that were cut at the time of production covered only a limited number of years, but when the show entered syndication shortly after its 1982 cancellation, most of the original music remained intact because the licensing deals were still active. After the licenses had expired, later syndicated versions of the show did not feature the music as first broadcast, with stock production music inserted in place of the original songs to avoid paying additional royalties. In some cases (such as during scenes with dialogue over background music), some of the characters' lines were dubbed by soundalike actors, a practice evident in all prints of the show issued since the early 1990s, including those used for its late-1990s run on Nick at Nite.

The expense of procuring licenses for the original music delayed release of a DVD set for years. When a Season 1 set was finally released, much of the music was again replaced and the soundalike vocal dubs were present. Some scenes were shortened or cut entirely, but some deleted scenes that had not been included in the original broadcast were added.

Home media
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released the first season of WKRP on DVD in region 1 in 2007, with a number of music replacements. Sales of the set were poor, and Fox released no further seasons.

In 2014, Shout! Factory acquired rights to the series for DVD release. Shout! had planned to include all of the copyrighted music that originally aired on the show, and obtained the rights to include what they called "the vast majority of the music", but explained, "In a few cases, it was simply impossible to get the rights." Most of the dialogue dubs done for the 1990s syndication airings were removed, and the original dialogue restored. This release presented the second-season episode "Filthy Pictures" and the third-season episode "Dr. Fever and Mr. Tide" in their original hour-long formats instead of the syndicated two-part versions, bringing the episode count from 90 episodes to 88 episodes.

title: WKRP in Cincinnati


text:
Heart of America Athletic Conference

The Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC or The Heart) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska in the United States.

History
The HAAC's earliest ancestor was the Missouri College Athletic Union (MCAU), which was formed in 1924 when the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association (now the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association or MIAA) split in two. The old MIAA's private schools formed the Athletic Union, while the state teachers' colleges stayed in the MIAA. It was reorganized as the HAAC in 1971 when it began admitting schools outside Missouri. However, the HAAC does not presently claim the Athletic Union's history as its own.

In early 2014, Grand View University and William Penn University were announced as members for the 2015–16 school year. In April 2015, Clarke University and Mount Mercy University were also announced as members for the 2016–17 school year. In October 2019, Park University was approved for HAAC membership and joined in the 2020–21 school year. On February 10, 2022, long-serving Evangel University accepted its invitation to join the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, also Kansas-based, in 2023–24.

On July 24, 2023, William Woods University (alongside St. Ambrose) announced they would join the conference as associate members in football beginning in the 2024 fall season (2024 25 academic year). The expansion made it NAIA's largest football conference with 14 teams playing in two divisions.

The current commissioner of the conference is Lori Thomas. Thomas, the first female commissioner in NAIA history, began her term in 2014, succeeding Larry Lady who retired after 22 years as commissioner.

Chronological timeline

 * 1971 – The Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) was founded. Charter members included Baker University, Central Methodist College (now Central Methodist University), the College of Emporia, Graceland College (now Graceland University), Missouri Valley College, Ottawa University, Tarkio College and William Jewell College beginning the 1971–72 academic year.
 * 1974 – The College of Emporia left the HAAC as the school announced that it would close after the 1973–74 academic year.
 * 1980 – Culver–Stockton College and Mid-America Nazarene College (now MidAmerica Nazarene University) joined the HAAC in the 1980–81 academic year.
 * 1982 – Ottawa left the HAAC to re-join the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) after the 1981–82 academic year.
 * 1986 – Central Methodist left the HAAC to become an NAIA Independent after the 1985–86 academic year.
 * 1987 – Evangel College (now Evangel University) joined the HAAC in the 1987–88 academic year.
 * 1991 – Benedictine College joined the HAAC (with Central Methodist re-joining), both effective in the 1991–92 academic year.
 * 1996 – Lindenwood College (now Lindenwood University) joined the HAAC in the 1996–97 academic year.
 * 2000 – Avila College (now Avila University) joined the HAAC in the 2000–01 academic year.
 * 2011 – Two institutions left the HAAC and the NAIA to join the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA): Lindenwood as an NCAA D-II Independent (which would later join the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) in the 2012–13 academic year), and William Jewell to the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), both effective after the 2010–11 academic year.
 * 2011 – Peru State College joined the HAAC in the 2011–12 academic year.
 * 2015 – Grand View University and William Penn University (both coming from the defunct Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC)) joined the HAAC in the 2015–16 academic year.
 * 2016 – Clarke University and Mount Mercy University (also both coming from the defunct Midwest Collegiate (MCC) after spending a season as NAIA Independents) joined the HAAC in the 2016–17 academic year.
 * 2017 – Dickinson State University joined the HAAC as an affiliate member for men's wrestling in the 2017–18 academic year.
 * 2018 – Avila left the HAAC to join the KCAC after the 2017–18 academic year.
 * 2020 – Park University joined the HAAC in the 2020–21 academic year.
 * 2020 – Three institutions joined the HAAC as affiliate members: Missouri Baptist University and the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis (UHSP) for men's volleyball, and Waldorf University for men's & women's wrestling, all effective in the 2020–21 academic year.
 * 2021 – Two institutions joined the HAAC as affiliate members: St. Ambrose University for only men's wrestling, and Iowa Wesleyan University for men's & women's wrestling, both effective in the 2021–22 academic year.
 * 2022 – Mount Vernon Nazarene University joined the HAAC as an affiliate member for men's lacrosse (alongside St. Ambrose adding both men's and women's lacrosse within its affiliate membership), both effective in the 2022–23 academic year.
 * 2023 – Evangel left the HAAC to join the KCAC after the 2022–23 academic year.
 * 2023 – Missouri Baptist added football within its affiliate membership in the 2023 fall season (2023–24 academic year).
 * 2024 – Three institutions will join the HAAC as affiliate members: Columbia College for men's lacrosse, and both Midland University and Ottawa University in men's and women's lacrosse (alongside Missouri Baptist adding both sports and USHP adding only women's lacrosse within their respective affiliate memberships), all effective in the 2024–25 academic year.
 * 2024 – William Woods University will join the HAAC as an affiliate member for both football (alongside St. Ambrose to add the sport within its affiliate membership) and men's lacrosse, both effective beginning the 2024–25 academic year.
 * 2025 – Missouri Baptist and William Woods will both join the HAAC as full members, effective in the 2025–26 academic year.

Current members
The HAAC currently has thirteen full members, all but one are private schools: All but one of the private schools are religiously affiliated.

 * Notes:

Future members
The HAAC will have two new members, both are private schools as well as current HAAC affiliate members.

 * Notes:

Affiliate members
The HAAC currently has ten affiliate members, all but one are private schools:

 * Notes:

Former members
The HAAC has seven former full members, all were private schools:

 * Notes:

Former affiliate members
The HAAC had one former affiliate member; which was also a private school:

 * Notes:

Membership timeline
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Sports
The conference also sponsors co-ed varsity sports of dance and cheer.

title: Heart of America Athletic Conference


text:
Simon Fuller

Simon Robert Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British entrepreneur, artist manager, and film and television producer. He is the creator of the Idols TV format, including the UK series Pop Idol and the US series American Idol.

Fuller came to prominence in the 1990s for managing the British girl group the Spice Girls, and he has since managed acts in various fields of entertainment, from sports stars David Beckham and Lewis Hamilton to other musicians such as Amy Winehouse and Annie Lennox.

Since 2020, Fuller has been working with tech firm TikTok to aid development of new TikTok creatives and in the same year he announced a partnership with Verizon Communications to develop 5G content. In 2021, Pearson PLC announced a partnership with Fuller to create a new global education business in Performing Arts. In 2016, Fuller persuaded Swedish quartet ABBA to reunite to explore working in virtual reality, which led to the ABBA Voyage project.

Time has named Fuller one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He has been certified as the most successful British music manager of all time by Billboard. Fuller received the 2,441st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 23 May 2011. In 2014 he was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Brighton in his home county East Sussex in recognition for his "contribution to business, entrepreneurship and philanthropy". The 2020 Sunday Times Rich List estimated Fuller's wealth at £445 million.

Biography
Fuller was born on 17 May 1960 in British Cyprus, though later the family moved to Accra, Ghana where his father was the headmaster of the British Military School, Burma Camp. The family moved back to Hastings, East Sussex, where Simon's father became headmaster of the school he attended. He has two brothers, Kim and Mark.

Fuller began his career in 1981 at Chrysalis Music Limited in the UK, where he signed Madonna's first hit 'Holiday' to the company. He started his own management company in London in 1985, 19 Entertainment, eventually selling the business to CKX, Inc. in a cash and stock deal worth over $200 million in March 2005. In 2008 the company delivered a profit of $92.5 million (£66m) into the parent company. Fuller became a director of CKX, a position which gave him creative control over all of CKX's assets including the Elvis Presley Estate, Muhammad Ali's business interests, and other rights properties, until January 2010 when he started a new firm, XIX Entertainment, while continuing to work with CKX/19 as a consultant and executive producer. XIX Entertainment was given a valuation of $100 million and is run from offices in London and Los Angeles.

In February 2008, Fuller was presented with the PGA Award by the Producers Guild of America in Hollywood. At the event he was praised for his creativity, entrepreneurship, and charity work by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and current King Charles III, who was still the Prince of Wales at the time, who also thanked Fuller for his support of the Prince's charity The Prince's Trust.

TV production, formats, technology
Fuller's first broadcast venture was Miami 7, a scripted teen TV drama starring the British pop group S Club 7 screened by BBC/Fox Kids in 100+ territories around the world. Miami 7 launched the careers of several stars including Rachel Stevens, Jon Lee, Holly Willoughby, and Ben Barnes, and the show created a blueprint for the teen-oriented television musicals that followed, including Glee and High School Musical.

In 2001, Fuller created Pop Idol, a Saturday night prime time TV show on British television that Maggie Brown in The Guardian states "became a seminal reality/entertainment format". The show produced instant No 1 chart hits, including for Will Young, whose single "Evergreen" was named by NME magazine in 2012 as the "biggest selling single of the century" in the UK. Fuller sold Pop Idol around the world, and he has been credited with creating the world's most valuable TV format with a value of over $8 billion made up of revenue from sponsors, merchandising, telephone, music sales, broadcast and advertising sources. In the US American Idol became a No.1 rated show. The show made stars of its presenter Ryan Seacrest as well as Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul as well as many of its performers including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and others. Over 30 million viewers saw David Cook win the seventh season of American Idol in May 2008 and when Fuller re-launched the show in 2011 for its 10th season ratings climbed 20% for the finale event. 122.4 million votes were cast, a record for a reality TV show.

In 2005, Fuller, along with co-creator Nigel Lythgoe, launched So You Think You Can Dance on the Fox network in the US. The show grew over 16 seasons to become a regular summer hit. In 2012, Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment created a new international format with Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, and Jamie King named Q'Viva! The Chosen, and described as a celebration of Latin culture that screened in 21 territories reaching over 30 million Spanish-speaking TV viewers.

In December 2016, Norwegian state broadcaster NRK announced that it had concluded a deal with Simon Fuller to produce the English language version of Skam; Fuller later announced a deal with Facebook to launch award-winning drama format SKAM Austin in the US in 2018.

In 2017, international news media reported on auditions being staged by Fuller's business XIX for Now United, a real time access global pop group being cast in 14 cities around the world. In 2019, the London Evening Standard confirmed that BBC One would broadcast Serengeti, a wildlife drama created by Fuller. In July 2020, US media reported that "Serengeti", voiced by Lupita Nyong'o, created by Simon Fuller, was nominated for a Primetime EMMY Award

In February 2023, Fuller created a fictional anthropomorphic animal band/dance troupe The Meeps, with their debut single "Love Louder".

Impact on music culture
Fuller came to prominence in the 1990s for managing the pop group the Spice Girls. He has managed acts including Victoria Beckham, Annie Lennox, S Club 7, Now United, Steven Tyler, Amy Winehouse, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Will Young, Emma Bunton, Any Gabrielly, The Future X, Lisa Marie Presley and many more in addition to sports icons Lewis Hamilton & Andy Murray.

In 2008, Fuller was certified as the most successful British music manager of all time by Billboard magazine. He has managed the career of Annie Lennox since the release of her multi platinum album Diva in 1991. He has managed hit songwriters and producers, including Cathy Dennis, who first met Fuller as the singer of D Mob in the 1980s. Under Fuller's guidance, Dennis became the UK's No. 1 female songwriter with a string of hits for artists including Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Pink, Will Young, and others.

Fuller managed the Spice Girls through the peak of their 1990s success and he remains in partnership with the five girls today. Under Fuller's guidance, the Spice Girls became a marketing phenomenon, rose to chart topper status worldwide and went on to sell over 85 million records. In 2002, Fuller's company discovered 19-year-old Amy Winehouse, produced her first award-winning album Frank and signed her to Universal Music.

In 2005, 2006, and 2007, the biggest selling music acts in North America (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Daughtry) were all managed by Fuller. In October 2016, Fuller announced a joint venture with the 4 original members of the Swedish supergroup ABBA to create a new digital ABBA; In August 2020, BBC News announced that Fuller had signed an exclusive agreement with tech firm TikTok to create a new TikTok supergroup.

Fashion activity
Fuller owns significant stakes in several British fashion businesses including Victoria Beckham Ltd. In 2006, Fuller brokered the deal for 19 Entertainment to purchase a majority share in Storm Model Management. In 2008, after assembling a highly qualified creative team Fuller launched the Victoria Beckham dress collection at New York Fashion Week. Since then Victoria Beckham Limited has grown to become a best selling high-end fashion brand, stocked in over 400 outlets around the world and winning Brand of The Year at the 2012 and 2014 British Fashion Awards. In 2012, Fuller accompanied Victoria Beckham to launch the business in China.

In February 2012, XIX Entertainment launched a David Beckham bodywear range in 2,500 H&M stores around the world. This was followed in 2015 when Fuller announced a joint venture with Hong Kong-based Global Brands Group Holding Ltd (787) giving Fuller and Beckham ownership of their own apparel business specifically to develop the David Beckham brand and other consumer products. The first result of this partnership was the Fall 2016 re-launch of the British heritage menswear label Kent & Curwen, which under Beckham, Fuller and 7 Global ownership currently runs 113 stores in 51 cities worldwide. In 2019, US media reported that Fuller sold 33% share of David Beckham business for $50 million after generating revenue of $72.4 million and a profit of $16 million for fiscal 2017.

Sports activity
In 2003, Fuller formed a joint venture partnership with British footballer David Beckham and went onto build a diverse range of business interests in sport, leisure, fashion and entertainment over a period of 16 years that became known as Brand Beckham. In 2006 Fuller took on representation of the England soccer team at Beckham's suggestion and the following year Fuller negotiated his five year contract for Beckham to join LA Galaxy. In 2013, Fuller and Beckham discussed plans to buy an MLS football team in Miami with Beckham thanking Fuller in an interview with CNN: “When I signed my contract my manager Simon Fuller actually got a clause in the contract that enabled me to have a franchise at the end of my playing career”.

Later in the same year Fuller and Beckham launched a new global whisky in partnership with British drinks company Diageo. Fuller's plan to deliver Beckham's ownership of an MLS team was announced in January 2018 when Miami was confirmed as 25th MLS team. The Financial Times reported that Fuller sold his interests in David Beckham's business in 2019 for a reported £50m.

In 2009, Fuller took on personal representation of British No.1 tennis player Andy Murray, representing him during his US Open and Wimbledon wins and later helping the player to establish his own business. In March 2011, Fuller was announced as the manager of British F1 driver Lewis Hamilton and surprised many when he moved Hamilton from McLaren and signed him to a long-term contract with the MercedesAMG team. Hamilton won the 2014 F1 World Championship and publicly thanked Fuller for his support.

Personal life
Fuller married his long-term partner Natalie Swanston in May 2008, and they have three children.

He has a portfolio of real estate including properties in Europe, North America, and South America. In 2014, Fuller was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Brighton in recognition for his "contribution to business, entrepreneurship and philanthropy".

Awards and nominations

 * 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year Britweek Award
 * 2016 Governor's Award Creative Arts Emmy
 * 2014 Honorary Degree, University of Brighton
 * 2011 Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
 * 2007 Top Trend Setter, Forbes Magazine

title: Simon Fuller


text:
Nationalist Party

Nationalist Party may refer to:

Current parties

 * Bangladesh Nationalist Party
 * Basque Nationalist Party
 * Cornish Nationalist Party
 * Nacionalista Party (Philippines)
 * Nationalist Movement Party (Turkey)
 * Nationalist Party of Canada
 * Nationalist Party of China, another name for the Kuomintang (Taiwan)
 * Nationalist Party (Malta)
 * Puerto Rican Nationalist Party

Defunct parties

 * Nationalist Party (Australia)
 * Nationalist Party (Bolivia)
 * Nationalist Party of Bulgaria
 * Nationalist Party (Burma)
 * Nationalist Party of Cantabria
 * Nationalist Party of Castile and León
 * Nationalist Party of Greater Vietnam
 * Nationalist Party (Greece)
 * Nationalist Party (Iceland)
 * Nationalist Party (Ireland)
 * Nationalist Party (Ivory Coast)
 * Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)
 * Nationalist Party (Panama)
 * Nationalist Party (Peru)
 * Nationalist Party of Peru (Eguiguren)
 * Nationalist Party of Peru (Revilla)
 * Nationalist Party (Quebec)
 * Nationalist Party of the Rif of Melilla
 * Nationalist Party (Solomon Islands)
 * Nationalist Party (Thailand)
 * Nationalist Party of the Valencian Country

title: Nationalist Party


text:
Pittsburgh International Airport

Pittsburgh International Airport — originally Greater Pittsburgh Airport and later Greater Pittsburgh International Airport — is a civil-military international airport in Findlay Township and Moon Township, Pennsylvania, United States. About 10 miles (15 km) west of downtown Pittsburgh, it is the primary international airport serving the Greater Pittsburgh Region as well as adjacent areas in West Virginia and Ohio. The airport is owned and operated by the Allegheny County Airport Authority and offers passenger flights to destinations throughout North America and Europe. PIT has four runways and covers 10,000 acres.

First opened in 1952, the airport was initially served by five airlines and became a small hub for Trans World Airlines for over two decades. The airport underwent a massive $1 billion rebuilding and expansion which was largely designed to US Airways' specification so it could become one of their major hubs. Completed in 1992, the new airport was one of the most innovative in the world, dubbed the "airport of the future" by the New York Times, and helped to pioneer modern airport design with its X-shape to reduce distance between gates, underground tram to transport passengers around the airport, and array of shopping options, all of which were cutting-edge at the time. Traffic peaked at 20 million passengers in the late 1990s, and US Air peaked at 542 flights and 11,995 employees at the airport in 2001, and the airport was an important pillar of the Pittsburgh economy. However, the downturn in air travel immediately after September 11 attacks badly harmed US Airways' financial state. US Air declared chapter 11 bankruptcy twice in a row, and abandoned Pittsburgh as a hub in 2004, eliminating thousands of jobs and nearly bankrupting the airport itself, which was built largely to suit US Airways' needs. However, US Air's diminished capacity at Pittsburgh opened the door for other airlines to expand operations and better serve local Pittsburgh-area passengers rather than focus on connecting passengers.

The airport experienced a resurgence in the 2010s, doubling the number of carriers to 16 as the Allegheny County Airport Authority has aggressively courted airlines and lobbied for new passenger routes. Southwest Airlines has increased its presence at the airport in recent years, overtaking American Airlines (which US Airways merged with) as the largest carrier in terms of passengers. The airport is also a hub for regional carrier Southern Airways Express. Cargo operations have increased at the airport in recent years.

In 2017, the airport became the first in the country to reopen access to the post-security terminal for individuals who are not flying, as long as they can pass through security, after the federal government lifted restrictions put in place after 9/11.

In 2021, the airport became the first in the world with its own microgrid, which provides power to the entire airport with natural gas and solar power.

The airport is currently undergoing a $1.39 billion renovation which will include a new terminal for check-in, security, and baggage claim adjacent to the gates. The renovation will eliminate the need for the tram and increase the number of parking spaces. Officials emphasized that the renovations would make the airport more suited to Pittsburgh, rather than to US Airways. First announced in 2017 and delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the renovation resumed in 2021 and is now projected to open in 2025. The project will not use any local tax dollars, and airlines will pay most of the costs.

Early years
Until the beginning of World War II, Moon Township was mostly a rural agricultural area. It was not considered a suburb of downtown Pittsburgh as it was too distant. It was served solely by Pittsburgh-based state and federal services and media. In the early 1920s, John A. Bell of Carnegie purchased a number of small farms in Moon and established a commercial dairy farm on his 1900 acre of land. He was bought out by E.E. Rieck and his wife, and C.F. Nettrour, owners of the established Rieck's Dairy. They doubled the number of cattle at the farm.

Around 1940, the federal government, through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), determined that the Pittsburgh area needed a military airport to defend the industrial wealth of the area and to provide a training base and stop-over facility. The administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt was continuing to invest in infrastructure across the country in the waning years of the Great Depression, before the US entered World War II, which had started in 1939. The agricultural expanses of Moon Township were attractive to airport planners in the city. The Civil Aeronautics Administration proposed $2.6 million to the county for a $6 million field in August 1941 ($ and $ present day dollars). The county bought the Bell Farm, and federal agencies began construction of the runways on 20 April 1942, after the US had entered the war.

In 1944, Allegheny County officials proposed to expand the military airport with the addition of a commercial passenger terminal to relieve the Allegheny County Airport, which was built in 1926 and was becoming too small. Ground was broken on the new passenger terminal on 18 July 1946. The new terminal would eventually cost $33 million ($ present day dollars) and was built entirely by Pittsburgh-area companies. The new airport, christened as Greater Pittsburgh Airport (renamed Greater Pittsburgh International Airport in 1972 upon the opening of the International Arrivals Building) opened on 31 May 1952. The first flight was on 3 June 1952. In its first full year of operation in 1953, more than 1.4 million passengers used the terminal. "Greater Pitt" was then considered modern and spacious. The airport terminal was the largest in the United States, second only to Idlewild Airport's (now JFK Airport) in New York when it was completed five years later. The airport's capacity is one of its most valuable assets.

The airport was designed by local architect Joseph W. Hoover. One of the features of his style is the use of simple, exposed concrete, steel, and glass materials. The terminal building was constructed in "stepped" levels: the first floor extended farther than the second, the second floor extended farther than the third, etc. Such a design meant that the uncovered roof of the lower level could be an observation deck. In addition to the observation decks, the rounded "Horizon Room" was on the fourth floor with a commanding view of the airport. The interior of the terminal building was in the contemporary International Style, as was the exterior. One of the memorable features of the lobby was the large compass laid in the floor with green and yellow-orange terrazzo. A mobile by Alexander Calder was another decorative feature of the lobby. The mobile hangs in the center core of the new airside terminal. A re-creation of the compass was installed in the new terminal at an exhibit dedicated to old "Greater Pitt".

Growth and hub years
The first five airlines of the Greater Pittsburgh Airport were Trans World Airlines (TWA), Capital Airlines (later part of United), Northwest, All American (later Allegheny Airlines, then USAir, and finally US Airways), and Eastern Airlines. The April 1957 Airline Guide shows 58 weekday departures on Capital, 54 TWA, 18 Allegheny, 8 United, 7 Eastern, 4 Northwest, 3 American and 2 Lake Central. The first jets in service at Pittsburgh were TWA 707s on a Los Angeles-Chicago-Pittsburgh loop in summer 1959.

The 1956 diagram shows runway 10/28 7500 ft, 5/23 5766 ft and 14/32 5965 ft. The longest runway was still 7500 ft when jets started in 1959 but was soon extended to 8000 ft. The 10500-ft runway 10L was added by 1965.

In 1959, the east dock was added to the terminal. On 1 July 1968, international airport status was obtained with the dedication of the first customs office at the complex. Ground was broken for the International Wing, west of the original terminal building, in 1970. It opened in 1972 to accommodate federal inspection services; international flights (Nordair 737s to Canada) began in 1971. The airport expanded as load increased. In 1972, rotundas were added to the end of each dock to allow more gates. In the later 1970s growth in regional air travel created a need for more gates. In 1980 the South East Dock was opened. Even with these expansions, the terminal was too small.

From the 1960s to about 1985, TWA operated a small hub at Pittsburgh. The carrier introduced service to London's Gatwick Airport on a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar in May 1981. This was the first route from Pittsburgh to Europe. It lasted four months; TWA stated that too few passengers were traveling in first class, rendering the service unprofitable. In May 1985, British Airways started a link to London's Heathrow Airport via Washington, D.C., using Boeing 747s. Two days before the maiden flight, the airline had sent one of its Concordes to Pittsburgh to celebrate the launch of the route.

In 1987, with the financial backing of USAir (then the dominant carrier in Pittsburgh), work commenced on a billion-dollar expansion. USAir inaugurated a link to Frankfurt in June 1990. The flight aboard Boeing 767s benefited the various West German companies that had offices in the city.

On 1 October 1992, the new terminal opened, with operations having been transferred overnight from the old terminal. (The old terminal was kept until 1999 to house remaining operations offices.) The new terminal had numerous innovative features, including an AirMall, with more than 100 retailers and eateries. The air mall and underground tram were considered cutting-edge. The new landside/airside design construction eliminated the need for connecting passengers to go through security more than once. The airport was equipped to handle up to 35 million passengers per year. The modern and innovative Pittsburgh airport became a model for other airports around the world. Its design simplified aircraft movement on the airfield and enabled easy pedestrian traffic to the gates.

US Air expanded with the new airport, and by 1995 they had nonstops from PIT to 91 airports, plus 28 more on USAir Express. In 1997 the airport handled almost 21 million passengers, more than any previous year. By the late 1990s growth had leveled off, with USAir concentrating on expanding at Philadelphia and Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, which had been a hub airport of Piedmont Airlines.

In August 2001, the airport had its busiest month ever with 2 million passengers and an average of 633 daily flights, and was on track for 2001 to be its busiest year ever. Then the September 11 attacks harmed the aviation industry, and US Air in particular, setting in motion the decline of Pittsburgh as a hub. US Air began slashing jobs a week after the attacks and filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in 2002. High operating costs at the airport put the US Airways hub in Pittsburgh at a serious disadvantage. By 2003, US Airways reported to be running a $40 million loss per year ($ present day dollars) operating its hub at Pittsburgh, while also paying roughly 80% of the new airport's $673 million debt ($ present day dollars) stemming from its requested construction of the new terminals.

Just before emerging from bankruptcy in 2003, US Air canceled its leases at Pittsburgh without any notice to airport and county officials, a move that former Allegheny County Airport Authority executive director said was "completely immoral and unethical" in a 2021 interview. US Air filed for bankruptcy again in September 2004. Two months later, the carrier ceased service to London-Gatwick and Frankfurt, leaving the airport without any flights to Europe. After failed negotiations to lower landing fees and debt obligations, the airline announced in December 2004 that it would be reducing operations at Pittsburgh, shifting hub operations to Charlotte and Philadelphia. By the end of 2005 the airline had eliminated 7,000 jobs while operating roughly 200 flights per day, mostly domestic. A year later, US Airways had only about 170 flights per day to and from Pittsburgh, most being domestic flights. Unrelenting flight and job cuts continued through the decade; accompanied by the airline's closure of Concourse E on the Landside Terminal and a portion of Concourse A on the Airside Terminal. In 2007, US Air's market share in Pittsburgh dropped below 40% for the first time since the airport's expansion in 1992. By the end of the decade, US Airways had reduced to 68 flights per day, operating from ten gates on Concourse B, and one US Airways Club location. Numerous US Airways ticketing and customer service counters were abandoned, and 15 gates on Concourse A and B were sealed off from the rest of the airport. Pittsburgh's air traffic bottomed out in 2013 with 7.8 million passengers and 36 destinations.

Despite de-hubbing the airport, US Airways chose Pittsburgh in 2008 for their systemwide flight operations control center, after a bidding war with Charlotte and Phoenix led to state and local subsidies totaling $16.25 million being offered to US Air to build the center at Pittsburgh. The center worked on emergency operations for US Airways Flight 1549 after it landed in the Hudson River. The airline closed the center in 2015 as part of its merger with American Airlines. (The center was rebuilt as a 9-1-1 center for Allegheny County, which opened in 2019. ) In June 2009, Delta Air Lines commenced a route to Paris using Boeing 757s. The carrier made it seasonal in 2011.

Recent years
Since the wind down of US Airways hub at Pittsburgh, new low cost carriers have been able to enter the market, creating more choices for local passengers. Pittsburgh has also been successful in attracting airlines to serve the region for the first time or to return to the market. Allegiant Air commenced service in February 2015 and established a base of operations later that year. Frontier Airlines re-entered the Pittsburgh airport in 2016 after a four-year absence. Spirit Airlines commenced service to seven destinations in 2017. Alaska Airlines began service in 2019 with a nonstop route to Seattle/Tacoma. In July 2021, Breeze Airways began nonstop service to four cities and has since expanded to 10 destinations. In October 2021, Sun Country Airlines announced it would enter the Pittsburgh market with service to its hub at Minneapolis/St. Paul.

In 2017, Pittsburgh was the first U.S. airport to be named Airport of the Year by Air Transport World. Wow Air added year-round flights to Reykjavík in June 2017. The company operated the route with an Airbus A321. Starting in September 2017, non-ticketed persons were allowed to access the airside terminal and gates, similar to pre-9/11 policy. Pittsburgh was the first airport (since 9/11) in the nation to allow non-passengers to pass through security to dine and shop in a post-security terminal. Participants can sign up for myPITpass on the airport's website and must pass through the alternate security checkpoint before continuing through to the Airmall in the airside terminal. The airport became one of the first in the United States to use a new TSA system called Credential Authentication Technology, which phases out the use of boarding passes at TSA security checkpoints in favor of a stronger system that verifies passengers based solely on a government-issued ID.

Due to financial difficulties, Wow Air left Pittsburgh in January 2019. Three months later, British Airways began service to London-Heathrow aboard a Boeing 787.

Future
In September 2017, Allegheny County Airport Authority officials announced a $1.1 billion plan to renovate and reconfigure the terminal complex, including a new landside terminal and a new parking garage. Under the proposal, the current landside building would be demolished if another use is not found, and the number of gates would be reduced from 75 to 51. A new landside building would be constructed between the airside terminal's concourses C and D, with new security and baggage facilities, a new international arrivals area, and many other amenities to serve passengers. The board chairman of the Airport Authority, David Minnotte, said, "The people of Pittsburgh finally get an airport built for them and not USAir". No taxpayer dollars would be used to construct the new facility, and it will be instead financed with floating bonds, grants, passenger facility charges, and revenue from natural gas drilling on airport property.

Construction was originally expected to begin in summer 2020 and the new terminal was slated to open in 2023. However, in April 2020 airport officials decided to delay the selling of bonds and start of construction due to the coronavirus pandemic. In February 2021, airport officials announced early site and construction work would begin in spring 2021 with an increased budget of $1.39 billion. The airlines serving the airport agreed to fund $182 million in construction site preparation work for the project. An additional $28.8 million in funding will come from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Construction finally began in July 2021 and the project is expected to be completed in 2025.

Facilities
The airport is partly in Findlay Township. The Air Reserve Station is in Moon Township.

Runways
PIT has a wide, open layout and four runways: three east–west parallel runways and a fourth crosswind runway. The airport's two longest runways are 11500 ft and 10775 ft, allowing PIT to accommodate the largest airliners. Because of the development of non-aviation related business on airport land, PIT can add only one more runway (this number was as high as four in the past). With three parallel runways, simultaneous landings and/or departures can be performed in nearly any situation.

Runways 10L and 10R have Category III ILS (Instrument Landing System) approaches. Runway 28R is certified for Category I ILS and is authorized for Category II approaches but requires special aircrew and aircraft certification. Runways 28L and 32 have Category I ILS approaches. All runways have GPS approaches as well.

During westerly winds, Runway 28L serves as the primary arrival runway, while 28R serves as primary departure and secondary arrival runway. Runway 32 serves as the main arrival runway for general aviation traffic. During easterly winds, runway 10L serves as the primary arrival runway, 10R is the secondary arrival runway, while 10C is the departure runway.

Terminal
The airport complex consists of two main buildings, the "Landside Terminal" and the "Airside Terminal". The terminal consists of 75 gates on four concourses; however, only 56 gates are available for use. After passing through the security checkpoint, passengers board one of two underground people movers that travel to the Airside Terminal, where all departure gates are located. All international arrivals, except for cities with United States border preclearance, pass through Concourse C. American Airlines has an Admirals Club on the mezzanine level of the airside terminal. The Club Lounge opened in October 2017 in the C Concourse across from gate C-52 near the center core and was renovated and expanded in 2019. The airport also operates a free lounge for active duty military and veterans in concourse C.

 * Concourse A contains 25 gates.
 * Concourse B contains 25 gates.
 * Concourse C contains 6 gates.
 * Concourse D contains 7 gates.

There is an AirMall in the airside terminal, operated by Fraport, with numerous retail stores and restaurants. It was one of the first of its kind in an airport and paved the way for similar shopping experiences at other airports. Tenants in the airport are required to charge the same amount as they do at non-airport locations. Before 9/11, anyone could shop in the airport, but it was closed to non-travelers after 9/11. In 2017, the AirMall was reopened to non-travelers who obtained a free access pass from the airport, however this access is temporarily suspended.

Ground transportation
PIT is located at Exit 53 of Interstate 376 and the Western Terminus Pennsylvania Route 576 (future I-576), and within 10 mi of Interstate 79 and 15 mi of Interstate 76, the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Interstate 70 to the south and Interstate 80 to the north are both less than an hour away. Just beyond Interstates 70 and 80, Interstate 77 to the west and Interstate 68 to the south are within 90 minutes of the airport.

PIT offers on-site parking patrolled by the Allegheny County Police. The local Grant Oliver Corporation ran the parking from the airport's opening in 1952 until the Allegheny County Airport Authority chose to switch to national contractor LAZ Parking, which took over in October 2022 and will also oversee new facilities planned to open in 2024. Grant Oliver offered a GO FAST Pass account to pay for parking electronically via E-ZPass. This system was renamed to PIT Express Pass by LAZ. LAZ also offers online parking reservations. There are regular parking shuttles to the Long Term and Extended lots that can be accessed from the Baggage Claim level of the Landside Terminal. There are four options for parking: Short Term, Long Term, Extended, and Economy. The economy option was added in 2021. The short term garage has 2100 spaces and is attached to the landside terminal via the enclosed moving walkway. The long term section is also connected to the enclosed moving walkway and has 3,100 spaces available. The extended and economy sections have an outdoor walkway that leads to the enclosed moving walkway and have 8,000 spaces available.

Bus service is also available from Downtown Pittsburgh and the city's University District (Oakland) via the Port Authority of Allegheny County's 28X Route. Mountain Line Transit's Grey Line also has service to areas south of Pittsburgh including Waynesburg, Pennsylvania; Morgantown, Fairmont, and Clarksburg, West Virginia. BCTA Transit formerly served locations north and westbound from the airport. The Pittsburgh Light Rail currently does not stop at the airport.

Cargo area
Pittsburgh International Airport has a sizeable freight business, with a Free-trade zone of 5000 acre, access to three class-one railroad freight lines, one interstate highway, and a location a few miles from the nation's second largest inland port and within 500 miles of 80% of the nation's population. Four cargo buildings provide more than 183000 ft2 of warehouse capacity and over 450000 ft2 of apron space. The airport has begun construction on a new 80,000 sq ft cargo facility with 17 truck loading docks and enough apron space for two Boeing 747 freighters to be loaded or unloaded simultaneously. The facility is scheduled to open in 2024.

Cargo traffic has increased considerably in recent years as airport officials have pitched Pittsburgh to cargo carriers as a more efficient alternative to clogged hubs like New York and Chicago. In 2017, Qatar Airways launched twice-weekly cargo service at Pittsburgh, backed by $1.5 million in subsidies. The effort was not very successful at first as Qatar failed to meet tonnage goals, and in December 2019 the route was suspended. However, Qatar resumed the flight in 2020 without any subsidies, and as of 2022 had increased operations to 3-4 flights per week. Several new cargo carriers began service to Pittsburgh in 2020 and 2021, including Cathay Pacific, SpiceXpress, and Amazon Air. In 2021, nearly 250 million pounds of cargo goods touched down at PIT, the largest figure since 2004 and a 30% increase over 2020.

The world's leading caterer for air and business, LSG SkyChefs, in 2007 chose Pittsburgh as its sole Western Hemisphere manufacturing facility. It expanded its customer service center on the cargo side of the airport by 20000 sqft and now employs over 100 people with the capacity of making nearly 25 million meals per year for distribution to flights all over the Americas. LSG SkyChefs cited the region's strategic location for air and truck transport to major suppliers and customers, as well as the airport's excellent record in maintaining and expanding capacity.

Microgrid
In 2018, the airport announced plans to construct its own microgrid, using natural gas and solar power as the primary power source for the airport, protecting it from power outages. In 2019, the airport authority awarded Peoples Natural Gas a 20-year contract to build, maintain, and operate the microgrid at no cost to the airport in exchange for the required land and an agreement to purchase the electricity for 20 years. The microgrid was completed in July 2021, making Pittsburgh the first airport in the world to receive its electricity entirely from a microgrid. The microgrid uses natural gas from the Marcellus Shale as well as solar panels. Most of the energy comes from natural gas; the 9,360 solar panels can generate up to 13% of its peak power. In its first year, the microgrid saved the airport an estimated $1 million in energy costs.

Neighborhood 91
In 2019, the airport announced the development of Neighborhood 91, a 195-acre hub for additive manufacturing on airport grounds. It is so named because Pittsburgh has 90 distinct neighborhoods. The development will house a complete end-to-end supply chain allowing products to be manufactured and finished in one place and then shipped around the world from the airport. The site is being developed as part of a partnership with the University of Pittsburgh and will have 1.4 million square feet of manufacturing and office space.

Other facilities
A Hyatt Regency hotel is located onsite and is directly connected to the landside terminal via moving walkway. The hotel also has a ballroom and meeting facilities. As part of a pilot program, hotel guests were allowed access to the post-security shops and restaurants without an airline ticket as long as they could pass through security. In 2017, airport officials opened post-security access to all non-flying persons who could pass through security, including hotel guests. A Sunoco-branded gas station is also located onsite. Both the hotel and the gas station draw power from the airport's microgrid.

American Airlines still has a maintenance base at Pittsburgh, which dates back to the US Air days and employs 500 people. American Airlines maintains and repairs all its Airbus narrowbody fleet at Pittsburgh. In 2021, it extended its lease at the airport for five years.

Republic Airways has also operated a maintenance and repair operations base at the airport since 2006. Its current lease will continue until 2028.

Cargo
Through the first 11 months of 2021, FedEx accounted for 50% of all cargo traffic at the airport, followed by UPS at 33% and Amazon Air at 5%.

Other events
The airport has been the venue for a number of miscellaneous events. The U.S. Air Force has held several air shows at the airport.

In 1991, over 40,000 people packed the airport to greet the Pittsburgh Penguins when they landed at the airport after winning their first Stanley Cup championship.

title: Pittsburgh International Airport


text:
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference

The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The KCAC is the oldest conference in the NAIA and the second-oldest in the United States, tracing its history to 1890.

History
On February 15, 1890, the Kansas Intercollegiate Athletic Association was formed; it was the first successful attempt to organize Kansas colleges for the purposes of promoting and regulating amateur intercollegiate athletics. In addition to the private universities and colleges, the conference also included Kansas State Agriculture College (now Kansas State University), the University of Kansas, and Washburn University. In November of that year, the first college football game in Kansas was played between the Kansas Jayhawks and Baker University.

About 1902 the association allied with the Kansas College Athletic Conference, the first group to adopt a definite set of rules and regulations. By the 1920s the conference had changed its name to Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and had grown to include 17 regular members and 2 allied members (no longer including the University of Kansas or Kansas State). In 1923 seven colleges withdrew to form the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

On December 1, 1928, the Kansas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was formally disbanded and replaced by a new Kansas College Athletic Conference which included six members and formed the present legal entity. It was commonly referred to as the "Little Six", in contrast to the Big Six Conference that eventually became the current Big 12. By 1968 the conference grew to include 12 members. It was organized into Northern and Southern divisions until 1970 when three colleges withdrew to join Missouri-based conferences. In the mid-1970s the name was changed to its current form.

1905 night game

 * See 1905 Cooper vs. Fairmount football game

In the 1905 season, the Coleman Company set up temporary gas-powered lighting for a night game against Cooper College (now called the Sterling Warriors). It was the first night football game played west of the Mississippi River. Fairmount (now Wichita State University) won the game 24–0.

1905 "experimental" game

 * See 1905 Washburn vs. Fairmount football game

On December 25, 1905, Fairmount played a game against the Washburn Ichabods using a set of experimental rules. The game was officiated by then Washburn head coach John H. Outland.

The experiment was considered a failure. Outland commented, "It seems to me that the distance required in three downs would almost eliminate touchdowns, except through fakes or flukes." The Los Angeles Times reported that there was much kicking and that the game was considered much safer than regular play, but that the new rule was not "conducive to the sport."

In his history of the sport of football, David M. Nelson concluded that "the first forward passes were thrown at the end of the 1905 season in a game between Fairmount and Washburn colleges in Kansas." According to Nelson, Washburn completed three passes, and Fairmount completed two.

Chronological timeline

 * 1902 – The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) was founded as the Kansas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC). Charter members included Baker University, Bethany College, Bethel College, the College of Emporia (CoE), Cooper Memorial College (now Sterling College), Fairmount College (now Wichita State University), Friends University, Kansas Wesleyan University, Kansas State Teachers College of Emporia (now Emporia State University), Kansas State Teachers College of Hays (now Fort Hays State University), Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University), Kansas State Agricultural College (now Kansas State University), McPherson College, Ottawa University, St. Benedict's College (now Benedictine College), St. Mary's College (now Saint Mary's Academy and College), Southwest Kansas Conference College (now Southwestern College), Washburn College (now Washburn University) as full members, and St. John's College and Kansas City University as allied members, effective beginning the 1902–03 academic year.
 * 1913 – Kansas State left the KIAC to join the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MVIAA), effective after the 1912–13 academic year.
 * 1923 – Nine institutions left the KIAC to join their respective new home primary conferences: The College of Emporia, Emporia State, Fort Hays State, Pittsburg State, Southwestern (Ks.), Washburn and Wichita State to form the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIC), and Kansas City U. and St. John's (Ks.) as Independents, effective after the 1922–23 academic year.
 * 1928 – Bethel (Ks.), Friends, Sterling and St. Benedict's (Ks.) left the KIAC to become Independents, effective in December 1928 (during the 1928–29 academic year).
 * 1928 – The KIAC was rebranded as the Kansas College Athletic Conference (KCAC), effective in December 1928 (during the 1928–29 academic year).
 * 1931 – St. Mary's (Ks.) left the KCAC as the school closed, effective after the 1930–31 academic year.
 * 1933 – The College of Emporia rejoined the KCAC, effective in the 1933–34 academic year.
 * 1939 – Bethel (Ks.) rejoined the KCAC, effective in the 1939–40 academic year.
 * 1953 – Friends rejoined the KCAC, effective in the 1953–54 academic year.
 * 1958 – Southwestern (Ks.) and Sterling rejoined the KCAC, effective in the 1958–59 academic year.
 * 1968 – St. Mary of the Plains College and Tabor College joined the KCAC, effective in the 1968–69 academic year.
 * 1970 – The KCAC has been rebranded as the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC), effective in the 1970–71 academic year.
 * 1971 – Baker, the College of Emporia and Ottawa left the KCAC to form part of the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC), effective after the 1970–71 academic year.
 * 1982 – Ottawa rejoined the KCAC, effective in the 1982–83 academic year.
 * 1992 – St. Mary's of the Plains left the KCAC as the school closed, effective after the 1991–92 academic year.
 * 1999 – The Saint Mary College of Leavenworth (now the University of Saint Mary) joined the KCAC, effective in the 1999–2000 academic year.
 * 2015 – Oklahoma Wesleyan University joined the KCAC, effective in the 2015–16 academic year.
 * 2015 – Six institutions joined the KCAC as associate members: St. Gregory's University for men's lacrosse, Midland University and Johnson & Wales University–Colorado for women's lacrosse, and Clarke University and Missouri Valley College for men's and women's lacrosse (with Benedictine re-joining back for both sports), all effective in the 2016 spring season (2015–16 academic year).
 * 2016 – St. Gregory's left the KCAC as an associate member for men's lacrosse after the school suspended it, effective during the 2016 spring season (2015–16 academic year).
 * 2016 – York College joined the KCAC, effective in the 2015–16 academic year.
 * 2016 – St. Ambrose University joined the KCAC as an associate member for men's lacrosse, effective in the 2017 spring season (2016–17 academic year).
 * 2017 – Five institutions joined the KCAC as associate members: Columbia College of Missouri for men's lacrosse, St. Ambrose adding women's lacrosse to its KCAC associate membership, and Hastings College, the University of Jamestown and Missouri Baptist University for women's wrestling, all effective in the 2017–18 academic year.
 * 2018 – Johnson & Wales–Colorado left the KCAC as an associate member for women's lacrosse, effective after the 2018 spring season (2017–18 academic year).
 * 2018 – Avila University joined the KCAC, effective in the 2015–16 academic year.
 * 2019 – Six institutions joined the KCAC as associate members: Culver–Stockton College for women's lacrosse, Lincoln College, Morningside College (now Morningside University) and William Penn University for men's and women's swimming (with Missouri Baptist adding these sports), and Midland adding men's lacrosse and men's & women's swimming to its KCAC associate membership, all effective in the 2019–20 academic year.
 * 2020 – Missouri Baptist left the KCAC as an associate member for women's wrestling, effective after the 2019–20 academic year.
 * 2020 – Four institutions joined the KCAC as associate members: Bethel Indiana University for men's and women's swimming (with Morningside adding these sports), Cottey College for women's flag football, and Midland adding women's wrestling and women's flag football to its KCAC associate membership, all effective in the 2020–21 academic year.
 * 2021 – Lincoln (Ill.) left the KCAC as an associate member for men's and women's swimming, effective after the 2020–21 academic year.
 * 2022 – The College of Saint Mary (Neb.) joined the KCAC as an associate member in women's swimming & diving effective in the 2022–23 academic year.
 * 2023 – Evangel University joined the KCAC, effective beginning the 2023–24 academic year.

Current members
The KCAC currently has fourteen full members, all are private schools:

 * Notes:

Associate members
The KCAC currently has 15 associate members, all are private schools:

 * Notes:

Former members
The KCAC had 12 former full members, all but five were private schools:

 * Notes:

Former associate members
The KCAC had four former associate members, all were private schools:

 * Notes:

Membership timeline
undefined undefined undefined

title: Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference


text:
User talk:Negabot~enwiki

Hi Negabot, welcome to Wikipedia! Silver Maple 03:25 7 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Your account will be renamed
Hello,

The developer team at Wikimedia is making some changes to how accounts work, as part of our on-going efforts to provide new and better tools for our users like cross-wiki notifications. These changes will mean you have the same account name everywhere. This will let us give you new features that will help you edit and discuss better, and allow more flexible user permissions for tools. One of the side-effects of this is that user accounts will now have to be unique across all 900 Wikimedia wikis. See the announcement for more information.

Unfortunately, your account clashes with another account also called Negabot. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Negabot~enwiki that only you will have. If you like it, you don't have to do anything. If you do not like it, you can pick out a different name. If you think you might own all of the accounts with this name and this message is in error, please visit Special:MergeAccount to check and attach all of your accounts to prevent them from being renamed.

Your account will still work as before, and you will be credited for all your edits made so far, but you will have to use the new account name when you log in.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Yours, Keegan Peterzell Community Liaison, Wikimedia Foundation 01:45, 20 March 2015 (UTC)

Renamed
 This account has been renamed as part of single-user login finalisation. If you own this account you can |log in using your previous username and password for more information. If you do not like this account's new name, you can choose your own using this form after logging in: . -- Keegan (WMF) (talk) 16:50, 22 April 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Negabot~enwiki


text:
Rivière des Prairies

The Rivière des Prairies (lit. 'River of the Prairies'), called the Back River in English,  is a delta channel of the Ottawa River in southwestern Quebec, Canada. The Kanien'kehá:ka called it Skowanoti, meaning "River behind the island". The river separates the cities of Laval and Montreal.

Geography
Flowing west to east, the Rivière des Prairies bisects the Hochelaga Archipelago and originates in the Lake of Two Mountains. It flows on either side of Île Bizard (part of Montreal), then divides the Island of Montreal (Montreal) to the south from Île Jésus (Laval) to the north, after which it flows into the St. Lawrence River at the eastern tip of the Island of Montreal.

The river contains a large number of islands, including Île Bizard, the Îles Laval (Île Bigras, Île Pariseau, Île Verte and Île Ronde) belonging to Laval, and Île de la Visitation, a nature park belonging to Montreal. There are also islands named Île Mercier, Île Ménard, Île Jasmin, Île Barwick, Île de Roxboro, Île aux Chats, Île Paton, Île Perry, Île Lapierre, Île Boutin, Île Rochon and Île Gagné, among many others.

The Rivière des Prairies has many rapids. Rapids are shown in several places on the 1879 map of Henry Whitmersome Hopkins, and on Gordon and Gotch's map of the Island of Montreal from 1924. Named rapids of the river, starting from the west, are the "Rapides de Cap-Saint-Jacques", the Lalemant(Dutchman) Rapids that are located between Île Bizard and Laval (with a ferry), the "Rapides du Cheval Blanc"(Whitehorse rapids) that are located in between the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro and Sainte-Dorothée, the Laval rapids, the "Sault-au-Récollet Rapids" that are located north of Bordeaux Prison, and ending with the "Rapides de la Rivière des Prairies".

The riverfront in the West Island area was famous for its beaches along the river. Some were named "Crystal", "Noel/Roy", "Riviera", and Roxboro municipal beach

Environmental issues
The river receives massive discharges of untreated liquid waste from metropolitan Montreal and the newly developed suburbs by way of over 150 discharge outlets. Whenever there is significant rainfall on the island of Montreal, household sewage is mixed with the city street rainwater and discharged untreated into the river. This sewage turns the river into essentially an open sewer. The sewage problem was reported in the year 1911., and a need to purify Montreal sewage in 1935. The Montreal Board of Trade (BOT) commissioned a report on the water pollution in the late 1950s, and the report was given to Premier Barrette.

Montreal has six drinking-water plants on the Island whose source of water is the Rivière des Prairies and Lac Saint Louis. Reportedly, Montreal and Quebec city drinking water is tested.

It is claimed modern sewage treatment techniques have reversed much of the damage from the sewage. Some people consider the river clean again, starting in the year 1998, when most of the sewage was treated before being discharged. However, parts of the river are never suitable for swimming. Specifically the location of R.D.P. 140, the Rive-Boisée area has been polluted since the year 1971 is still polluted from raw sewage more than forty years later. The Rive-Boisée problem had been noticed and was reported to be repaired in 2014. The reason for the sewage problem is that the storm sewer drain system and the sanitary sewer system were mistakenly connected in many places, and it takes money to correct and repair. Reports from the R.S.M.A.(Réseau de suivi du milieu aquatique) dated 2021 on the water quality of RDP-140 indicate the problem has not been fixed.

From Bing maps, many of the sewage output locations can be seen on the river shoreline. The solution to the visible pollution (plastic bags, toilet paper, condoms) that accumulates on the shoreline is to use a type of a screen at all the storm drains and outlets that expel the rainwater-garbage mixture into the river.

title: Rivière des Prairies


text: User:Spiff~enwiki

title: User:Spiff~enwiki