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Newspaper Archive of
The Lone Tree Reporter
Lone Tree, Iowa
January 12, 2012     The Lone Tree Reporter
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January 12, 2012
 
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Thursday, January 12,2012 The Lone Tree Reporter Page3 MLK Day Sullivan's Salvos Next Monday marks the federal holiday celebrating the birthday of the Reverend Doctor Mar- tin Luther King Junior. I am so pleased that our country has cho- sen to honor this great man, and I hope ybu enjoy the hdliday in his name.' We often hear about Christians who feel that Christmas has lost its ineaning, union members who feel that way about Labor Day, and Veterans who feel the same about Veteran's Day. I fear that this could be happening to MLK Day as well. America has come a long way since the 60s, and overt racism is now typically (but certainly not always) frowned upon. We still have a long way to go, however. Unfortunately, Johnson County is home to plenty of racists. The Press Citizen was all too pleased to offer them a forum for 7-8 years, too. MLK's work- our work - on racial issues is far from done. I just finished reading "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Al- exander. This book should be re- quired reading in Johnson Coun- ty. Why Johnson County? Because despite our "liberal" credentials, we incarcerate African Ameri- cans at the HIGHEST rate in Iowa! Johnson County is about 85% white, and 6% African American. Yet we incarcerate African Ameri- cans at several times the rate of whites. Juvenile Court involve- ment occurs at a rate of NINE times the rate of whites. How can we possibly accept these dispari- ties? We need more discussion on race. But it is even more impor- tant that we remember that King was a radical in many ways. America grudgingly accepted ra- cial reforms because they were less dangerous to the status quo than the other issues King cham- pioned. King took seriously the Biblical teachings that the love of money is a sin, and that rich men will not be welcomed into Heaven. He proposed seismic changes to the political and social structures that exist in America. In addition, King was adamantly anti-war. To the status quo, he was the most dangerous man in the world. They were happy to grant him concessions on Jim Crow if they could maintain their financial and military might. The fact that he kept pushing on th6 Biblical teachings regarding greed meant he was destined to die. He was too big a threat. Take some time this week to read some of the great books that are out there on Dr. King. More importantly, take some time to read the things he wrote himself. And Happy MLK Day! Mr. Bloom Vs. Mr. Bohr Thus far, I have followed the whole Steven Bloom controversy from a distance. My family has lived on the same spot of ground since before Iowa became a state. I am a very proud eighth-gener- ation Iowan. Needless to say, I found Mr. Bloom's piece offensive. I just didn't think it was worth re- sponding. Until now. I stop to wipe away the tears as I write this. A good friend of the family passed away two weeks ago. Let me tell you the story of Don Bohr. Don grew up on the family farm bast of Sutliff (very near my fam- ily). He lost his mother at a very young age. Don played sports, but could never fully commit due to the obligations of the family farm. As an adult, Don married a won- derful woman and had three great kids. He always wanted his own farm ground, but that was never to be. So Don spent over 30 years as a tenant farmer. He was a good one, too - he took very meticulous care of those farms. It was said that he never walked by a weed without pulling it! Life was mostly hard work. It was tough to make a go of it. Soon there were no farms left to rent, and Don had to go to work as a se- curity guard at the UI. Each of the kids had their share of problems. Nothing was easy. But overall. Don was pretty much like every other guy his age. He had a good life. Don en- joyed simple pleasures. He loved a cold Pepsi. He adored his grand- kids. Don loved to fish, loved the Hawkeyes, loved country music, and lovedto hunt. He hunted every chance he got. In the end, it was skin cancer that got him - undoubtedly a result of all those hours outside. Basically" Don Bohr is the guy Steven Bloom wrote about. Here is the part Steven Bloom does not understand: the world would be a better place if it were full of Don Bohrs. Don was kind, gentle, caring, considerate, friendly, and hard working. He was no dummy, ei- ther. This may sound crazy, but I know that if I had made some out- rageous request of Don - sked for a kidney" or his life savings - he would have given it to me. I remember once when I was going through a particularly rough time at work. I met Don at Sutliff, and he leaned in close. "They're really giving it to you in the paper, huh?" he asked. "Yep", I sighed. Don said, "Screw 'em. We're all here for ya'." OK - Don didn't say, "Screw 'em." But this is a PG newsletter. The point is. I knew that he RE- ALLY meant it. He wanted to see a local boy make good. He had a quiet pride in his place and his people. More importantly, when I needed someone, he was there. It was that way my whole life. Simple does not mean stupid, and simple does not equate to bad. Simple can be very, very good. Don Bohr was a simple man. He was also very, very good. His is the Iowa story that needs to be told. TIF on TV In case you missed the recent forum on TIE it is available on the web. See City Channel 4 for details. DID YOU KNOW? Iowa has more libraries per capita than any other state. (Source: Susan Craig, Iowa City Public Library.) Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website- www.johnson-county. com. As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@' mchsi.com. I look forward to serv- ing you! Rod Sullivan Johnson County Supervisor Neuzil Listening Posts Hot Topics Discussion: Legisla- tive Impacts on County Govern- ment Terrence Neuzil, member of the Johnson County Board of Super- visors, will hold his "Government and You" Listening Posts in Janu- ary at several, locations through- out the County. The hour-long lis- tening posts provide residents an opportunity to discuss local, state and national government issues in an informal setting. Each month during the listen- ing posts, citizens also can learn and discuss a hot and emerging issue that Johnson County is facing. In January, the Hot Top- ics Discussion will be on how changes in Iowa laws in the up- coming Legislative session could impact Johnson County govern- ment. Iowa Legislators and the Governor are expected to address: Mental Health and Adult Human Service Administration Redesign, Commercial and Industrial Prop- erty Tax Decreases, Tax Incre- ment Financing (TIF) Reform and Road Use Tax Fund and Gas Tax Increase. Residents interested in learning more are encouraged to attend. A list of dates, times and locations include: er. Thursday, January 12th, 4pm at the Board of Supervisors Of- rice, 2nd Floor Johnson County Administration Building, 913 S. Dubuque St. Iowa City. Friday, January 20th, 7:30am at Brueggars Bagels, 404 1st Avenue in Coralville Friday, Januaryifi7th, ll:45am at the Iowa City - Johnson Coun- ty Senior Center, 28 South Linn Street, Iowa City; front lobby/din- ing area. For more information, please call 356-6000. Friday, January 6th, 11:45am at Kava House, 122 2nd St. in Swish- Girls basketball vs WMU & Pekin... Continued... from page 1 from the free throw line to lead her team. Maggie Schmidt had 10 points in the loss with a 4-8 shooting effort including one three-pointer. Junior guard Ella Feldman had six points and six assists and sophomore forward Kennedi Warson came into the game to lead her team with eight rebounds. Lone Tree 67, Pekin 51 " The Lady Lions turned things around just three days later, shooting an incredible 26-52 from the field (50 percent) as a team in their 16-point win over the Lady Panthers at Pekin on Friday, Jan- uary 6. Ella Feldman led her squad with an incredible 22 points on a 7-9 Shooting effort from the field (1-1 from three-point range) and 7-8 from the free throw line. Sophomore Madelyn Flemr put in 16 points on 7-14 shooting and 2-2 free-throw shooting. She had an all-star night also leading her team with five rebounds and seven assists. Maggie Schmidt was 6-9 from the field to finish with 12 points and led her team with five steals in the win. The Lady Lions got eight points from Cara Chamberlain, five from Elyssa Mills, and two each from Avery Edwards and Abbie Schmidt, Photograph by J. Quigley / Digital Images Photography Lone Tree's Ella Feldman makes a quick three-point jumper during action against the Pekin Panthers on January 6, 2012. January is Radon Action Month Five out of seven Iowa homes have elevated radon level Governor Terry Branstad will formally declare January as "Radon Action Month" in Iowa with a proclamation signing on Thursday, January 5. Radon is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that causes no immediate health symptoms, but long-term expo- sures may cause lung cancer. It comes from the breakdown of uranium in soil. Simple test kits can reveal the amount of radon in any building. Buildings with high levels can usually be fixed with simple and affordable vent- ing techniques. According to the U.S. Environ- mental Protection Agency, one in 15 homes across the U.S and five out of seven homes in Iowa have an elevated radon level. Radon gas seeps into a house the same way air or other soil gases enter: from the soil around and under the home; through cracks in the foun- dation, floor or walls; through hollow-block walls; and through openings around floor drains, pipes and sump pumps. Radon has been detected in new and old homes, and in homes with or without basements. Test kits are simple to use and may be obtained from Johnson County Public Health. Test kits cost $4 if picked up at the Health Department of- rices at 855 S. Dubuque Street or $6 ff it is mailed. To order a test kit call Johnson County Public Health at 319-356-6040. For more information about radon, call the American Lung Association at 800-383-5992. Licensed measure- ment and mitigation specialists are listed at www.idph.state.ia.us/ ............. Risk Management class for Pork Producers Volatile agricultural mar- kets, high input costs and rising amounts of capital for farm op- eration has driven the importance of effective risk management for pork producers. Iowa Pork Producers Associa- tion, Iowa State University Ex- tension and Outreach and the Iowa Pork Industry Center of- fered regional seminars for Iowa pork producers and allied indus- try representatives followed by a series of in-depth small group workshops for those interested in additional information about day- to-day swine risk management decisions. Workshop sessions began in December and go through April. Washington County Extension will be a host site on Jan. 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. The workshops will allow group discussion, risk man- agement experts to address specif- ic topics on line and a chance for participants to use the risk man- agement concepts in a real time marketing simulation and devel- op and risk management plan for their operation. Risk management specialist Ron Plain, Lee Schulz. Shane Ellis, Chad Hart and Steve Meyer will interact with workshop par- ticipants via web connection. Homework assignments will help participants know their feed cost. total cost and crush cost. A fee Of $20 per person will be charged to help offset the cost of an account for the market simulation. PleaSe contact Tom Miller at 319-653-4811 or email tmiller@iastate.edu for additional information. Farmland Drainage Workshop January 30 A January workshop will exam- ine various aspects of farmland drainage. The workshop will be of- fered Jan. 30 at Big Ed's Firehouse in New Hampton. The program begins at 9 a.m. and will adjourn at 3:30 p.m. "We are offering this farmland drainage workshop due to the overwhelming interest in a De- cember workshop on this topic," said Kapil Arora, an agricultural engineer with Iowa State Univer- sity Extension and Outreach. The morning session will focus on drainage design concepts, eco- nomics and the long-term benefits of tiling. The afternoon session will include discussions on drain- age maintenance issues, compli- ance with USDA-NRCS require- ments, discussions on controlled drainage, bioreactors and manag- ing drainage water quality with wetlands. Speakers include Iowa State University Extension Ag Engi- neering Specialist Kapil Arora, ISU Extension Farm Manage- ment Specialists Kristen Schulte and Kelvin Leibold, ISU Associate Professor of Ag Engineering Matt Helmers, USDA-NRCS Specialist Bruce Atherton and John Baker, attorney for the Iowa Concern Hofline. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, industry partners and the United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resourc- es Conservation Service, sponsor the program. Registration information is available online extension.iastate. edu, or call ISU Extension and Outreach in Chickasaw County at 641-394-2174. Loebsack to Hold Office Hours Congressman Dave Loebsack will have a member of his staff in Southeastern Iowa for open office hours. Jared Hershberger, Loe- bsack's District Representative covering Southeastern Iowa, will be at the following locations. Con- stituents are urged to come in to discuss job creation and economic development, in addition to other issues and concerns. Thursday, January 5 Muscatine City Hall 215 Sycamore Street 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Thursday, January 12 Muscatine City Hall 215 Sycamore Street 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Wednesday, January 18 Washington Chamber of Com- merce 205 West Main Street: 10:00 AM -12:00 PM Thursday, January 19 Muscatine City Hall 215 Sycamore Street 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Columbus Junction City Hall 232 2rid Street 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Thursday, January 26 Muscatine City Hall 215 Sycamore Street 10:00 AM - 12:0(3 PM West Liberty City Hall 409 North Calhoun Street 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM *e s]erger wl!t be. o,.h. 1!; 0rk with individuals ?  Ang difficulty with a g0erl-. me't agency, have suggestions for Dave, or would just like to share- their concerns. Members of the, public are invited to attend. Her: shberger holds regular ofrie¢ hours throughout Southeasterr£: Iowa ..... If you are unable to attend bh£ have a concern to share with tl: Congressman, please call our d: trict office toll-free at 1-866-914- IOWA (4692). mrs Nit*ce 1901 www.fmbankonl ine. corn LoneTree 6294222 • Nichols 723-4412 • Iowa City 341-5900 Telephone banking 1-877-226-5366