Your account does not include highlighter on images.
Searches Highlighted on Image
National Sponsors
| May 16, 2002 The Lone Tree Reporter |  |
|
©
The Lone Tree Reporter. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 2 (2 of 12 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
May 16, 2002 |
|
|
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader 
|
Page 2
C ,pinion/Editorial
Splinters From the Bench
I want to start off again this
week by offering congratulations
to Jessica Zinkula and Holli
Sterner for their golf accomplish-
ments this season. Their season
with the West Liberty girls golf
team has gone well and is not
ended yet. Also, they both were
selected to the All-Conference
team in the Eastern Iowa
Conference. Way to go, girls. I
didn't see anything about how the
boys golf team did at the District
Tournament last week. However, I
would also like to congratulate
them for what they have accom-
plished this year in only the sec-
ond consecutive year of their exis-
tence. On the track scene I read
where the Lone Tree girls quali-
fied for the State Track Meet
which is being held this weekend
in Des Moines. Good Luck
ladies !!!
The baseball and softball teams
will be getting their seasons
underway shortly. The baseball
team opens next week.
Iowa didn't exactly cover itself
with glory this year at the Big Ten
Softball Tournament in Ann
Arbor, Michigan. The 3rd - seeded
Hawks came home without win-
ning a game. It was the second
year in a row that happened to the
team that was the #3 seed. Last
year it was Ohio State. Iowa didn't
play badly in the field. The Hawks
just couldn't generate much
offense. Kristi Hanks pitched the
opening game against Illinois.
After a 1-2-3 first inning she
walked the leadoff batter in the
second and then gave up back to
back home runs, giving Illinois a
3-0 lead. Lisa Birocci came in to
relieve her and shut the Illini down
the rest of the way, but Iowa could
only get two runs and lost, 3-2.
On Friday at least the sun was
shining, but there was still a strong
wind blowing out toward right
field. Iowa was in the losing
bracket playing Penn State.
Birocci pitched the whole game
and had a no-hitter going into the
fifth inning. A couple of errors and
a fly to the outfield had let the
Nittany Lions score in the fourth.
A couple of hits brought in a run
in the fifth. In the sixth the Lions
got several little 'blooper' hits that
eventually brought four more runs
across the plate and the Hawks
were out of luck.
Even with not winning any
games in the tournament I was
pretty sure Iowa would get an at-
large birth in an NCAA Regional
somewhere.
However, I was astounded that
Iowa got to host a Regional
Tournament. I would be VERY
surprised though, if the Hawks can
win the regional and get back to
Oklahoma City and the College
World Series.
You had to feel sorry for
Hanks, especially. After the great
Career she has had at Iowa you
hate to see her go out with a game
like that. She has seemed to have
times all year long when she was
struggling and didn't look as
effective as she did last year. She
was very close to setting new all-
time career strikeout record, but I
doubt if she'll make it now. The
last totals I saw had her about 20
strikeouts from breaking the
record.
Well, hopefully, the weather
will warm up and dry out for
awhile. The Kernels have a long
home stand beginning this week.
Maybe they'll have some decent
weather and draw some good
crowds.
THE LONE TREE REPORTER
(USPS 318-160)
Slechta Communications, Inc.
Nick Hillyard
Jolene Vance
Ron Rife
Laura Yoder
Publisher
Editor
News Editor
Columnist, Sports Writer
Typesetter
THE LONE TREE REPORTER (USPS 318-160) is published week-
ly except Christmas for $21 per year in Johnson and Muscatine coun-
ties, $23 per year elsewhere in Iowa and $27 per year in the conti-
nental United States by Slechta Communications, Inc., The Lone
Tree Reporter, 117 N Devoe St., Lone Tree, IA 52755.
Periodicals postage paid at Lone Tree.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE LONE TREE
REPORTER, PO Box 235, Lone Tree, IA 52755
Office Hours at
The Lone Tree Reporter
Monday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tuesday: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Wednesday: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Thursday. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Friday: 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Call The Lone Tree Reporter at 629-5207,
fax us at 629-4203
or e-mail us at LTnews@iowatelecom.net
News deadline is Friday at 2 p.m.
Advertising deadline is Monday at noon.
00y00on00i00el[ Lettertothe
To the residents of Lone Tree:
Today I do not address you as a
successful high school graduate.
Neither do I write to you as a happy
college student. Nor do I find myself
an adult in your clique. I write you
as a delinquent, as a former resident
of this town that is happy to be else-
where. I .write in my defense, and in
the defense of those that I have been
labeled with.
I have been labeled a "hoodlum"
by some in this community, and I
assert that those who have made this
presumption did so negligently, and
incorrectly. Not having been home
even a day from my first engage-
ment in college, I found myself
despised among strangers. A terri-
ble, thought, I tell you, especially in
Lone Tree.
I have never come under the
assumption that Lone Tree is a
happy community where everyone
gets along. I've never deluded
myself into believing that all is right
in our line comer of the world. But,
perhaps, I was a bit naive when I
found myself surprised at my
ambush on the southwest side, in the
new development.
If you're unfamiliar with the inci-
dent, I might direct you to the
Sheriff's Report for Sunday, May 5.
That might even be in this episode of
the Reporter. To be succinct, and for
those without the Reporter at arms'
length, I will summarize the thing as
this: At about eight o'clock Sunday
evening, I passed some friends. I
stopped, perhaps I used my touchy
brakes a bit too much, and reversed
to park and speak with them. While
reversing, my car died and I applied
that brake as quickly as I could
while attempting to right the car.
The steering had gone sour when the
engine died. Several members of our
good community proceeded to yell
and scream at me about my inso-
lence, my stupidity, my disregard,
and then, before the person who
called 911 even spoke with me, I
had been labeled a"hoodlum:' What
a homecoming.
So, without giving my turn of
events, the door had been shut. The
only thing left to do was to deter-
mine whether I was legally fit to
drive, since it had already been con-
cluded that I obviously wasn't fit of
Do you
have a
strong
opinion
about an
issue
important
to Lone
Tree?
Write a
letter to
the
editor.
editor
The Lone Tree Reporter, May 16, 20
II
the privilege as far as common sense
is concemed.
The confrontation with the angry
parents was about three steps. First,
I was told not argue. "No, ma'am" I
said very calm and respectful like.
After having that about five or six
times, and always giving a respect-
ful no or yes "Ma'am" then I was
asked if I had been drinking. Let me
consider this. I had just gotten I from
Sioux City not 24 hours prior and
had been enjoying the time with my
family. So, after assuring the now
mob of angry parents that I hadn't
been drinking, they told me to quit
bringing hoodlums into the good
community oriented part of Lone
Tree. Apparently my side of town,
just a cbuple of blocks north, isn't
comminity oriented, and there's
already problems (read: me) there.
And so they told me to go home,
and that the next time they wouldn't
.... well I can't rightly repeat how
exactly they put it...they wouldn't
bother with me, or my folks
(strangely enough they never came
into things, either). They would just
flat out call in the law.
But I must admit that I was hard-
ly surprised when Johnson County
came aftei" me half an hour later. I
didn't go anywhere, I parked my car
and waited for the inevitable. And so
the officer talked to me. I gave a
breath sample. And we spoke about
his daughter in college, and about
my financial ordeal in school. Then
we conversed about his eventual
retirement. A good talk, but hardly
productive.
Now, you'll find me a "hood-
lure" to people who I don't even
know. And I didn't even back talk.
Beyond that, I'm just a wee bit
chapped about the fact that I'.ve been
thrown in as a no good troublemak-
er without even giving a defense to
anyone but the local Deputy.
The point of this letter is to let
everyone know that Sunday's inci-
dent was a problem. Not only
because I may have reversed too
quickly. I freely admit that I did. But
what I find far more disturbing is
that a group of adults acted Sunday
evening in .a way that I would feel
myself ashamed, had I conducted
myself in such a way. It's no wonder
that so many adults have trouble
with "hoodlums" and the st
around here, when they assume
worse, treat adults as if we're !
children, and threaten us. Such c
duct is hardly the type to elicit a
itive response from me, and bell
me when I tell you it was everyt
I could do to not yell back at
angry mob that was belittling
My criticism is simple, dk
and impersonal. This commun
handling of the young adult popl
tion in Lone Tree is a major con! t
utor to the delinquency, or percel
delinquency, of the young pop
tion. I would recommend that, in
future, you refrain from name c
ing, screaming, mobbing and 0
childish behavior when trying
increase the amount of maturity
young adult.
As an excuse for their outl
behavior, several of the adults d
the fact that I had endangered
children playing outside. I reject]li
excuse as it is. There are
respects in which I will make mY
clear - one, I have no night
equivalent to mrming anyone's c
over. I have a father who has I
son, and I have seen the ang_tfi
gives rise to. Two - I will feel j
bad if I hit a child in some 0t
neighborhood as if I hit one ha ]
family oriented neighborhood.
I am deeply troubled, and
hurt, by the lightening fast rest
that was made Sunday last. Wh
empathize with the prevalent c
cem for life, I must challenge
way you handle your coaa
Trying to educe more mature be
ior from me is an unlikely rest
you act less adult than I do
you,make your case against m
I 11 be leaving again in a co
of weeks. Such incideats as
make me wonder how anyorle !i
not understand the reason kids !
to get away from Lone Tree'
miss my family, and my fri
even if the community proper
my friends are bad people. I 1¢
better. I won t miss this child
behavior.
RespecOully subm
Jonathan 6
Editor in C
The Collegian Rel
For
a complete range of health care plans and options for !
yourself, your family, or your business, ask your Farm
Bureau agent about affordable plans from Wellmark Blue 1
Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa: hospitalization, pre- and
post-natal baby care, and many, many more. Wellmark i:
offers optional dental coverage, prescription drug card
benefits, and savings for those who don't use tobacco. Need i
more info? Call today!
• Michael Mailliard • Michael Stimmel i
• Jason Quillin ° Steve Schrepfer !I
• Brad Stimmel • Amos Garrett
• Jay Franklin
351-6885
2130 Mormon Trek Blvd