Not Enough - Wildcats crown two individual champs, miss second-place team finish by half point

By Jake Singleton
The Journal Staff

Most years, 139 team points, two state champions and seven state placers would have been enough to win a Class 4 Missouri State High School Athletic Association wrestling championship. But the Blue Springs wrestling team found out on Saturday that those stats wouldn't garnish a team title in 2008."There have been many years where 139 points, two state champs and seven state placers would have won the team title," said Wildcat head coach Mike Hagerty. "It just so happened that this was not one of those years."Even with all the individual success, Blue Springs found themselves .5 points behind second-place Park Hill (131.5-131) and well behind Class 4 state champion Oak Park (235).Like Blue Springs, the Trojans boosted two state champions (sophomore Alan Waters, 112-pounds and sophomore Kaleb Friendly, 125). But while the Wildcats brought home two third-place finishes (freshman Keenan Hagerty, 112 and sophomore Josh Howk, 135), two fourth-place finishes (junior Luke Greco, 125 and junior Tyler Thompson, 130) and a fifth-place finish by senior Chris Howk, 145) Park Hill's other five state placers finished second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth to help edge the Wildcats.Oak Park walked away with four individual state champions (freshman Cody Brewer, 103; senior Dylan Joiner, 145; senior Brent Haynes, 189; and senior Kolton Kono, 215) to go along with its state team title.The Northmen also had two second-place finishes, a third-place, three fourth-place finishes and a fifth-place finish.But despite being .5 points away from a second-place team finish, Hagerty was pleased with his team's performance."I'm extremely proud of this group," Hagerty said. "It was one of the most rewarding years of coaching in my career."

Three out of Four - Blue Springs girls swimming and diving team wins third state team title in four years

By Jake Singleton
The Journal Staff

With state titles in the 200-yard medley relay, along with the 200 and 400 freestyle relay and individual state titles in the 50 and 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly, the Blue Springs girls swimming and diving team easily captured its third state title in four years."It was a good weekend," said Wildcat head coach Bill Shalley as Blue Springs defeated second-place Glendale 328-206.5. "We hoped to go faster, but horse racing took over."Two of the top races of the weekend for the Wildcats came in the 50 and 100 freestyle.Blue Springs senior Tarin Corwin completed her four-year sweep of the 50 freestyle and won the 100 freestyle for the third time in four years, but it wasn't easy."The 50 and 100 were two of the best races I've seen recently at state," Shalley said. "Both girls scrambled from the start and we had more heart."Corwin found herself pushed by Eureka junior Amber Green, who entered both events favored ahead of her. But in the end, the senior won the 50 over Green with a time of 23.61, .32 second off her own state record time of 23.39 set in 2006 and also edged Green in the 100 with a time of 51.45. The two wins gave Corwin seven individual state title, to place her second on the Wildcats' all-time individual state title list behind Molly Brammer's eight.While Corwin picked up two individual state titles, anchored Blue Springs' 200 medley relay team of junior Elanor Pruitt-Thomas, junior Kristie Fries and senior Abby Nelson to a state-title time of 1:48.40 and led off the Wildcat's state champion 200 freestyle relay team of sophomore Shelby Bolin, Fries and senior Shaida Solimani who finished with a time of 1:38.43.In fact, the only state titles that didn't involve Corwin were the Wildcats' the state champion 400 freestyle relay team of Nelson, Pruitt-Thomas, Bolin and Solimani (1:09.4) and Nelson's individual state title in the 100 butterfly (57.40).But state titles weren't the only things scoring points for the Wildcats.Solimani finished second in the 200 freestyle (1:54.3) and 100 backstroke (57.23) while Nelson and Pruitt-Thomas took fourth and fifth respectively in the 200 individual medley (2:09.1, 2:09.85).Bolin finished seventh in the 200 freestyle (1:56.3), Fries took ninth in the 50 freestyle (25.04) and Pruitt-Thomas finished third in the 500 freestyle (5:06) just ahead of Bolin, who finished fifth (5:07.8). Blue Spring's junior one-meter diver Molly Menefee finished third (403.2) to round out the Wildcats' all-state finishers.While top-eight earned all-state honors, Blue Springs also had several swimmers and divers just shy of the all-state mark.Fries finished 11th in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.4), sophomore diver Merly Pampolina finished 12th (331) and junior diver Jennifer Wedericdt finished 18th (236.15). Junior Ashlan Higgins finished 12th in the 100 freestyle (55.01) and junior Abby Stanley finished 14th in the 100 backstroke (1:02.21).The Blue Springs South girls swimming and diving team finished 30th with 14 team points, all of which came from South seniors Erin Casper and Aubry Shoemaker. Casper finished seventh and earned all-state honors in the 100 butterfly (1:00.47), while Shoemaker finished 15th in the 500 freestyle (5:23.25).

Gardening 101: You can make a garden

By Beth Botts
Chicago Tribune(MCT)

CHICAGO - You've got most of the boxes unpacked and the bedrooms painted. The new house is starting to feel like it's yours. But what about the yard?Is it foreign territory? Maybe you're moving from a downtown high-rise and you've never had a blade of grass to call your own. Maybe your new outdoors is a high-rise balcony and you've never had a houseplant.We're here to help, whether you find yourself in the middle of a blank expanse of sod in a brand-new subdivision or in the former home of an avid gardener, surrounded by mysterious brown stalks.When Claudine Holaska and her family moved to Homewood, Ill., last summer, the former owner told them, "Oh, this is a wonderful perennial garden. You won't have to do anything to it."She believed him. So she didn't set foot in the garden until October, when she noticed the plants weren't blooming anymore and the flower beds were thick with weeds. "It's starting to look pathetic!" she wrote in an e-mail. "I am having a difficult time figuring out what to pull, weed and cut back."We're here to help. Our "Gardening 101" series will offer season-appropriate articles throughout the year on what you need to know to become a gardener. We'll be talking to new gardeners and seasoned ones and giving you the best advice on topics such as soil, lawns, and buying plants. Today, the question is: What are the first steps?Wait. The urge to redo the landscape may be as strong as the desire to get rid of that 1970s wallpaper. But it's a good idea to go slow. If you let some time go by - even a year - before making major changes, you can answer some essential questions about your property.You'll know what kind of sun, shade, soil and wind you have so you can choose plants that are likely to thrive. A well-planned garden that suits its site and your needs will be much easier to care for and more enjoyable than one you rushed into.Watch. "It's going to surprise you," says designer Brian Shea of Voltaire's Gardener in Chicago. Maybe the previous gardener planted bulbs that will pop up in spring. Shrubs or perennials may bloom at different times. There may be a lot more shade in summer, with leaves on the trees, than in March. As the year goes by, take photos and make notes (with dates).Learn. Now, while it's still winter, get a good all-round gardening book. and read at least the introductory chapters. Leaf through garden magazines. Tear out pictures of gardens you like and ones you hate, and think about why. Are you drawn to formal gardens? Do you like looser, more natural landscapes? Find a good garden center with a knowledgeable staff. Ask them lots of questions.Take a class: Many garden centers, public libraries and park districts offer free or inexpensive seminars and talks on such topics as lawn care, houseplants and choosing perennials. Live. As you spend more time in your home, you will discover what kind of landscape your life requires: where you walk, where the kids want to play, where you'd like a screen for privacy, where the hot summer sun blasts your afternoon barbecues, where you'd like something interesting to see out a window in winter.Does merely mowing the lawn bore you to death or keep you rushed? Maybe you need to keep your landscape simple.Sneak peeks. Walk around your neighborhood and others and look for yards you like, especially those that seem to have the same kind of site as yours. Take a friend and talk it over. Go on garden walks. And make those notes.Keep up. Sorry, but the maintenance-free yard is a fantasy. "There is no easy fix for weeding," says landscape designer Eileen Klehr of Lakemoor, who specializes in helping new gardeners make a plan. "They have to be pulled. By hand." You will have to mow the lawn and water too.Keep up with these few basic chores and your landscape will stay in shape while you settle into it. Neglect them, and you may have a monster to tame.Plant. To really own your garden, you have to get your hands in the dirt. So plan to plant a little something this spring. A good bet: pots. They are small enough to master and can be moved to find the sun.Place a couple of pots near where you think you'll want to sit. Invest in quality containers and ask the garden center for help choosing potting mix and plants. "You have some flowers, you have some beauty that you are happy with until you are ready to tackle the rest," says Linda Sarb, who coaches new gardeners through her business, Gardening Angels in Lisle.It's not just flowers: Herbs and some vegetables thrive in big enough pots; even some varieties of tomatoes are suitable.Don't overcommit the first year; you may end up overburdened or create problems down the road by installing garden beds or big plants in the wrong places.Identify. Even in a brand-new subdivision landscape, you will have mystery plants (what are those spindly saplings?). Different plants have different needs and will develop in different ways. Even knowing what kind of grass you have can make a difference (yes, there are different kinds).Photos - of leaves, flowers and the plant's overall shape - will be key to a good ID. The library has garden books and the Internet is chock-full of plant information.Don't whack. Many people assume all bushes must be sheared into neat geometric shapes. But most shrubs look better and are healthier if they are allowed to keep their natural form, and one pruning technique doesn't fit all. Prune some shrubs wrong and you may never see flowers. So don't trim your hedges until you have identified the plants.Compost. What matters most in your landscape is what you can't see: the soil below, and all the organisms that should be thriving in it. On their health and happiness everything else depends. There is nothing better for your soil than plenty of compost - decayed plant matter that gives all kinds of goodness back to your garden. And if you make it yourself, it's free.Stake your claim to a future of great soil by starting a compost pile (or buy a bin) and getting in the habit of putting the right stuff in it. For more information, see www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/compost.Make friends. Take some cookies or a jar of jam and knock on the door of the best-looking garden in the neighborhood. That gardener may be willing to help you learn about the plants in your yard. Better still, you may find a mentor (and a source of free plants).Dare. You'll try, you'll fail, you'll learn. Jessica Rinks plunged right into her new yard in Forest Park last year, building raised beds for vegetables, moving perennials, making big plans. "I'm not afraid to plant things and just see what happens," she says. When a plant dies, she says, "it makes me sad but it doesn't stop me." Expect some attrition.Nobody gets it right all at once. Let gardening grow on you instead of expecting instant perfection, and whether you end up with a simple easy-care landscape or become an avid gardener, you'll have an outdoors that works for you.Claudine Holaska got some advice and went to the library last fall. Then she and her husband, Jim, did some weeding. They cut back the perennials (which had stopped blooming because it was their time to shut down for winter) and shredded fallen leaves for the compost pile (which they had been calling "the mysterious yucky corner of the yard.") They had taken lots of photos last summer, so they were able to identify many of the perennials and figure out what was a weed and what wasn't.Now, she says, "mainten-ance should be a lot less daunting, and a bit more fun."(c) 2008, Chicago Tribune

Struggles continue for GM

By Sarah A. Webster
Detroit Free Press(MCT)

DETROIT - Despite a historic new labor agreement, a garage full of new products and $9 billion in cost-cutting over the last two years, General Motors Corp.'s release of its worst-ever annual financial results last week shows that its North America division is still struggling to post the profits that Wall Street expects.GM Chief Financial Officer Fritz Henderson acknowledged "there are still a number of near-term challenges," but overall he seemed positive about the progress GM has been making.GM, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, last week reported the worst loss in automotive history - $38.7 billion, compared with $2 billion in 2006.The world's largest automaker is forecasting improved sales and pretax earnings this year, mostly because of strength in emerging markets. Non-U.S. sales now make up about 60 percent of GM's revenues.But GM's performance in North America is causing some analysts to reevaluate where the automaker stands in its turnaround and examine how the company might really fare in the tough U.S. economy this year. Consumers haven't been much in the mood to buy new cars and trucks with a housing and credit crisis underfoot."Something's happening that continues to erode GM's earnings power faster than the restructurings can offset," Peter Nesvold, an auto analyst with Bear Stearns, told the Detroit Free Press.He said that seems to put GM, and Detroit's auto industry, "stuck in restructuring mode" until it can achieve some more meaningful improvement.Much of the retiree healthcare savings from the new UAW contract don't really kick in until 2010, and investors are getting impatient.The automaker also announced a new, beefed-up buyout program to get an undisclosed number of workers to voluntarily take themselves off the payroll, among other actions.Much of GM's loss - a whopping $38.3 billion of it - was the result of a complicated noncash accounting charge that does not exactly relate to the fundamentals of the company's operations.Excluding those special charges, GM posted a much smaller pretax loss of $1.4 billion for the year, compared with a pretax profit of $628 million a year ago.GM's deterioration in operating results wasn't the fault of sales.The automaker's sales increased 3 percent, or 277,000 units, to 9.4 million vehicles last year, making it the second-best sales year in GM history. That, along with favorable currency exchanges, helped GM's core automotive business generate record revenue of $178 billion, a $7 billion improvement from the prior year.Rather, GM's poor performance in pretax adjusted results fell on the shoulders of GM's North America division for the United States, Canada and Mexico. GM North America posted an adjusted pretax loss of $1.5 billion last year.Much of that performance was explained by three factors: lower demand, big incentives on vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado and a tough closeout for 2007.In the fourth quarter alone, results for GM North America deteriorated by $931 million."They had to start giving away pickups," explained David Healy, an automotive analyst with Burnham Securities.That contributed to poor fourth-quarter results on the corporate level.In the fourth quarter, GM posted adjusted net income of $46 million, or $0.08 a share. Excluding a big tax benefit, though, the automaker posted a $1.6 billion loss.In the fourth quarter of 2006, GM posted adjusted net income of $180 million, or $0.32 a share.The net loss for the quarter was $722 million, compared with a profit of $950 million in the fourth quarter of 2006.Given that GM has cut $9 billion in structural costs out of its operations since 2005, Wall Street had been expecting much, much better results.Jonathan Steinmetz, an auto analyst with Morgan Stanley, called the results "very weak ... significantly worse than expected."What's more, several experts noted, the performance was on the back of two of GM's most important vehicle platforms - one for its full-size pickups and SUVs, which underlie the new Chevrolet Silverado, and the other a new crossover platform, which underlies the Buick Enclave."The product cadence does start to slow from here," Nesvold noted, "and that will make it more difficult for them, unless demand starts to rebound."Healy said he was shocked by GM's performance in the fourth quarter, but he still believes GM can return to profitability in 2009.GM, he noted, has about $30 billion in cash to help it get to 2010, which is when GM gets a big - $4 billion to $5 billion - lift from its new four-year labor contract with the UAW.While GM will release more details on its buyout program in the weeks ahead, most of those who accept a deal are expected to leave by July 1, the company said.GM's new program seems to mirror one announced by Ford Motor Co. last month. Ford is hoping to get 8,000 of its hourly workers to take a deal.GM won't say how many workers it hopes to shed. But economist Sean McAlinden of the Center for Automotive Research said last month that under its new contract with the UAW, it could replace up to 20,000 workers doing non-assembly jobs with new employees who will be paid half the old wage of $28 per hour.GM had been offering buyouts to about 5,200 UAW workers at service and parts operations and some closed plants since December, but those workers now are eligible for the new, sweetened offer, which raises the incentive payments for retirement-eligible workers by $10,000 for production workers and $27,500 for skilled workers.Production workers will be offered $45,000 and skilled workers will be offered $62,500 to retire with their full pension and health benefits. Those workers can take the money in a lump-sum payment or take it as monthly payments. They also can roll the money directly into a retirement account or 401(k).GM is giving less than Ford, which is offering up to $70,000 in lump-sum payments, but GM said its offer is comparable because workers who roll the money into a retirement account won't have to pay as much in taxes.(c) 2008, Detroit Free Press

Brawny Xterra off-Rogue player from Nissan

By Jim Mateja
Chicago Tribune(MCT)

Rogue and Xterra. Beauty and the beast - both from Nissan.Rogue is blessed with a clever name as well as tantalizing styling on a new compact crossover derived from the Sentra sedan.Xterra with its rugged looks and truck-based platform is blessed with the ability to tread where Rogue shouldn't go - off-road through deep snow, thick sand and steep hills. If Rogue should venture off the pavement, Xterra has a 4WD low setting to pull the little one back.After having tested the fashionable Rogue, had to check out the functional Xterra. Each caters to a different buyer.Nissan says Xterra appeals to those who like outdoor activities. It skews more toward male (53 percent) than female buyers. It's about 50/50 for Rogue, a more urban lifestyle vehicle to take you from here to there, looking good all the way. Buyers who consider Xterra often cross-shop the Toyota FJ Cruiser and Jeep Liberty and Wrangler.Rogue cross-shops are with the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. Owners are more likely to move up eventually into a midsize Nissan Murano crossover derived from the Altima sedan than into a mid-size truck-based Pathfinder SUV.Rogue comes with front- or all-wheel-drive, holds four and offers only a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder; Xterra offers a choice of rear- or four-wheel-drive, seats five and has only a 4-liter V-6.We tested Xterra in the 4x4 Off Road version, which presents an immediate problem: High clearance for off-roading means high step-in/step-out height. Side steps aren't offered, in order to keep from scraping things when traveling off-road.Then there's the narrow rear-door opening. You have to slip over the wheel well to get in, then find knee room is snug. Running boards wouldn't help this; a low-carb diet would.The cargo hold is ample. Rear seats fold flat for more room - after you remove headrests. There's also some stowage capacity under the cargo floor and side pockets in the cargo walls. Too bad in ensuring so much cargo space someone didn't pay a little more attention to knee room in back.And as for paying attention, placing a first aid kit in the rear liftgate is noble, if misguided. Someone needing first aid must pull off the road and walk around to the back to lift the gate to get a bandage. Time would be saved and use simplified if the kit was under a seat.Nice touches include a pair of cupholders and an iPod/cell phone-holder in the center console along with a power plug under the center armrest (one in the dash, too). The seats are covered in a thick, rugged cloth ideal to roughhousing. Too bad they don't offer more side support.Xterra is powered by a 4-liter, 261-horsepower V-6 with a 5-speed automatic. Good power for smooth launches from the light or up an incline, but you pay at the pump - 14 mpg city/20 mpg highway with 4WD.When snow buried the subdivision, however, 4WD maneuverability was only a twist of the dial low in the dash away. Stability control and traction control helped, of course. If the snow gets very deep or the hill very steep, you can go 4WD low.It's another story on dry roads, where there's unnecessary suspension bumpiness not noticed on snow. That high ground clearance also comes with some lean in turns and corners you probably wouldn't pay attention to on snow.The Xterra 4x4 Off Road starts at $27,330. All Xterras offer power windows/locks/mirrors, anti-lock brakes, traction control, remote keyless entry and cruise control, as standard.(c) 2008, Chicago Tribune

Vesper Hall will lose an inspirational figure when volunteer Edith Weber parts company

By Russ Pulley
Special to the Journal

Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, a leprechaun and more characters, a.k.a. Edith Weber, are deserting eastern Jackson County for Virginia.Weber, 63, is known for the whimsical costumes she wears at Blue Springs' senior center, Vesper Hall, and all over town.She is going to live with her daughter this spring, and the many costumes are packed away, waiting for the moving van. So this year Weber won't be the Easter Bunny.And she'll be missed.Her story is of a woman overcoming grief by offering joy to others.In January she was recognized as Outstanding Individual at Vesper Hall."I was shocked," said Weber, who lives in Grain Valley. "There are so many more deserving volunteers, who work more hours.""She keeps people laughing," said Jeannine Bray, 75, who nominated her. She said Weber's antics and generosity have touched many.Bray said Weber has taken her and others on many errands, for doctor appointments or shopping. At Christmas, she once baked 23 dozen cookies to take to shut-ins, Bray said."She's helped I don't know how many people," Bray said. "We're going to really lose somebody when she moves."I just dread it."At Vesper, Weber, 63, gives rides to seniors, serves meals, helps keep records and serves on the site council, which advises the center administrator.She also sings in the Vesper Hall Choir, which entertains at the center, nursing homes, day-cares and facilities for the disabled.Since Christmas 2001 she's anonymously prowled Blue Springs, visiting restaurants or stores to give away thousands of small gifts - food and stuffed toys.This phase of her life began in 1997, when she moved to Blue Springs to care for an ill sister. Coming with her from Steelville, Mo., was her husband, who was disabled.Weber was very shy, she said, not knowing many people.A doctor had suggested the couple visit Vesper Hall, but her husband didn't want to.Her sister died two years later, and her husband died the next year. Her son-in-law died next.Grief overwhelmed her.Alone and hurting, she finally listened to the advice of a neighbor, Molly Hollett, who also urged her to go to the center."You know, I'm tired of crying and being blue," she recalls thinking. "No one knows me at Vesper Hall. I'm going to go there, act smiling and happy and try to make someone smile every day."That Christmas, in 2001, she started playing Santa, borrowing a suit from a nephew.Grain Valley has a tradition, she said, where merchants put together food baskets - fruit and such - delivered to seniors. Hers was more than she could use. She split it into smaller packages, added stuffed toys she'd accumulated as a grandmother, and gave them away."You don't know what a feeling you get when you see kids and old people smiling from someone giving them a stuffed animal," she said.She started buying stuffed toys, on sale, at second-hand shops, then laundered and stowed them away. In her van, decorated with greenery and ornaments, she dressed Hollett as an elf, and off they'd go each holiday season, randomly visiting parking lots or restaurants. Kids mobbed her.People began to leave bags of toys on her doorstep. Or gave her money to buy more.Sometimes she'd also play Santa at nursing homes. "Women would want to sit on my lap; they thought I was a man," she laughed.At Vesper Hall, she earned a reputation as a cut-up. She began adding other personas.The choir director was always urging her to perform individually. She was too shy.But she hatched a scheme.One of the choir's numbers is "Aba Daba Honeymoon," an old ragtime novelty hit about a monkey and chimp getting married. For one performance, Hollett and Weber arrived early, wearing monkey masks and faux hair on their arms, with Hollett carrying a bouquet. They hid and waited.During the song they lumbered out, mimicking apes.For another tune, the Louis Armstrong hit "When You're Smiling," she bought the choir fake, ugly teeth. She instructed them to subtly put them in their mouths at the end of the song.And then to give a huge smile.When an Elvis impersonator performed at Vesper Hall, she tossed an oversized pair of underpants at him. Made him forget the words.April Fool's Day, she donned angel wings and a halo.She had other personas: a clown, a turkey for Thanksgiving - "Has anybody seen my brother Tom?" she'd say - a leprechaun, a flapper."I put on something and it makes me braver, I guess," Weber said.Usually, she asked for nothing.This year, because she had thought she'd be moving sooner, she gave away toys at Halloween. Dressed as an M&M, she gave away about 500 stuffed toys to trick-or-treaters who came to Vesper Hall.She'll be moving when the addition is ready at her daughter's house, perhaps in May. The thought of leaving Vesper Hall dismays her."This was a life-saver for me," Weber said, tearing up. "It really was."

City launches new Web site

The Journal Staff

Last week the city of Blue Springs launched its newly designed city government Web site for public access at www.bluespringsgov.com.The new Web site is designed to increase the functionality andavailability of government information for the residents and visitors of Blue Springs. The new site will offer a number of service and feature enhancements notcurrently available on the city's Web site, as well as many of the amenities the former Web site offered. Some of these features include:n The ability to view streaming video of the City Council and Planning Commission meetings.n Continued access to online utility bill pay.n A number of new service features including "Notify Me" which gives site users the ability to sign-up for e-mailing lists and notifications from various departments in order to keep up to date on city events and information.Other features will include online service requests, the availability of Geographic Information System maps of the city, online registration for Parks and Recreation activities and a document center containing important city forms and applications commonly used by residents.Visitors to the homepage of the new site will be greeted by an assortment of appealing features including a clickable city calendar indicating upcoming meetings and events and a photo gallery slide show showcasing the amenities Blue Springs has to offer. The "News Flash" feature, also located on the homepage provides timely messages and news updates, enabling viewers to have access to city information that is both accurate and conveniently accessible. Representatives from every city department worked together to gather information about city services, create and redesign pages and develop a variety of frequently asked questions for the Web site. The site contains more than 250 pages of city news and information that will be continuously reviewed and updated by the City Communications office. In September 2007, the Blue Springs City Council approved a contract with Web site consultant and designer CivicPlus for an amount not to exceed $20,000. CivicPlus specializes in municipal government Web sites and communication.

Yates discusses healthcare improvements in Missouri

By Miranda Wycoff
The Journal Staff

While healthcare coverage is a big talking point in the national arena for the country's presidential candidates, it is also something on which the state government has begun to focus on. "Insurance is on the minds of a lot of folks these days," said Rep. Brian Yates, R-District 56 during the February luncheon of the Lee's Summit Chamber of Commerce on Friday. "Seven hundred thousand Missourians are not covered, and the large bulk of those people simply cannot afford it."Yates said there is a decline in the number of employers who offer healthcare coverage to their employees in Missouri. "Small businesses simply can't afford it," he said. "And employers have to find coverage elsewhere."As chairman of the Insurance Policy Committee in the Missouri House of Representatives, Yates said the lawmakers in Jefferson City are looking to address many of those concerns this session. One such measure is Gov. Matt Blunt's Insure Missouri Program. The program, which was officially announced in the fall of 2007, has the potential to improve healthcare access to many of the uninsured Missourians.Blunt wants to implement the program through three phases, with phase one to be available for working parents and families with an income of up to 100 percent of the poverty level - $20,650 for a family of four, according to insuremissouri.org. According to Yates, the program was created by Blunt without legislative input, and if all three phases are implemented the way the governor has outlined, Insure Missouri could cost a total of $416 million - with $233 million coming from the state of Missouri. Yates said phase one is to go to Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's desk for approval.From there, she could send it to the legislature. However, he said that even if that happens, phase one is still likely to pass. Phases two and three, are yet to be determined. In addition to the governor's Insure Missouri program, Yates said there are a number of other bills filed in the Missouri House and Senate that, if passed, are likely to improve the state of healthcare coverage in Missouri. He said while Missouri lawmakers are not likely to head toward a universal healthcare system, instead they are working toward putting patients in charge of their healthcare options and increasing competition among providers, which could result in greater access, lower costs and more innovation, Yates said.In addition, there is legislation filed that could ease the requirements to create associations. Yates said small businesses can create associations to share risks and lower costs of healthcare coverage. Currently there is a two-year establishment requirement, but Yates filed legislation to remove that stipulation. "Unfortunately it did not make it last year, but I'm hoping for this year," Yates said. He said it would level the playing field between large corporations and small businesses to provide coverage for their employees.For more information on insurance bills going through the Missouri General Assembly, visit the Missouri House of Representatives Web site at www.house.mo.gov or the Missouri Senate's Web site at www.senate.mo.gov. For more information on the Insure Missouri Program, visit its Web site at www.insuremissouri.org.

BS man charged with burglary in Grain Valley

By Brett Dalton
The Journal Staff

A Blue Springs man may have been responsible for a series of 10 residential burglaries that tookplace in Grain Valley last year.According to a news release put out last week by the Grain Valley Police Department, Jacob M. Donovan of Blue Springs was arrested on Aug.21, 2007 in connection with one of the 10 burglaries that occurred during the month of August. Donovan, 24, was charged with first-degree burglary and was sentenced to five years in the state penitentiary by the Circuit Court of Jackson County, according to a news release.Terry Ford, detective with the GVPD, said police aren't certain Donovan is connected to all the burglaries that happened in Grain Valley last August, but said Donovan possessed credit cards and other pieces of property that were taken from various properties."We can't prove he was connected to all of them," Ford said. "But we suspect he did all of them."Donovan also is suspected to be involved in all of the burglaries, as they were similar in nature. According to the GVPD, all the burglaries that occurred in August 2007 took place during the evening hours, with entry through unlocked or partially opened garage doors. According to a media report by an area television news station, items stolen from the various residences included power tools, wallets and cars.

Adams Dairy Landing project to expand

By Miranda WycoffThe Journal

StaffAfter acquiring two new properties to the Adams Dairy Landing project, RED Development announced that a third large retail anchor will be addedto the develop-ment.The announce-ment was made during an update presentation to the Blue Springs City Council on the project. Dan Lowe ofRED Development said that although he could not announce which store will serve as a third major retail anchor to the shopping center, the company is in final negotiations with a major "soft" retail store."We've modified the project a little bit," Lowe said. "We've expanded the property boundaries to provide more flexibility."He said the added flexibility allowed RED to bring an additional large anchor to the project.With the expanded property boundaries and the addition of another anchor, Lowe said the southeast portion of the project plans have changed significantly since RED last presented to the Council. In addition to the expansion, Lowe said the Transportation Development District approved by the Council to help fund the project has since changed. Lowe said RED convinced Wal-Mart and Home Depot to contribute to the TDD.Since both stores already existed, their participation was not required. But since some of the off-site road improvements to be made by the TDD funding would improve access to both stores, they decided to participate. Off-site improvements to be made include the four major intersections surrounding the project - the two intersections at Interstate 70 and Adams Dairy Parkway, Adams Dairy Parkway and Cornado and R.D. Mize Road and Coronado.Scott Cargill, traffic spokesperson for the development, said all the improvements will increase the level of service a complete grade - for example, from grade D to grade C - or decrease the delay time at the intersections. Cargill said the improvements on R.D. Mize will essentially set up the road as a secondary access to the development site to help facilitate the traffic on Adams Dairy Parkway.Other improvements will include the expansion of lanes on the roadways, raising Coronado Road and lowering R.D. Mize by about 15 feet each."At the end of the day these improvements are not only a benefit to the shopping center, but a benefit to its patrons. And not only a benefit to its patrons, but a benefit to (citizens of) Blue Springs," Cargill said. For more information on the Adams Dairy Landing Project, visit the city of Blue Springs' Web site at www.bluespringsgov.com.

Wrestling: Lucky 13

After winning the Class 4 District 3 championship, 13 Wildcats went for individual and team gold at the Class 4 MSHSAA wrestling tournament in Columbia, Mo.
“The team performed very well. All 13 wrestlers qualified, with three firsts, six seconds and three thirds.” Mike Hagerty, Wildcats Head Coach

Wildcats eye third state title in four years

By Jake Singleton
The Journal Staff
After winning back-to-back state titles in 2005 and 2006 last year’s Blue Springs girls swimming and diving team’s second-place state finish was a bit disappointing for the Wildcats. “After two state titles and a third-place finish the previous three years, it did made a second feel small somehow,” said Wildcats head coach Bill Shalley of Blue Springs’ second-place finish in 2007. “But we have gotten beyond that to focus on what we can do this year.” And the Wildcats have the talent and depth to earn their third state crown in four years. Blue Springs will be led by senior Abby Nelson, 10-time all-American and seven-time state champion, senior Tarin Corwin, 12-time all-American and nine time state champion and senior Shaida Solimani, six time all-American and four-time state champion. Nelson, who has a full-ride scholarship to Michigan State, won her state titles in multiple events including the relays. Corwin, who has a full-ride to Texas A&M, is the current state record holder in the 50- and - 100-yard freestyle and Solimani is a four-time state relay champ and has been all-state in six events over the last three years. But the Wildcats have more than three talented seniors. Blue Springs junior Molly Menefee finished third in the one-meter dive at state last year, and junior Eleanor Prewitt-Thomas is a state qualifier in every event this year. Sophomore Shelby Bolin received all-state honors last year in the 400 and 500 freestyle relays, junior Kristi Fries was an all-American in the 200 medley relay, junior Kelsea Floyd has been a state qualifier in the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle races the past two years, and sophomore Abby Stanley was a state consolation last year in the 100 backstroke. Sophomore Meryl Pampolina will go to state as Blue Springs’ only first-time state qualifier and will compete in the one-meter dive. But even with a wealth of experienced talent, the Wildcats aren’t pressuring themselves to take home a state title. “If our best is good enough, then great. If not, then great. We just want to have a great time doing our best,” Shalley said. “We believe Glendale, Springfield and Lafayette of St. Louis will be very tough again this year, as will Parkway South. It is our belief the Kansas City area, especially the Suburban Conference, will score strong at state. We believe Oak Park and Lee’s SummitWest will have a great shot at the top five or six teams, and Liberty and Lee’s Summit North will also score well and have a great shot at the top 10 to 12 teams.” Corwin is currently ranked second in the 50 (23.95) and 100 (52.11) freestyle, fourth in the 200 freestyle (1:56.74) and sixth in the 100 butterfly (1:00.39). Solimani is ranked first in the 100 backstroke (59.09), second in the 200 freestyle (1:55.82), sixth in the 50 freestyle and third in the 100 freestyle (53.01). Nelson is ranked first in the 100 butterfly (57.97), third in the 200 individual medley (2:09.53) and fi fth in the 100 freestyle (54.37). Bolin is ranked ninth in the 200 freestyle (1:59.56) and fifth in the 500 freestyle (5:16.28). Pruitt-Thomas is ranked second in the 500 freestyle (5:08.96) and fourth in the 200 IM (2:11.54). Fries is ranked seventh in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.35). The Wildcats are ranked first in the 200 freestyle relay (1:40.43), first in the 400 freestyle (3:37.16) and first in the 200 medley relay (1:50.34). Blue Springs South athletes making the trip to state include, senior Erin Casper in the 50 and 100 freestyle (26.21, 57.21), the 100 butterfly (1:01.44), the 100 backstroke (1:05.51) and 200 IM 2:20.20); senior Aubrey Shoemaker in the 200 freestyle (2:04.81) and 500 freestyle (5:25.40) and 200 IM (2:19.53) and sophomore Anna Marie Lajoie in the 100 butterfly (1:04.09). South also qualified in the 200 freestyle relay (1:47.70) and the 400 freestyle relay (3:59.09).“After two state titles and a third-place finish the previous three years, it did make a second feel small somehow.” Bill Shalley, Wildcats Head Coach

Schwartz and Sweet

By Jake Singleton
The Journal Staff
Blue Springs’ senior Bret Schwartz’s three second-half threes help Wildcats fend off Broncos.
Blue Springs junior guard Bret Schwartz was hearing voices. “I hear guys in my ear yelling, ‘Hit it,’ when I go up to shoot the ball,” Schwartz said. And in the second half of Tuesday’s Suburban Big Seven road game against Lee’s Summit North, Schwartz listened to those voices. With North up 28-26 at halftime, Blue Springs senior Arron Ray’s seven third-quarter points helped the Wildcats keep pace with the Broncos until Schwartz sank the first of three second-half three point shots with three minutes remaining in the third quarter to put Blue Springs up 42-37. “I haven’t been shooting the ball as well,” Schwartz said. “But my teammates kept believing in me, and it helped to know they still have confidence in me. And the coaches were in our ears telling us to keep shooting it.” A rebound and lay up by Schwartz with 55 seconds remaining in thethird quarter put Blue Springs up 44-33, before North senior Landon Fall converted on a three-point play and junior Aaron William’s jump shot cut the Wildcats’ lead to 44-41 at the end of the third quarter. But early in the fourth quarter, Schwartz kept shooting. “After I hit that first three, I felt good and the others just fell,” Schwartz said. Schwartz, who finished with 13 points including three threepointers, hit two threes in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, and senior Carlos Anderson hit a three as Blue Springs opened up a 55-48 lead. But even with the three threepointers and four points by Ray, who finished with a team-high 17 points, the Broncos continued to stay close. “(North) was a lot more physical this time and they looked like they believed in each other a lot more,” Schwartz said. “They seemed like they knew what they were doing and that they wanted to win a lot more.” Fall scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter. North senior Jordan Simmons, who finished with a team-high 18 points, hit one of his two second-half threes in the fourth quarter as the Broncos within two points, 57-55 with 45 seconds remaining. That’s when Blue Springs senior Michael LaHue made a play that would cause the Broncos to question their will to win. “There’s 45 seconds left, we’re down by two points and there’s a loose ball and we don’t jump on the floor and they do,” Simmons said. “So we clearly didn’t deserve to win that ball game if we don’t have the heart to dive on the floor for a loose ball when we are down by two with 45 seconds left.” LaHue, however, dove for the loose ball, came up with it and passed it to Anderson. Anderson, who scored seven of his 15 points in the fourth-quarter, went coastto-coast for the lay up to put the Wildcats up 59-55. North never recovered from the loose ball-turned-easy lay up as theWildcats went on to win 62-59. After finishing up its regular season with a conference home game against Big Seven frontrunner Oak Park, the Wildcats will face Fort Osage at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in Class 5 District 13 tournament play at Truman High School.
“My teammates kept believing in me, and it helped to know they still have confidence in me.” Bret Schwartz, Wildcat Senior

Audi brings Europe to America with the S5

By Rick Popely
Chicago Tribune (MCT)
Beautiful, sophisticated and dynamic, the 2008 Audi S5 sport coupe is the car that fi nally fulfills Audi’s promise. The powerful coupe’s sleek styling and superb handling lay the groundwork for a line of new Audis that may challenge BMW as the premier luxury-performance brand. The S5 is the V8-powered performance version of Audi’s new A5 coupe, which in turn is the two-door version of the German brand’s great-looking new A4 sport sedan. The A4 is to go on sale this fall as a 2009 model. The S5 and A5 are available now as 2008 models. Prices for the S5 start at $50,500. Audi’s Quattro allwheel-drive system, a 354-horsepower, 4.2-liter directinjection gasoline engine and a six-speed manual transmission are all standard on the S5. Quattro also is standard equipment on the A5, which gets Audi’s 265-horsepower, 3.2-liter, direct-injection V6 and starts at $39,900 with a manual six-speed. A six-speed automatic transmission adds $1,300 to the price of the S5 or A5. All prices exclude destination charges. The S5 competes with performance coupes like the BMW 650i, Jaguar XK, Mercedes-Benz CLK 550 and the upcoming 2009 BMW M3 coupe. The V6-powered A5 will compete with lesspowerful models from the same automakers, such as the Mercedes CLK 350. The Cadillac CTS coupe, which caused a stir when unveiled as a concept car at the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit, should join the competitive pack when it goes on sale in the next year or two. I tested a nicely equipped S5 that stickered at $57,240, including a $1,300 gas-guzzler tax but excluding destination charges. The S5 is extremely well equipped. The only options on the car I tested were wood trim, a navigation system, a technology package that includes pushbutton start and a backup camera and a crystalline Bang & Olufsen stereo. Soft leather upholstery is standard, as are beautifully shaped front sport seats that cup their occupants like a catcher’s mitt. The rear seats are equally attractive, but while the front provides ample space, rear legroom is minimal. The power window switches had a mind of their own, occasionally rolling a window down when I pulled up, but they always mended their ways the second time I pulled the switch. The whole interior is logically laid out and covered in attractive materials. Poor cupholders and the lack of power operation for the tilt and telescoping steering wheel were the only disappointments. The center console has two cupholders, but only one is sized to hold anything much larger than a small-caliber Red Bull can, and the spring-loaded clips tend to crush paper cups. Luxury coupes exist to be beautiful and graceful, not practical, however, and the S5 fits the bill perfectly. Wide and low, it is by far the best-looking big car ever from Audi. The sophisticated exterior can look simple, almost bland, at first glance, but it abounds in details that grow more appealing every time you see the S5. The subtle, sweeping shoulder line that sweeps down the S5’s sides from stem to stern has an elegant simplicity seldom seen in cars today, while the long hood and wraparound fenders promise power and performance. The fade-away roofline follows the formula of the classic sport coupe. Audi was so enamored of the roof that it fitted the S5 with a large glass sunroof that tilts upward slightly but does not slide open. The designers thought having the glass panel slide back would spoil the car’s lines. They were right, but they should have ranked the driver’s pleasure above that of bystanders admiring the S5 as it sweeps by. A sunroof that won’t open is not much better than no sunroof at all. Shortcomings like the cupholders and sunroof become minor indeed when the V8 rumbles to life and the S5 takes to the road, however. The free-revving directinjection engine, which requires premium gasoline, spins up effortlessly, providing 325 pound-feet of torque rom 3,500 rpm and providing excellent acceleration in all gears. The shifter is a bit notchy and the slightly heavy clutch effort gets tiresome in stop and go traffic, however. Thanks to a new chassis it shares with the upcoming A4, the S5 is among the bestbalanced Audis ever. The 5\9 distribution of weight between the front and rear axles keeps the car planted on the road through fast, fun curves.(c) 2008, Detroit Free Press

Star attractions: Shiny new SUVs

By Rick Popely
Chicago Tribune (MCT)
CHICAGO — Out of more than a dozen models unveiled last week the Chicago Auto Show, the one likely to attract the most buyers is a big SUV. Surprise. Amid fuel-price shocks and all the talk of the latest hybrid, Chevrolet used the show to bring out the Traverse, an eightpassenger SUV that measures even a few inches longer than the Chevy Tahoe, a full-size, truck-based sport-utility. But General Motors is quick to point out that Traverse weighs 500 pounds less than Tahoe, is powered by a V-6 instead of V-8 and will get better gas mileage. With its smallest V-8, Tahoe averages 16 miles per gallon. EPA ratings aren’t final for Traverse, but the similar Buick Enclave averages 19. Expect Traverse to top that. “We aren’t stupid,” Mark LaNeve, GM’s sales and marketing chief, said bluntly. “We know that things have changed dramatically and that consumers want their vehicles to be more fuel efficient. That means, over time, the mix of vehicles we sell will shift.” What hasn’t shifted is consumers’ demand for space, performance, living-room comfort and a low price. In other words, everything they have now, but with better gas mileage. The upshot is that despite increasingly stringent fuel economy standards, large SUVs and pickups and big sedans will continue to be a major part of the automotive landscape in the U.S., absent a catastrophe such as the supply of foreign oil drying up. “You’ve got all the utility of a Tahoe in a more efficient package,” Aaron Bragman, a research analyst at industry forecaster Global Insight, said of Traverse. “It may not be that much more efficient, but these are the kinds of gradual steps, the small improvements, they will make. “No amount of legislation is going to change what people want,” Bragman added. “There will not be a sudden shift to subcompacts.” The auto show runs through Feb. 17, and throughout McCormick Place carmakers are showing vehicles that refl ect the conflicting demands of rising gas prices and consumer desire for speed, style and convenience. Lincoln, for example, will launch the Chicago-built MKS in July as its new flagship sedan, but the car will have a V-6 instead of the V-8 typical of luxury models. “People driving a big vehicle with a V-8 can feel guilty about it, like everyone’s against them,” said Lincoln car marketing manager Peiwen Hsu. But MKS won’t lack for performance. The standard engine cranks out 270 horsepower, and next year Lincoln will add a turbocharger, boosting horsepower to about 350. Toyota is displaying theVenza, a four-door hatchback/ wagon based on the Camry sedan with SUV styling cues. It’s smaller than either of Toyota’s current midsize SUVs, the 4Runner and Highlander. But the leader in hybrids also trotted out a revamped Sequoia, a full-size, V-8-powered SUV that gets 15 mpg. It expects the fresh design to drive sales up from last year’s 23,000. “Our job is to provide the customer what they want,” said Executive Vice President Don Esmond. “The market (for big SUVs) will probably get smaller, but there are still a lot of people who tow boats or go on camping trips,” so it won’t disappear.(c) 2008, Chicago Tribune

Puzzled By Seed Packets? Here’s How To Read Them

By Beth Botts
Chicago Tribune (MCT)
CHICAGO — Starting vegetable seeds at home can be rewarding in many ways: It’s cheap. You can find a much wider range of varieties in seed packets than you can as plants in garden centers in spring. And you can make sure that your food is raised without pesticides, which is better for you and the environment. But if you are new to the seedstarting game, even choosing seeds can be confusing. Seed packets and descriptions in catalogs and Web sites may be full of flowery adjectives but omit essential facts, or they may consist of insider shorthand that seems like it requires a cryptographer. And there’s no one key: “The only standard is that there’s no standard,” says Nona Koivula, executive director of the National Garden Bureau, a trade association in Downers Grove, Ill. Here are some tips to help you crack the seed-starting code: Get a book or find acomprehensive Web site. No catalog or seed packet will tell you all you need to know about growing vegetables; most make it hard for beginners by assuming you already know a lot. So have a good broad reference handy. Learn about broccoli, beans or basil in general before you try to choose a specific variety. Know your conditions before you start shopping, know where you are going to plant, how much light the site gets (most vegetables require at least eight hours a day of sun), where you will get water and what kind of soil you have (or can get). Hang onto the catalog. Often some essential information is in the catalog description (or on the Web site) and the rest is on the packet. You may need to refer to both. Check definitions. Many terms and codes vary from catalog to catalog or from plant to plant. Catalog companies may have idiosyncratic codes for different methods of germination, for example. And watch out for the slippery meaning of a phrase such as “65 days,” indicating the days until you can harvest mature fruit. Sometimes it means 65 days after you plant the seed. But sometimes — even for a different plant in the same catalog — it may mean 65 days after you transplant seedlings that you started indoors several weeks earlier out to the garden. Descriptions usually don’t specify the meaning because catalog companies assume you know that peas and radishes are best sown outdoors but tomatoes need to be started indoors. If you have any doubt about a catalog term, call or email and ask. Don’t expect precision. Seed descriptions are fairly general. Depending on your conditions, the weather, the care you give them and many other factors, plants and fruits may be a somewhat different size than stated or not quite follow the schedule. Don’t let it throw you; as you gain experience, you’ll have more control and a better idea what to expect. Seed packets deconstructedHere are some key terms and concepts you may encounter on vegetable seed packets or in catalog descriptions. Terms and codes are not standardized, so find the legend in each catalog or Web site and ask about anything confusing. For more terminology, see the glossary of the Mailorder Gardening Association Web site, www.mailordergardening.com Bush or pole: Refers to plant habit, such as beans. Bush varieties are more compact and bushy; pole varieties are long and sprawly, requiring more support. Cool-season: Indicates seeds will germinate and grow in cool weather in spring or fall; usually can withstand light frost; likely fails in summer heat. Date: Indicates year in which producer intended seeds to be planted and grown. Extra seed can be saved, but how long it will remain usable depends on plant, packaging and storage. Days: Generally, indicates “days to harvest.” Specific meaning varies: It may mean from when you sow seed or from when you transplant seedlings outdoors. Determinate or indeterminate: Indicates whether plants (such as tomatoes) grow to a certain size and then stop, producing all their fruit in a short time (determinate) or grow continuously (indeterminate) and produce until frost, needing more space and support. Direct-sow: Refers to sowing seed outdoors in the place where it will grow. Disease resistance: Indicates whether variety has been bred to resist or tolerate certain diseases (especially of tomatoes). May be stated as a code, such as V for verticilium wilt and TMV for tobacco mosaic virus. Codes vary. F1 hybrid: Identifi es a first-generation cross between two purebred strains. These tend to be vigorous but will not produce seed with the same characteristics, so you have to buy new seed each year. Open-pollinated: Refers to plants that will produce seed with the same characteristics, allowing you to collect seed for next year. Germination method: Indicates method for getting seeds to sprout; varies with species. May be spelled out or stated in a code or icons. Check legend. Heirloom: Generally refers to an older variety, 50 years old or more. A wider range of fl avors, sizes and shapes is available among heirloom varieties, though newer hybrids or selections may be more vigorous or disease-resistant. Light: Indicates how much sunlight is needed. Full sun means at least eight hours a day. Half a sun usually means part sun, or about four to six hours a day. “Partial shade” is less light than “part sun.” But check legend. Organic: Indicates seed from plants grown without herbicides or insecticides acccording to federal regulations. Not a characteristic of the plant variety. Start indoors: Indicates seeds need to be started indoors in small pots, usually under lights, starting in late winter or early spring. Transplant outdoors several weeks later, usually after danger of frost is past. May be shown as an icon; check legend. Treated: Indicates seeds are treated with pesticides to control disease. Organic seed should be untreated.(c) 2008, Chicago Tribune

No need to plow a fortune into your garden

By Virginia A. Smith
The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)
PHILADELPHIA — Sharon Barkhymer uses words like“thrifty” and “frugal” to describe her penny-pinching gardening style, but other people call her just plain cheap. “I’m not cheap,” she protests. “I’m responsible.” Let’s add “smart” to this list of adjectives. Seen a “hot new plant” catalog lately? You can spend $50 for a hosta — or you can fi ll your car with gas. So the beleaguered Barkhymer’s onto something: You don’t have to spend your inheritance to have a beautiful garden. In that spirit, here are some ideas — all of them thrifty, responsible souls who occasionally veer into cheap — to help you plan your 2008 garden: Barkhymer, who lives in North Coventry Township, Pa., recognizes that “you can easily spend a fortune on annuals.” So she does mostly serial perennials: peonies and irises to bloom in spring; yuccas, blackeyed Susans and conefl owers in summer; sedums like ‘Autumn Joy’ in late summer and fall. She scouts out lesser-known, less-expensive plant nurseries in rural Lancaster County, Pa. She pots up ‘Angel wing’ begonia, basil, rosemary and bay leaf in fall, takes them indoors and reuses in spring. She saves seeds, cruises through Craigslist. And she propagates with cuttings: rhododendron and azalea in seedstarting mix and angel’s trumpet in water. “I can’t believe people pay so much money for those,” Barkhymer says of the pendulous trumpets that grow as annuals here. “I just lop off a branch and pop it in water.” She looks for plants that reseed — cleome, cosmos, bronze fennel — and participates in a perennial-plant swap with friends every spring. They load up on each other’s irises, ground covers, poppies and small shrubs. “I’ve gotten a lot of stuff I didn’t have before, and it didn’t cost me a cent,” Barkhymer says. Many of the swapped plants resulted from dividing, another reason to go the perennial route — and an easy way to economize. Susan Dannenberg of Elkins Park, Pa., is the kind of gardener who, were she not so kind, would shame us all. “Before you go out and buy anything,” she says, “think about what kind of garden is suited to your area. Think of the long haul.” In other words, fashion a garden that’s tended with wellmade tools, enriched with organic compost and shreddedleaf mulch, and filled with native plants, such as phlox and maidenhair fern. Natives need less water, fertilizer, coddling and time. “All of this pays off in the long run,” she says. Dannenberg also likes perennials like the underappreciated hosta, which grows easily, spreads nicely, has hundreds of varieties and usually costs far less than $50. And “Sorbet” violas, which look like baby pansies. Despite faces no bigger than a quarter, and names like “Blackberry cream” and “Lemon chiffon,” they’re tough. Ornamental grasses are Joe Blake’s delight. The East Falls, Pa., playwright and freelance editor has had great luck popping into Home Depot every week and scooping up tired-looking blue fescues and maiden grasses for a song. “I get them for $2 or $3, and sometimes they just give them to me,” says Blake, who theorizes that the impatiens-buying masses pass on grasses because “they look too diffi cult to take care of” — and the stores are happy to be rid of them. Blake always checks the roots. “When the foliage starts to go bad up top, they discount deeply,” he says of the big-boxes stores, “but most of the time, the roots are fine.” Linda R. Barry, mastergardener coordinator for Penn State Cooperative Extension in Delaware County, and her coworkers promote the use of water barrels to collect rain, and compost bins for household garbage. Both are sometimes given out ree at workshops. And “don’t fill the whole planting area at one time,” Barry suggests. “Plant the basics first.” Doris Stahl, who coordinates master gardeners for Penn State in Philadelphia, scans the shelves in Chinatown for inexpensive seed packets of Asian vegetables and winter squash. She trades seeds with friends, too. “You don’t have to plant the whole packet,” she says, citing one of those “duh” gardening rules so often forgotten. Stahl and others scour tag sales and fl ea markets for cheap, unusual alternatives to the costly containers sold by garden centers. You might find adaptable chamber pots and spittoons, baskets and cast-iron kettles, washtubs, children’s wagons, Granite Ware cookware, colanders or, as Dannenberg once did, a soup ladle, which she filled with pansies and hung on the wall. “It all depends on your aesthetic,” says Stahl. “Just make sure whatever you get has — or you put in — drainage holes.” Despite winning a wagonload of ribbons and honors from the Philadelphia Flower Show, Art Wolk’s aesthetic couldn’t be more down to earth. A former librarian, he now makes his living as a gardening writer and speaker who likes to poke fun at our horticultural foibles. “Glorious Gardens for Pennies” is a favorite topic. And he walks the walk. For years, Wolk grew 5,000 seedlings annually for customers and himself. He still grows seedlings for himself and forces bulbs big time in the cold frames and greenhouse at his Voorhees home. Starting seeds indoors in winter is, hands down, the smartest penny-pinching trick — about one-fi fth the cost of buying vegetable and flower seedlings, says Wolk. And another thing: “I love annuals,” he declares, knowing full well some plant snobs feel otherwise. In fact, he grows so many from seed, he can afford to plant wavy drifts throughout his garden. You can toss some of those seeds right into the ground come Mother’s Day (May 11) — marigolds, nasturtiums, tithonia, sunflowers and alyssum, lettuces, beans, parsley and cilantro. Seriously now, besides the savings, growing from seed is “a bit of nature’s magic,” Wolk says. Not to be missed, if you can manage it. Penny-pinching gardeners are just like other gardeners; we just work harder to spend less. Here’s a shortcut to more information, some of it free and all of it a good investment in your garden: “Rodale Institute’s All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening” ($29). At 704 pages, worth its weight in compost. Go to www.rodale.com or www.organicgardening.com. Burpee’s “The Complete Vegetable & Herb Gardener: A Guide to Growing Your Garden Organically” by Karan Davis Cutler, Barbara W. Ellis and David Cavagnaro (Wiley, $39.95). Also “The Complete Flower Gardener: The Comprehensive Guide to Growing Flowers Organically” by Cutler and Ellis (Wiley, $34.95). The National Gardening Association’s “Gardening Allin-One for Dummies” (For Dummies, $29.99). Though they admit it only under duress, even A-plus gardeners sometimes consult this little tome. Horticultural handbooks ($10) from Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, www.bbg.org/gar2. “The Well-Tended Perennial Garden” by Tracy DiSabato-Aust (Timber Press, $23). Also” The Perennial Gardener’s Design Primer” by Stephanie Cohen and Nancy J. Ondra (Storey, $24.95), both respected local horticulturists. Taylor Gardening Guides. They’re all 400 pages, loaded with color photos and solid information, and only $23 each. Go to www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/taylors. Now that’s a bargain. Speaking of bargains, university cooperative extensions are the ultimate. See www.extension.psu.edu/Hort.html for Penn State and http://njaes.rutgers.edu/garden for Rutgers. We penny-pinching gardeners just can’t resist free information. And we spell that S-M-A-R-T(c) 2008, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Prosper Now And Pay It Forward

Commentary by Jamshid Hoorfar
Estate planning is an important component of your retirement equation. You want to help ensure your wealth is protected while you are still alive, and that the maximum amount possible goes to designated beneficiaries upon your death. Because there are many demographic, economic, and social trends impacting the nature of retirement in America, that goal could be more complex than you think. The “four pillars of U.S. retirement” concept has its origins in the traditional “threelegged stool” of retirement security: Social Security, Employment-Based Plans, and Personal Savings. The fourth pillar of the framework, retirement choices, focuses on the signifi cance of lifestyle and financial choices as the nature of retirement in America has changed. According to a white paper released by Prudential Financial entitled “The Fourth Pillar: Retirement Choice in 2007,” increased longevity coupled with an abundance of lifestyle choices, such as where and how to live and whether to continue working, will greatly infl uence your available retirement resources, and your ability to transfer wealth to loved ones or charity. Since you can expect your retirement years may be longer than previous generations, one thing you’ll want to help guard against is the prospect of outliving your assets. Some considerations: Plan long term. Americans in their mid-60s, on average, can expect to live about another 18 years (U.S. Census Bureau, “Statistical Abstracts of the United States,” Table 98, December 2006), so an investment strategy needs to help provide funding for these years. Clearly, the longer your savings have the potentialto grow, the better. Pay yourself first. Socking away at as much as you can into a company matched 401K or Individual Retirement Account can be money well spent. For example, if you are 25 years old and you save only $5 per day (or $150 a month), in 40 years your nest egg would be worth $1.2 million before taxes, assuming a 10-percent rate of return. Invest for growth. A well-diversified, balanced portfolio that has the potential to produce current income and growth for future needs is essential for a long and secure retirement. In terms of transferring your wealth, a number of tools can help protect your hard-earned assets: Wills. Your will is the foundation of your estate plan and designates how and to whom property will be distributed after death. Trusts. A trust can be set up to facilitate the transfer of property to a trustee for the benefit of your benefi ciaries. A trust helps avoid costs and delays of probate. Life insurance. A life insurance death benefit can often provide a guaranteed amount to heirs, generally income tax free (See IRC Section 101(a)), and could help provide for aging parents or other family needs in the event of a premature death. If an estate includes non-monetary assets such as real estate or a business, life insurance proceeds can provide desirable liquidity to help pay any estate taxes incurred. Of course, there are tradeoffs to make involving how much you spend in retirement and how much you set aside to transfer to your heirs. Living extravagantly in retirement may result in having less than desired to transfer to heirs. Yet, planning for a larger transfer of wealth may result in an unnecessarily cramped lifestyle in retirement. Now is the time to begin thinking about the lifestyle choices, investment strategies,and financial tools that can help maximize your retirement funding. A licensed financial professional can help you develop the strategies you need to help ensure your wealth provides for you and your designated heirs.

Teacher by day…designer by night

By Miranda Wycoff
The Journal Staff
Most second grade teachers go home each evening and prepare for the next day’s class. But Julie Thayer, William Yates Elementary School teacher, goes home and designs handbags for her line, JulieBeth. “It’s all so new to me — although it is fun to tell people I’m a designer, because I am. I’m a designer,” Thayer said, seemingly in disbelief of the fact herself. The company officially began a year ago when Thayer and her best friend and business partner Beth Younger met with a New York City manufacturer to create their designs. The high-end handbags sell for $520 to $1,200 and are made from a multitude of leathers including Italian lambskin and authentic African gazelle fur. “We have always loved bags — accessories really, purses and shoes and things like that — so we’ve always been talking about (starting the business),” Thayer said. Thayer and Younger grew up together in the small town of Tomball, Texas. Thayer said Younger and her family moved to town around the same time that she did, and the girls became inseparable. After high school, Thayer and Younger both got basketball scholarships, but at colleges states away from each other. Younger went to play for Auburn while Thayer went to Hastings College in Nebraska. After college Thayer found herself teaching in a small Nebraska town, while Younger was finishing up her M.B.A. in Cleveland. Both were ready to leave the cities they were at and wanted to move on to bigger and better things. “We decided we wanted to live together in a city,” Thayer said. “I don’t know why we decided on Kansas City, but that’s where we ended up.” Once they were roommates, the sketches and the ideas for their future handbag company took off. “I would come in with an idea for a handbag and she wouldn’t understand what was saying so I would have to draw it out — it just kind of went from there,” Thayer said. Last February Younger moved back to their hometown of Tomball, while Thayer stayed in the Kansas City area to continue her job as a second grade teacher in Blue Springs. But the distance hasn’t hindered their business; in fact their company has taken off. In August 2007, JulieBeth held the official launch party in Austin — so the bags haven’t even been on the market for a full year. “We make (the distance) work. We talk constantly. I actually just got off the phone with her,” Thayer said on Tuesday. And in the summer, when Thayer is on vacation from school, the women find a lot of time to get together and work on new designs and new ideas. Thayer said for Younger, JulieBeth is her full-time job, which makes it easier for Thayer to continue teaching in Blue Springs while her friend runs the business from Texas. The bags can be found in designer stores in Colorado, Texas and Wyoming, but there is a possibility that they could soon be found in the Kansas City area. Thayer said they are trying to get their line sold in stores in Overland Park, Kan., and in Liberty, Mo. But for now, those interested in JulieBeth designs in the area will have to order online. “ Most of the people who buy the bags around here are the people that know me,” Thayer said. “That’s one of the hardest parts — getting the brand out there.” To see all the designs of JulieBeth’s 2007 collection or to order a JulieBeth original handbag, visit the Web site at www.julie-beth.com.

Where did I come from, where am I going?

Commentary by Ann Scheer
As I become more and more familiar with the city of Blue Springs, I become more and more familiar with how diffi cult it is for me to get around town. I don’t know if this defi ciency is due to a poor layout of the streets or my own sense of resilience to fi nd shortcuts to my given destination, no matter how much longer it takes me to get there. But I do know this — I like street signs. A well-placed street sign to label Vesper Street on a recent trip to the R-4 School District’s Gale T. Bartow Administration Services Center would have saved a lot of grief for me and a couple trusty reporters and our publisher who was following us in a second car. We had excellent directions from the very nice receptionist at Valley View High School — the place I drove us to first after pulling the wrong address for the administration offices. Go to Woods Chapel turn right, follow that over the train tracks, turn left on Vesper and bam — you’re there. Sigh. If only it were that easy for me. How my now not-so-trusty reporters must loathe me — or at least my driving abilities (although truth be told it was one of them who was supposed to be the navigator, but hey, I’m not here to place blame). I lost count of how many times we went over the railroad tracks, how any side streets we weaved through and how many times our boss (who also must not be very trusting of my driving skills now) gave me weird looks as we passed him at one of several turn around points. (By the end of it all he had more of a resigned look as if he was thinking, “I’m just glad to be alive.”) The problem was not the street — it was right where they told me it would be. But it didn’t have a sign on it and, to the untrained eye like mine, it appeared to be part of the park area bordering the roadway. I’m not blaming the curiously missing street sign on my navigator or the city — perhaps the sign was stolen as a prank by some rowdy high school kids. But before my next excursion through the streets of Blue Springs, maybe a stop at Google Earth, with its 3-D, satellite photos of the landscape, will be helpful in locating a particular street by landmarks, if not a sign.

Decoding The Ganster DNA Mystery

Commentary by Charles Payne
One might define gangsters as a rule-bending group that uses intimidation, coercion, bribes and force to get what they want regardless of the needs of others. What was the name of that rich cartoon duck that would go swimming in gold coins oblivious to the world around him? What about rich healthcare organizations that are more concerned about profits than they are with people’s health? If you have not seen Michael Moore’s movie “Sicko” because you believe it to be propaganda you are making a huge mistake. This movie made me cry. This movie made me mad. This movie has within it a sketch of what America has the potential to be. By the way, it is not about people without medical coverage. It is about people with coverage. The Minutemen organization is a superfl uous group with a patriotic name trying to use intimidation in order to make up for the abject failure of the U.S. government to protect its borders. Their tactics smell like something that died in a tar pit. These gangsters are sticking to and fouling the Statue of Liberty. Would you join this organization to express your humanity and patriotism? Is Frances Semler really your hero? The U.S. government is responsible for our borders. Our say in this responsibility is through our elected representatives. I did not and will not vote for what the Minutemen stand. They do not represent me or the people of the United States. I say to them, pack up your lawn chairs, guns and binoculars and go home and vote. As for the stupid fence along our southern border — it is a stupid fence and a crime against taxpayers. It does not address the real problems that exist in Mexico and other countries. These are problems we had a large part in creating. This country needs Mexico and Canada. The government of the compassionate conservative State of Oklahoma is proud to buy into intimidation. They killed a 2 month old child of illegal immigrants (MSNBC AP story of 1/25/08). Oklahoma is not so OK any more. Perhaps most of the really compassionate Oklahomans moved to California during the dust bowl era. Can someone from this part of the Bible belt explain to me why crushing illegal immigrants is a good thing according to the teachings of Jesus Christ? The Sunflower gangsters are trying to steam roll Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius so they can get profits their way. These people do not give a hoot about the planet or the people living down wind from the cancerous power plants they want to build. They only give lip service to clean air. They want to tamp out the wind generators and pollute the Kansas prairie. Everybody down wind from this proposed turn of the century pollution source should encourage the governor of Kansas to stand fast. Money and jobs for a few do not out weigh the damage these plants will cause. Lee’s Summit is downwind from Kansas. Walt Disney had “It’s a Small World.” PBS has a cartoon sloth in a rainforest that sings about a big, big world. I think it is a tiny, tiny world. The gangsters in Brazil are destroying the rainforest in order to raise sugar cane for ethanol. The whole planet needs the rainforests. Apparently the DNA for these gangsters is similar to those in Kansas. China is working overtime to provide products for the West. In the process, they are burning coal and polluting the Pacific Ocean with mercury and other chemicals. What do you think of mercury in your tuna? Geology teaches us that winds from China brought loessial deposits to the Midwest. Lee’s Summit is down wind from China. By now China knows we do not want lead paint on the toys for our children because it is a health hazard. What about the children of other countries? Have you seen anything from China showing concern for the world’s children? Are there manufacturing gangsters in China? Are profi ts controlling a communist nation? Could there be a branch on the human tree of evolution that causes gangster mentalities in people among us. At some point in any decision ethical “deciders” must rationally consider the impact on the living creatures of this Earth. Mike Huckabee is a personable guy you might like to have a beer with were it not for the fact he believes in the tooth fairy. Pardon my poetic license. Huckabee professes to believe creation occurred only 10,000 years ago. Does he believe in nuclear fission and gravity? Faith substituted for rational thought is about as stupid as a fence on our southern border, the coal powered plants in Kansas and China, and the clearing of the rainforest. If Huckabee doesn’t really believe the creation myth then he is working a con. He may not be a gangster, but he has no business outside of the pulpit. What do you think about the gangster element? Let the Journal know or drop me a line at raven1939@netzero.com Charles Payne, a Lee’s Summit resident, is a guest columnist for the Journal. To respond to today’s commentary, call the Journal’s Rant & Rave line at 816-282-7020, or send comments via the Internet at www.bluespringsjournal.com.

News Brief - St. Mary’s

St. Mary’s starts support group for parents of NICU babies
St. Mary’s Medical Center is starting a weekly support group for parents of babies being treated in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).It’s estimated almost 10 percent of babies born require NICU services of some type. After her experience as a mother with a baby in the NICU at St. Mary’s Medical Center, Sherry Pratt, a volunteer nurse at St. Mary’s, organized the support group. Her son, Benjamin spent more than six weeks in St. Mary’s NICU. Pratt organized the group to help other moms who are going through what she has been through. The NICU support group meets every Thursday, 6:30 to 8 p.m. in St. Mary’s Birthing Center. Moms delivering at other facilities are welcome. For more information, call 816-655-5574, option 5.

St. Mary’s accepting scholarship applications forstudents going into healthcare
St. Mary’s Medical Center Auxiliary is now accepting scholarship applications available to students living in the medical center’s service area and entering the medical field. This year, 10 $1,000 scholarships are being awarded. St. Mary’s auxiliary and medical staff have awarded scholarships toward college study since 1982. Applicants must declare their interest in entering a health care profession recognized by St. Mary’s Medical Center. Applications must be postmarked by Friday, March 21. Applications are available through high school counseling offices and the St. Mary’s Medical Center Foundation. For more information or to request an application, call Peggy Person at 816-655-5366.

Local Soldier Volunteers To Deploy With Friends

By Michelle Key
Special to the Journal
When Pfc. Kyle Wright of Blue Springs found out two of his best friends from basic training were being sent to Iraq with the 205th Area Support Medical Company, he immediately put in to transfer to their unit. Missouri Guardsman Wright was reunited with his battle buddies Pvt. Travis Stahl, of Blue Springs, and Pfc. David Woods, of New York, before deployment. “With the three of us back to together again, we’ll make sure that we’re all taken care of,” Woods said. “We have accountability for one another, and we’ll all come home together, too.” Since meeting at the military entrance processing station in Kansas City, Wright, Stahl and Woods have spent nearly their entire military service training together. “We got to know one another at boot camp,” Wright said. “But when we all showed up in Texas for training, we were glad to see a familiar face. We were put into the same platoon, so we really got to know each other.” After basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and advanced individual training as medics at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the three returned to Missouri. Stahl and Woods joined the 205th while Wright was assigned to the 1-135th Aviation Battalion. When Wright found out that Stahl and Woods were going to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Wright quickly volunteered to join them. Stahl and Woods gave Wright some advice to help him get through predeployment training. Stahl told Wright to remember that there are good times and bad throughout training, but they’ve all been through it. He also told Wright to listen to all the soldiers who have deployed before and take their advice. Stahl and Wright recently completed their pre-deployment training at Camp Shelby, Miss. Wright will join his fellow soldiers after he completes his pre-deployment training. “I am so used to wearing the uniform, I knew volunteering was the right thing to do,” Wright said. “I’m ready to serve and I knew I couldn’t let my buddies go without me. It’ll be great to be together throughout our first deployment.”

Council hangs up on T-Mobile's cellular tower plans

By Russ Pulley
Special to the Journal
“Stealth” cell-phone towers can look like fl agpoles, bell towers or clock towers. And telecommunication companies are looking for more opportunities to place them in Blue Springs neighborhoods. The City Council last week rejected a proposed ordinance change that could have allowed T-Mobile to build a bell tower at the Duncan Road Baptist Church, where it could co-locate communications equipment. The request was for an amendment to allow the new stealth towers in a residential zone. The current regulations allow structures such as bell or clock towers to be built only as an accessory use for churches or schools in a residential zone, not for leasing space to telecommunication companies. The council asked staff members to prepare an amendment close a loophole that could be exploited for new towers. The council also decided it should seek a study of the city’s long-term need for such towers. At last week’s City Council meeting, Katrina Robertson of Selective Site Consultants said that by using “stealth” technology, carriers disguise towers as commonplace structures to provide necessary coverage. She said it is increasingly important for carriers to have no dead spots because many younger people — one in four — choose not to have land lines. For that reason, coverage needs to be excellent in residential neighborhoods to provide enhanced 911 service, she said. Robertson said the company wants to “infi ll” that area. The company prefers to co-locate on existing towers because it is more economical, she said. City Attorney Bob McDonald said the city’s telecommunications ordinance was written to promote colocation of equipment. “It has worked and has been satisfactory for a lot of the providers,” McDonald said. While the city slammed the front door to such towers in residential areas, opponents near the church fear the back door might be cracked open. A loophole in the current city ordinance could allow a company to come back and place the equipment, if the church built the tower on its own first. And there is no height restriction for such accessory bell or clock towers for a church or school. T-Mobile had wanted to build a 100-foot bell tower without jumping through safeguards in city ordinances — such as requiring a company to prove that its needs cannot be met by co-locating on an existing tower. Still, the city can approve a special exemption for towers once required studies have been made. For example, Blue Springs allowed cellular equipment to be installed in an existing steeple at the Plaza Heights Baptist Church, near 19th and Clark streets. Scott Allen, director of development, said the city gets inquiries every month or two about locating telecommunications facilities. The city staff and the Planning Commission recommended the Council keep the current rules. The commission suggested adding a height restriction to limit those accessory uses — like a bell tower. The Council agreed to that step. Without the restriction, churches or apartment complexes could add tall structures — out of proportion to their buildings — to lease spots for antennas. Richard Felix, a neighbor and critic of the proposed tower, said that unless those height restrictions are tight enough, the bell tower still could be built. He said TMobile’s plan was for a 100- foot tower. “So tall, so high it will be obnoxious looking,” Felix said. He said there also was concern about falling ice. Felix said 20 to 30 neighborhood residents opposed T-Mobile’s proposal. “They make good laws, then nobody wants to abide by them, they’re going to work their way around it,” he said. At the commission meeting, the Rev. Larry Chapman said several carriers had approached the church. It was not interested until T-Mobile proposed a bell tower because that would be consistent with the church mission. The church was not interested in something detrimental to the neighborhood, he said. Allen said the city code offers a hierarchy of options. First, the company needs to look at co-locating on city towers or buildings, then private towers or buildings and as a last resort a new tower. In discussing T-Mobile’s proposed amendment, Councilman Lyle Shaver suggested the city approach the major telecommunications companies serving Blue Springs, asking them to bankroll a study of tower sites and future needs. City Administrator Eric Johnson said the city might be able to extend a study it’s already undertaking for its police radios to include that aspect. Shaver noted that when he visited Europe, cell phone coverage was much better than in the United States, and he asked the city staff if anything could promote more cooperation. “Each one would like to say they have more towers,more coverage,” Shaver said. Shaver and other members noted wireless use for personal computers is becoming prevalent and said the city should be preparing for regulations that can meet residents’ need for those services. Shaver said the city needs a third-party study. “We need an overall plan from someone who has expertise.”

Sheriff not seeking third term

By Brett Dalton
The Journal Staff
After 30 years with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Offi ce and what will be eight years as sheriff, Tom Phillips is ready to try something new. Phillips, whose second term as Jackson County sheriff ends on Dec. 31, will not seek re-election this fall. He said it was a difficult decision to make, but was one he and his family agreed upon. “Me and my wife sat down and started to discuss whether I’d run for a third term,” Phillips said on Tuesday. “We decided there are more opportunities outside of the Sheriff’s Office that I would like to explore. We just thought this is probably the right time for me.” Phillips, who began his career with Jackson County as a patrolman in 1978, was honored for his 30 years of service by receiving his 30-year pin on Monday afternoon at the Jackson County Legislative meeting. Phillips, who said he’s the first Jackson County sheriff in modern history to work his way up through the ranks to become sheriff, first occupied that position in 2000 after the death of then-sheriff Jim Anderson. After finishing out Anderson’s term, Phillips was elected to the position in November 2000 and again in 2004. While Phillips said he won’t miss the politics involved in running for office, he added he will miss the people he worked with and met while serving the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. “Really the best thing is that there’s so been so many opportunities to meet and get to know so many people from different walks of life,” he said. “I’ve had the chance to meet people from all over the world and develop relationships with all these people. No one can take that from me. They really are my second family.” He said the decision to not seek a third term was difficult because “you always feel that you’re not finished with what you tried to accomplish.” But although he’ll be 55 this year and can draw his county retirement, Phillips said he doesn’t plan on “sitting on the porch watching cars go by.” He said he’s looking into opportunities in the private sector, including potential security director positions or a role in homeland defense. During his career, Phillips graduated from the FBI National Academy and the National Sheriff’s Institute, according to a news release. He also has been the detective division commander, emergency response team commander, officer in charge of the Jackson County Drug Task Force and president of the Missouri Chiefs and Sheriffs Association. He is currently a board member with the Jackson County Drug Task Force, Eastern Jackson County Youth Court, Metropolitan Community College–Blue River Advisory Board, Missouri Peace Officers Association, FBI National Academy Executive Board and the United Way. Also, Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders chose Phillips as a member of the Ethics Task Force for Jackson County.

New pool recommended for Baumgardner

By Miranda Wycoff
The Journal Staff
Although the roof of the indoor pool at Baumgardner Park has a life span of less than five years, according to Water’s Edge Aquatic Design of Lenexa, Kan., it is the outdoor pool that the consulting company recommends replacing at this time. During the Blue Springs City Council meeting last week, Water’s Edge presented the preliminary fi ndings and recommendations of the Aquatic Center Feasibility Study to the Council. The study, which began in July, evaluated the conditions of the current pools in Baumgardner Park, compared costs and options and took into consideration the community’s comments and thoughts through surveys and focus groups. Although many residents voiced their desire for a new aquatics center to be built in the south central region of Blue Springs, Water’s Edge found that Baumgardner was still considered a good location for the pools. In addition, according to the firm’s presentation, there is currently no land available in the south central area of the city to build an aquatic center. Since a second pool location was out of the question, Water’s Edge evaluated the conditions of the current pools and came up with six options for the city. Three were involving the indoor pool, and three involving the outdoor pool. For each pool, the firm looked at renovating the pool, building a new, medium-size pool, or building a new, large pool. Although renovating the pools was the cheapest option — about $2.5 to $3 million for each pool — the firm recommended to the Council that these options were not in their best interests. “We do not recommend renovating the indoor pool at all,” said the spokesperson for Water’s Edge. “We recommend you take some time to plan for funding to replace it.” According to the consulting firm, simply renovating the indoor pool would be a shortterm fix to the problems it already suffers, which include poor building structure and air quality, a poor recirculation system and filter room, and inadequate storage, seating and deck space. As for the outdoor pool, the company did not recommend renovation because it is a smaller pool with basic features and no diving area and the renovated life span would still be limited by the pool’s structure. Because of these reasons, and feedback from residents on what they want in both indoor and outdoor pools for Blue Springs, Water’s Edge recommended to the Council to replace the outdoor pool with a new 20,000-square foot pool, which would cost an estimated $6.5 to $8 million. The outdoor pool the company recommended would include a lazy river, shortcourse lanes, diving, a shallow pool and slides. The outdoor pool would be built on the existing site around the indoor pool. In addition to the immediate recommendation of replacing the current outdoor aquatic facility, the consulting firm also recommended for future consideration of the Council to build a new 25-yard/meter indoor pool. This would cost an estimated $14 million to $18 million. The recommended new indoor facility would include new pools — a diving pool, 25-meter, eight-lane lap pool, warm-water therapy pool and a shallow play area — a new building, good seating and would allow for short-course competition. The other options for the pools included a new 50-meter indoor pool for $19 million to $22 million and a new 28,000-square-foot outdoor pool for $10 million to $12 million. However, due to funding options and the willingness of the residents to vote for tax increases for the funding, Water’s Edge recommended building the smaller pools. “It’s not all ideal,” the spokesperson said. “The swim team would love to have a 50-meter pool.” At this point the city is still in talks with the consulting firm and the school district about which direction to take. Roscoe Righter, director of parks and recreation for the city of Blue Springs, said it could be months before a decision is made. For more information on the aquatic center feasibility study visit the Web site at http://www.wedesignpools.com/Projects/BlueSprings/Home.htm.