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.