Page 12 The Advocate News (Wilton-Durant, Iowa) Thursday, July 26, 2012

OpiniOn
Two special sections a good problem to have

o say this has been an interesting week is surely an understatement. Thanks to the success of the Durant softball team, I was on the road for a couple days at the end of last week. Thankfully, we had Perry Kalen in Fort Dodge on Monday, July 16, to cover the Wildcats in their quarterfinal victory over Denver. I then hit the road on Thursday morning for the semifinal game against Des Moines Christian. Prior to arriving at the state tournament, my thoughts surrounding the Cats hadnt changed. It was simple in my mind, I always feel like they should win every game. I said the reasons why last week. They have good pitching, defense and offense; the three keys of any championship caliber softball team. Enter Des Moines Christian. I hadnt seen the Lions play but I can tell you that they had some tough girls who could hit the ball. (They came into the tournament leading Class 2A in home runs with 40.) While they were able to hit a couple against Paige Compton and ultimately get the win, I felt she pitched well and the defense played well. The Cats just didnt hit. And while they fell into the third place game, I was overly impressed with how focused and ready to play they were on the following day, when they hammered Sumner-Fredericksburg to the tune of an 11-6 win and were up 9-0 at one point in the game. Kudos to coach Steve Hopkins and his senior leaders Mackenzie Snowbarger and Gretchen Lilienthal for having their team ready to play. If only they could play that semifinal over again! This a long time coming for this group of

Our intern, Kim Sloan, survived both fairs girls. We here at the AN have loved covering this group and are just as proud of them as and her coverage of Cedar County was as their community, which showed up in droves extensive as Ive ever seen! She also braved the heat at last weeks Muscatine County Fair at Fort Dodge! To me, the quote of the week came from and that coverage will be seen next week! Who Compton, who told me after it was over that said summer was slow? *** Everyone looks at Durant and says thats the team that loses the regional final. Now weve Serious businessIt wasnt too long ago that the country was rocked shown we can get here, by learning of former compete and win a final Penn State defensive game. coordinator Jerry SanYes indeed. I couldnt duskys molestation of have said it better myseveral boys while he self. Compton was the was heavily involved key in Fort Dodge, as with the Penn State any pitcher is when you football program. In get to the state level. I By Derek Sawvell fact, several of the felt if she was poised, incidents happened on DHS would be OK. She was, and the Cats won two of three. She gave PSU's campus in football facilities. More chapters have since been written, up 18 hits and struck out 22 in three games. She, and much of the DHS lineup, will be including the fact that Sandusky was convicted on 45 counts of child molestation and back next season. The problem with a two-day road trip is that is awaiting sentencing. Also, investigations work was piling up at home. We were stuck in have shown that it seems the hierarchy of the the middle of a quandary with having to lay football program and university itself were out and execute special sections for both the involved in covering up the fact that there was Cedar County Fair and DHS softball. Needless knowledge of Sanduskys activities. This has further enraged the nation and to say, after two days on the road, Ive spent all weekend trying to sift through hundreds late last week, after days of deliberation, Penn State decided to take down a bronze statue of of photos in preparation for this issue. The staff has been great helping to put a late head football coach Joe Paterno, as he vision to paper and make it work. We had was the leader of the program and aware, to several excited local businesses, parents and an extent, of what was happening (according local community members come together to reports). Early this week, the NCAA took what it to help make our softball and fair sections a success. For fair coverage, turn to pages 14- called unprecedented action against the uni19. For softball coverage, see pages 7-9 and versitys football program that included fining the school $60 million or the equivalent of 20-23.

Case in Point

one years football revenue; cutting football scholarships from 25 to 15 for four years; a four-year postseason ban; and vacating all wins from 1998-2011. It wasnt the death penalty that was handed to SMU in the 1980s, but it may end up being worse. The SMU football program never recovered but it was paying players. Penn State may recover time will tell. But one thing is for certain; these actions will make the program come crashing down for quite awhile. Also, current players may transfer and play for other schools this season, without having to sit out for any amount of time. This all spells doom for the continuously tarnished legacy of Paterno, who was not so long ago considered one of the greatest people in all of college sports. The lack of scholarships and bowl opportunities spells doom for the football program for the foreseeable future. Some say the penalties were too harsh. Some say they were not enough. Some say why take away wins from student-athletes who clearly werent part of the problem? My thoughts are quite simple. What did you expect? This is what happens when an athletic program, and the leaders within it, become more revered than academics or even the university itself. When this happens, control is often lost. Should we be surprised that the NCAA came in swiftly and ruled with an iron fist? Im certainly not. Was the NCAA supposed to wait for Penn State to further police itself? Weve seen, since 1998, how the university wanted to handle (or not handle) it.

Kaufmann Family Reunion New look to monthly bills

The descendants of Gottlieb and Dorothy Kaufmann met for the 97th annual reunion held July 15 at the Durant Community Center. There were 97 people attending from 11 states. James Batchelor gave the blessing prior to the potluck dinner. President Jeff Kaufmann led the meeting and Margaret Marolf gave the secretarys report. Jeff spoke about the family history, highlighting the journey to America in 1847. He also spoke about the importance of the reunion and its rich heritage. Officers for the July 13, 2013 reunion include president Jeff Kaufmann, vice president Donna Price, secretary Maggie Schulty Margaret Marolf, treasurer Margaret Barclay, toastmaster Carolee Stanley and assistant toastmaster Nora Steinbrech. The eldest cousin present was Viola Klein Marshall, 96. Maggie Schulty, 2, was the youngest cousin. Ralph and Margaret Duffe and James and Pearl Batchelor have been married the longest at 63 years. Ken Daut of LaQuinta, Calif., traveled the farthest. Jacob Kaufmann was in charge of the children. Those in attendance included: Dorothea Mahring familyLarry and Diane Woodcox of Baytown, Texas; Beeler and Mary Sue Gausz of Orlando, Fla. Henry A. Kaufmann familyMike and Sandi Spilizewski of Casstown, Ohio; Stasi, Ian, Audrey and Alexa Coffey of Troy, Ohio; Kay Robbins of Grand Island, Neb.; Dick and Joyce Wilson of Granger, Ind.; Rick and Carol Noble, Bob and Carolee Stanley of Bettendorf; Marti Puls of LeClaire; Tim and Liz Stoffer of Davenport; Philip Wiese of Iowa City; Ken and Joe Noble of West Liberty, Bill and Jan Fay, Charles and Caroline Frymoyer of Tipton; Evelyn Lacey of Muscatine; Laurie DeVore, April, Ben and Gabbi, Grace Wiese and Leti, Freeman Kaufmann, Jeff and Vicki Kaufmann and John, Bobby Kaufmann, Amy Pronk, Ethan and Aiden (North Liberty friends); Jacob Kaufmann, Courtney Gettings (Iowa City friend); Joe Pinczer (friend) and Clarice Glenney (friend), all of Wilton. Fredericka Duffe familyKen Daut of LaQuinta, Calif.; Julie Gelaude, Lori Price of Moline; Gary and Donna Price of Bettendorf; Bret Schulty, Skyler and Maggie of Wellman; Will and Nora Steinbrech of Iowa City; Pat Parham of West Liberty; Keith and Marsha Schulty of Tipton; Ralph and Margaret Duffe o f M o s c ow ; Kathy Othmer, Viola Marshall Gerald and Margaret Barclay, Jennifer Nichols, Matthew and Christina of Muscatine; Bart LaCrosse, Barbara Leourigan (sister) of Wilton. Christian Kaufmann familyBob and Dana Bevfoden, Fred Bevfoden of Edwardsville, Ill.; Wes and Mary Spurgeon of Cottage Hills, Ill. Andrew H. Kaufmann familyWilma Van Roekel of Corsica, S.D.; Bob and Virginia Crow of Gold Canyon, Ariz.; Viola Marshall, Margaret Mortland of St. Charles, Mo.; Roy Klein of Aurora, Ill.; Duane and Shelby Parks of Moline; Dori Martin, Arnold and Diane Kaufmann of Davenport; Ed and Carol Kaufmann of LeClaire; Bud and Joyce Caldwell of DeWitt; Warren and Kay McConnaha of Columbus City; Glenn Weiss, Margaret Marolf of Muscatine; Bill and Colleen Lenker, James and Pearl Bathelor of Wilton.
Eidtor: Our new auto read system is now up and running as of August 1, 2012. You will notice on the August 1, 2012 bills, the readings are in gallons, not cubic feet. We had to convert the prior months read to gallons. One cubic feet of water equals 7.48 gallons of water while 300 cubic feet equals 2,244 gallons of water. Each customer receives the first 2,244 gallons of water as a minimum bill and any gallons after that are billed at $0.003 per gallon of water. Sewer use is based on water usage. Sewer is billed the same as water for the minimum amount of gallons but after the minimum, the rate is $0.005 per gallon for sewer. The meters are now read automatically by a hand-held Tremble Unit. This reduces the amount of hours public works employees spend manually reading meters from approximately 18 hours to 1.5 hours. The information is downloaded into our computer software at city hall and the monthly bills are automatically generated. Deputy Clerk Kathy Keese has done many hours of training and preparing for this new system. She does an excellent job of checking each bill and making sure everything is operating correctly. Deana Cavin City Clerk City of Durant

Hoovers Hometown Days Aug. 4

West Branch will be kicking off a year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library/Museum on Aug. 4 with Hoovers Hometown Days. The festival theme is Coming Home which represents the return of Iowas troops and President Hoovers decision to place the presidential library/museum in Iowa. The library/museum was dedicated Aug. 10, 1962. There will be appearances from Grammy Award winners Tonic Sol-Fa at 6:30 p.m., the Black Hawk Pipes and Drums, the Iowa Veterans Band and the Herbert Hoover High School Marching Band from Glendale, Calif. Gary Metivier, TV news anchor for KWQC, is the emcee for the Celebration of Life. Congressman Dave Loebsack is the guest speaker. Special guests will be members of the Honor Flight. Abe Lincoln will be making an appearance along with a Civil War encampment. Rage Theatrics will present a stage combat demonstration through a theater production The Fiery Trail: Iowa and the Civil War. There will be several rides for the kids, arts and crafts, and great Iowa food. The festivities end with fireworks and a laser light show synchronized with the music of the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band. The parade begins at 10 a.m. Plan to stay all day to enjoy all the activities. All events at Hoovers Hometown Days are free to the public.

Elvis concert benefits woman with MS

Hips will be shakin and toes will be tappin as Elvis impersonator Junior Talley, complete with white jumpsuit, rhinestones and sideburns, performs Saturday, Aug. 18, at the Moose Lodge, 207 Lake Park Blvd. in Muscatine. The Elvis concert includes a benefit to assist with medical expenses for Alisa Talley, Junior Talleys wife, of Monmouth, Ill., who was diagnosed with MS. The 36-year-old mother and wife has had back surgeries and MRIs and currently has no medical insurance. The silent auction begins at 5 p.m. with the show starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at Central State Bank or HyVee Drug Town. Auction items include designer purses, hair care items, quilts, River Bend tickets/baseball package, Jumers Casino package, autographed baseball, a 7-foot Iowa Hawkeye banner, one-of-a-kind jewelry and Elvis collectibles. There will be assorted desserts for a good will donation and a 50/50 raffle. Central State Bank has donated $50 for a door prize. For more information about the concert and benefit, call Pat at 563-263-0611.