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Full Court mid-major All-Americans: Much more than Delle Donne
Given the nature of the American sports media, it's easy to think that the only special players are the ones who play at the biggest schools. But special players can be found throughout the Division I ranks -- and not just at Delaware -- so the Fullcourt.com Mid-Major All-American team is our way of recognizing some of the talent that often gets overlooked.
Of course, as is the case with our Player of the Year, every so often there's a star so incandescent she manages to seize the spotlight no matter where she enrols.
Player of the Year
Elena Delle Donne, Delaware, 6-5 senior wing, Wilmington, Del.
It's hard to come up with a superlative that doesn't fit Delle Donne, who transformed Delaware's program into a national power while compiling statistics rarely seen in the women's game. With Delle Donne leading the way, the Blue Hens went 63-6 the past two seasons, won 42 straight games against Colonial Athletic Association foes, captured two CAA tournament titles, generated sellout crowds at the Carpenter Center, collected the first three NCAA Tournament appearances in program history, and finished the 2012-13 season in the Sweet 16. As for Delle Donne, the (soon-to-be) first-team All-American will leave Delaware after amassing 3,039 points, the fifth-most in Division I history.
First team
Niveen Rasheed, Princeton, 6-0 senior guard, Danville, Calif.
The Delle Donne of the Ivy League, Rasheed spearheaded a four-year reign of league dominance by the Tigers, who captured a quartet of conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances with Rasheed on campus. Rasheed ends her career as a two-time unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year after a senior senior in which she led the conference in scoring (16.9 ppg) and steals (2.6 spg) while also pacing Princeton in rebounding (9.0 rpg) and assists (3.3 apg).
Crystal Bradford, Central Michigan, 6-0 sophomore guard, Detroit, Mich.
Bradford earned first-team All-MAC honors after leading the Chippewas in scoring (16.1 ppg), rebounding (9.9 rpg), steals (2.3 spg) and blocks 1.8 bpg), but she saved her most spectacular play for the postseason. First she collected MAC Tournament MVP accolades for leading the Chippewas on a three-game sprint to the title and an NCAA bid for the first time in 29 years. She then singed Oklahoma for a program tournament record 36 points and added 14 rebounds in CMU's 78-73 loss in the first round.
Kevi Luper, Oral Roberts, 5-10 senior guard, Adair, Okla.
Closed out one of the most prolific careers in Division I history by earning Southland Tournament MVP honors and leading the Golden Eagles to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008. Luper finished with 2,867 career points to rank 14th in NCAA Division I history. She also ranks sixth all-time in D-I in career steals with 463.
Ki-Ki Moore, Fresno State, 5-8, junior guard, San Francisco, Calif.
First-team All-Mountain West performer and her league's Defensive Player of the Year (a conference-record 103 steals) who, like Central Michigan's Crystal Bradford, turned it on even more in the postseason. Moore hit the game-winning shot with 2.5 seconds left in an MWC Tournament semifinal win over Wyoming, averaged 20.3 points and 7.0 rebounds in three victories and was named the event's MVP. She then scored a career-high 33 points in a loss to California in the NCAA Tournament.
Chelsea Hopkins, San Diego State, 5-8 senior guard, Las Vegas, Nev.
Do-it-all Duke transfer and Mountain West Conference Player led Division I with four triple-doubles. Also ranked eighth nationally in assists (6.8 apg), a stat highlighed by her MWC tournament-record 14-assist performance in a quarterfinal win over Nevada. Hopkins had dimes on all 12 of the Aztecs' first-half field goals in that game.
Second team
Keiara Avant, Hampton, 5-11 senior forward, Chesapeake, Va.
MEAC Player of the Year averaged 16.2 points and was one of only six players in Division I to average double-digit rebounds (10.1) despite standing less than six feet tall. Also one of the nation's most improved players: Avant averaged 7.7 points and 7.9 boards as a junior.
Jasmine Newsome, Tennessee-Martin, 5-6 junior guard, Millington, Tenn.
Pint-sized scoring machine (22.9 ppg, fifth in Division I) bagged Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and league tournament MVP honors. Also averaged 3.0 steals a game and is already the program's all-time leader in assists.
Jennifer Hailey, Charlotte, 6-3 senior forward, Marshville, N.C.
A double-double specialist (15.4 ppg, 11.5 rpg) and the best player in the deepest non-BCS conference, Hailey earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors while becoming just the fourth player in program history to finish with more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
Devon Brown, Liberty, 5-10 senior wing, Waynesboro, Va.
The four-time first-team All-Big South performer and league tournament MVP saved her best efforts for the Lady Flames' toughest foes -- 23 points against Texas A&M; 20 against Baylor and 21 versus Big Ten Tournament champion Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Ebony Rowe, Middle Tennessee State, 6-1 junior forward, Lexington, Kent.
Averaged 19.9 points and 11.1 rebounds while becoming the first player in the storied history of the Blue Raiders to amass 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
Third team
Keena Mays, SMU, 5-7 junior guard, Arlington, Texas
Kansas transfer earned Conference USA Player and Newcomer of the Year honors after averaging 18.5 points and leading the Mustangs to the league's regular season title and a spot in the WNIT.
Rachel Tecca, Akron, 6-4 senior forward, Tallmadge, Ohio
MAC Player of the Year -- the first Akron player ever to earn league POY honors -- despite playing two-thirds of the season with a broken nose. Is also a second-team Academic All-American.
Jerica Coley, Florida International, 5-8 junior guard, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year scored a program-record 840 points and has 12 games of at least 30 points en route to a Division I-leading 26.3 points per game average.
Chatilla van Grinsven, St. Joseph's, 6-3 senior forward, Helmond, Netherlands
Colorado State transfer made the most of her lone season on Hawk Hill as she led St. Joe's in scoring and rebounding while becoming the program's first All-Atlantic 10 first teamer since 2001-02.
Sam McKay, Dayton, 5-8 senior guard, Dublin, Ohio
It's hard to pick one player from arguably the nation's most balanced team, but it's hard to imagine the potent Flyers' attack operating nearly as efficiently without Mackay, an occasionally error-prone reserve her first three seasons who blossomed into one of the nation's most reliable floor generals in 2012-13.
Honorable Mention
Sophia Aleksandrivicius, Davidson,6-4 senior forward, Pound Ridge, N.Y.
Chantell Alford, Boston University, 5-8 senior guard, West Haven, Conn.
Katie Baker, Montana, 6-0 senior forward, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Alyssa Bennett, Hampton, 6-2 junior wing, Hampton, Va.
Brandi Brown, Youngstown State, 5-11 senior forward, Pomona, Calif.
Shareta Brown, Detroit, 6-1 sophomore forward, Pontiac, Mich.
Heather Butler, UT-Martin, 5-5 junior guard, Medina, Tenn.
Courtney Clements, San Diego State, 6-0 senior guard, Long Beach, Calif.
Saadia Doyle, Howard, 5-10 senior wing, Atlanta, Ga.
Chastity Gooch, Western Kentucky, 6-0 sophomore forward, Franklin, Kent.
Sarah Hansen, Florida Gulf Coast, 5-10 junior guard, McKean, Pa.
Megan Hebert, Central Arkansas, 5-11 senior forward, Rogers, Ark.
Ebone Henry, Albany, 5-10 senior wing, San Diego, Calif.
Tarik Hislop, James Madison, 5-7 senior guard, Silver Spring, Md.
Andrea Hoover, Dayton, 5-9 sophomore guard, Bellbrook, Ohio
Amanda Hyde, IPFW, 5-10 junior wing, Findlay, Ohio
Kortni Jones, MTSU, 5-9 senior guard, Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Taelor Karr, Gonzaga, 5-8 senior guard, Paola, Kan.
Jessica Kuster, Rice, 6-2 junior forward, San Antonio, Texas
Kalis Loyd, Lamar, 6-2 senior guard, Malmoe, Sweden
Britni Martin, Sam Houston State, 6-0 senior forward, Conroe, Texas
Damika Martinez, Iona, 5-7 sophomore guard, Meriden, Conn.
Dequesha McClanahan, Winthrop, 5-8 junior guard, Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Victoria McGowan, Stetson, 5-4 senior guard, Inkster, Mich
Hollie Mershon, Drexel, 5-10 senior guard, Malvern, Pa.
Kelsey Minato, Army, 5-8 freshman guard, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Mo Moran, Boston University, 5-7 senior guard, Hopewell Junction, N.Y.
Cheyenne Parker, High Point, 6-4 junior center, Queens, N.Y.
Lauren Polansky, Princeton, 5-8 senior guard, Mill Valley, Calif.
Adrian Ritchie, Green Bay, 5-11 senior guard, De Pere, Wisc.
Molly Schlemer, Cal Poly,6-5 junior center, Santa Maria, Calif.
D'shara Strange, Northern Colorado, 5-10 junior guard, Fountain, Colo.
Kacie Sowell, Seattle, 6-2 junior forward, Ventura, Calif.
Latia Williams, Prairie View A&M, 5-10 senior forward, Riverdale, Ga.
- 2012 Full Court Mid-Major All-American Teams: These Players Can Compete with Anyone
- Don't sleep on these Mid-Major teams -- even if they're not from BCS conferences


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Needy Family Project
Saturday, Feb. 25, from 1:30-5 p.m., the Fraternal Order of Eagles will be holding a fund-raising event promoting its motto: People Helping People.
For a $6 donation - which will help fund the group's Needy Family Project - members and guests will partake in a Southern tradition of ham and split pea soup.
Carryout is available, otherwise stop by at 3rd and B Street to enjoy this worthwhile cause. For more information, call 543-9789.
Non-Fiction Book Bunch
The Non-Fiction Book Bunch will meet on Wednesday, Feb. 29, at 1:30 p.m. when 'The Immortal Live of Henrietta Lacks' by Rebecca Skloot will be discussed. Subsequent book include:
• Thomas L. Friedman's and Michael Mandelbaum's 'That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back' for March;
• Jon Krakauer's 'Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith' for April;
• Erik Larson's 'Issac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History' for May.
The Effect of Bees
On Wednesday, Feb. 29, at 2 p.m., Pam Darty, US Fish & Wildlife Ranger, will present a program at the Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve, 1001 Old Rock Road, Yankeetown. Pam will give an overview of the Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges. She will discuss the importance of pollinating bees to these areas. Come early and enjoy a walk on one of the WGP's scenic trails or enjoy a picnic lunch. For more information visit www.withlacoocheegulfpreserve.com or email email@example.com.
March 2
Benefit planned for displaced family
The CK Aquaculture Association, the Oyster Association and CK School are preparing a benefit for the Berger Family who lost all they own to a fire last weekend. It will take place on Friday, March 2, in the City Park from 4-7 p.m. The organizers have some needs and are hoping businesses and individuals can assist them with the following:
• Styrofoam boxes, large and small
• Box of foil inserts
• Items for a silent raffle
There will be entertainment, raffle, steamed clams, fried oysters, deserts and drinks
If there is any way that you can help, please contact Rose Cantwell (543-6346).
Meet the candidates forum at Inglis
The Inlis RABAC will sponsor a Meet the Candidates forum at the Inglis Town Hall on Saturday, March 3, from 2 to 4 p.m. This will be a basic forum format where each of the candidates will speak for a few minutes and then respond to written questions from the audience.
March 15
Woman's Club raffle benefits veterans
The Cedar Key Woman's Club is fund-raising for Fisher House, the home away from home for veterans' families while they are being treated at the VA Hospital in Gainesville. While many other states have a Fisher House, Gainesville's facility has yet to be built.
The club is selling 250 raffle tickets for $10 each, with a prize of $500 going to the winner. The drawing will be at the club's fashion show on March 15 at the Cedar Key Community Center. Tickets are for sale at Déjà Vu, Curmudgeonalia Book Store, Kona Joe's, and from any club member.
A multitude of people in Cedar Key utilize the VA medical facility in Gainesville. By supporting the CKWC and buying a raffle ticket, you will be helping to insure that our local veterans and their families have a place to stay when receiving care at the VA.
For more information call, Eileen Senecal at 543-9850.
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Kirk Dillard is one of four Republicans running for governor. He's been a state senator since 1995 and was Gov. Jim Edgar's chief of staff before that. He was also Gov. James Thompson's legislative director.
This longtime lawyer and politician from Hinsdale, in DuPage County, says he has the know-how to end the culture of profligate spending and return Illinois to fiscal solvency.
Dillard nearly won the 2010 Republican gubernatorial primary, losing narrowly to fellow Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington. Brady lost to Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn that November.
Dillard, in a meeting Thursday with the Register Star Editorial Board, touted his running mate, businesswoman Jil Tracy of Quincy, saying he will make her "Repealer-in-Chief" in his administration, cutting red tape that makes Illinois a difficult state in which to do business.
Noting that Quinn and the state's legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle are Cook County residents, Dillard said Tracy and he would provide geographic balance in state government.
Northwest Illinois' economy is underutilized, Dillard said, even though it's "an aerospace hub with an international airport, interstates" and good colleges and universities. But to spur growth, worker's compensation laws must be reformed to make Illinois competitive with surrounding states.
While Quinn has allocated millions in tax money to build an airport near Peotone, Dillard doubts that the airport is needed.
"I told the South Suburban Chamber the other day ... Rockford has an international airport, I'm not sure you need another. Rockford is the second airport in the state. I encourage UPS to continue to use this hub more and more."
Dillard sponsored the bill that brought Boeing's corporate headquarters to Chicago; he said that led to more Illinois firms doing business with the international aircraft giant, including companies in Rockford.
"We need a top-to-bottom overhauling of our entire tax structure" in Illinois. He wants to repeal most of the sales tax on motor fuel; Illinois is one of seven states that has such a tax, in addition to a motor fuel tax. The sales tax does not fix roads, it goes into the General Fund.
Dillard would give 70 percent of it, about $450 million, back to the people and use the rest for infrastructure.
Dillard is against a graduated income tax, calling it a massive tax increase on the middle class, "not just the 1 percenters." If the measure goes to the voters, he said, the question on the ballot should specify the rates everyone would pay.
Dillard wants to roll back the 67 percent tax increase passed by Democrats, but with a caveat.
"I didn't vote for it because they made no cuts or structural changes. I've said we should roll that back. That being said, I don't know how big the (budget) hole is. They say it's $6 billion, but I don't know. I want to see what Scott Walker's going to do in Wisconsin because that has a bearing on what we do here. But I want to go back to a low, flat income tax."
The majority of the tax increase will expire in 2015; legislators could extend it in the post-election "lame duck" session.
Dillard also emphasizes the need to reform Medicaid to reduce fraud and abuse.
"I want to try to have better management of care. I want to see what kinds of waivers I can get to have more innovation in Medicaid. And I do have a relationship with the current occupant of the White House."
Dillard said he would appoint one person in his administration to examine Medicaid rolls and weed out ineligible recipients. Out-of-state residents try to get on Medicaid in Illinois because the state offers better benefits than surrounding states. Dillard cited a study saying that just reducing benefits to the same level as nearby states would save more than $1 billion.
"The New York Times, not a conservative newspaper, estimates that Medicaid is 10 percent fraud, and in Illinois that means $1.5 billion."
If a Republican becomes governor, he'll have to wok with House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, both Democrats, to get anything done.
"Nobody has the bipartisan ability that I do," Dillard said. "I was the Senate sponsor of the work rule changes law at McCormick Place, which kept it the convention center of America. Speaker Madigan was the House sponsor."
Chuck Sweeny: 815-987-1366; firstname.lastname@example.com; @chucksweeny


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Hi all,
I've another question for you whereas nobody could help me.
First of all, I'd like to know how you would do to pass a param of a property of one class to another class. I'll explain better:
I've two class modules (clsGame and clsSound). In clsGame I have this code:
while in clsSoundCode:Dim m_Sound As New clsSound Public Property Get Sounds(ByVal Item As String) As clsSound Set Sounds = m_Sound End Property
This code should play the sound which name is passed as param in Sounds property from clsGame... obviously it doesn't work because I cannot pass 'Item' from Sound property to 'Play' method, unless I've to move the param from the property into the sub, or keep 'Item' as public var somewhere else or save it into registry and delete it when it isn't more in use.Code:Public Sub Play() 'Play a sound here End Sub
There's a work-around to use a param of a property of a class into another class without creating public vars or other?
Then, I'd to know how to create default properties (such as the Text property for Textboxes or Caption for Labels, etc...). Most programmers said me it's not possible, but I don't believe that. In fact, reading from MSDN I discovered that it would be possible (even if there isn't how to do it)... So I hope you know how.
That's all folks.


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There were 65 bookings at the San Joaquin County Jail in the 24 hours ending at 8 a.m. Wednesday. At that time, there were 1,432 people held at the jail, which has an official capacity of 1,411. When the jail is full, some inmates may be released early.
There were 65 bookings at the San Joaquin County Jail in the 24 hours ending at 8 a.m. Wednesday. At that time, there were 1,432 people held at the jail, which has an official capacity of 1,411. When the jail is full, some inmates may be released early.
Attempted burglary arrest: Police arrested Antonio Contreras, 27, and Crystal Richardson, 40, on suspicion of attempted burglary and conspiracy after Contreras tried to break into a home in the 1000 block of River Bluff Lane about 11:51 a.m. Wednesday, police reported. Contreras fled in a white truck when a woman inside the home saw him, police said. Officers located the truck, and the victim identified Contreras as the man who tried to break into her home, officers said. Police said they believe Contreras may be responsible for two other burglaries.
Robbery: A 59-year-old woman overseeing an eviction in the 900 block of North San Joaquin Street about 10 a.m. Tuesday told police one of the former tenants slapped her. She took out her phone to call 911 when a second former tenant grabbed her phone before they fled. The assailants are a 42-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy, she told police.
Pursuit arrest: Police arrested Alejandro Alberto Batres, 33, on suspicion of vehicle pursuit and warrant charges after a car chase and then a foot pursuit about 5 p.m. Tuesday at Oak Street and Wilson Way. Police said an officer attempted to pull over Batres for traffic violations, but he sped away. After his car hit a telephone pole and curb at Fremont and D streets, he ran away, police said, before he was arrested.
Weapons arrest: Police arrested Reymundo Agilar, 19; Derick Garza, 19; and Jonathan Presas, 23, on suspicion of warrant and gun charges after spotting them in a vehicle matching the description of one used in a robbery in San Joaquin County and pulling it over about 5:55 p.m. Tuesday, officers said. One passenger ran and was caught; the other two remained in the car. Police said they could see a handgun on the passenger floorboard along with a ski mask and gloves.
Robbery: Two men convinced a 70-year-old man to give them a ride from the parking lot at Hammer Lane and Sampson Road to a bank, where he said he was going anyway, in the 4200 block of East Morada Lane about 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, police reported. He withdrew a large amount of cash, and when he returned to his vehicle, they took his cash and fled on foot, police said. One robber was described as a 40- to 50-year-old black man, 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 170 pounds, cleanshaven, with short hair and a heavy accent and wearing a tan suit. The second robber was described as a 40- to 50-year-old black man, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 210 pounds, cleanshaven, with short hair and wearing a black leather jacket and black pants.
The California Highway Patrol responded to 11 noninjury accidents and six injury accidents in the 24 hours ending at 8 a.m. Wednesday. CHP officers also recovered four stolen vehicles.
The Stockton Fire Department responded to 111 calls for service in the 24 hours ending at 8 a.m. Wednesday, including six vehicle accidents, 82 medical calls and two structure fires.


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County's reasons for scrapping audit panel are lame
I've been following the Jeffco audit issue for several months now, and after reading your June 15 front-page article "Commissioners scrap county audit panel," I thought it would be a good time to add my two cents.
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Delaware's Summer Feeding Program for Children will expand this year to serve 16,000 students across the state.
Delaware's Summer Feeding Program for Children will expand this year to serve 16,000 students across the state.
The program is to help families feed children who don't always have dependable access to food during the summer months. The $3.07 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture allows Delaware to test the summer delivery of food benefits to children and their families via electronic benefit cards. The program helps families buy healthy food during the summer for children who currently receive free or reduced-price meals at school.
The program will involve students in school districts from across the state in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. About 4,000 students in the Red Clay, Colonial, Christina and Appoquinimink school districts who were served last year will be served again this summer. From all of the other school districts, the program will conduct a lottery to randomly select 12,000 new children from those families who sign consent forms provided to them. Letters to parents, which include the consent forms, were mailed starting last week. For more information on the program, call (302) 453-2852 or visit www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dss/index.html.


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To help Boulder County farmers recover from last month's floods, the Local Food Shift Front Range Farm Relief Fund is collecting money at localfoodshift.com.
A month after historic floodwaters washed over much of Boulder County, local farmers continue to assess the damage to their land and crops, make sense of their losses and determine whether their produce is safe for consumption -- all during a time of year generally devoted to the fall harvest.
Individual farms in Boulder County sustained tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage -- not just from the immediate impacts of the flooding, but also the decision by some to throw out entire crops that had been soaked in possibly contaminated floodwaters.
"The reality is if you don't know where your water came from, if you don't know it was only rainwater, you cannot risk selling food to anybody," said Melanie Goldbort of Boulder's Sunbeam Farm.
Goldbort and partner Dennis Kline decided the safest avenue was to dispose of all produce that came in contact with floodwaters.
"We've slowly been picking through what to do next," Kline said. "It's really up to us. There's no one knocking on our door telling us we shouldn't sell our food. We're responsible for making the right choices because our choices, in the end, can really affect the livelihood of others."
According to the Food and Drug Administration's guidelines on evaluating the safety of flood-affected food crops, if an edible portion of a crop is exposed to floodwaters, it is considered adulterated and should not be consumed by humans. For crops that were possibly near floodwaters, a case-by-case evaluation is recommended, ultimately leaving the final decision up to the farmer.
Floodwaters can possibly carry sewage, various chemicals, heavy metals, pathogens and other contaminants, according to the FDA. State testing already has found high levels of E. coli in parts of the Boulder County flood zone.
'Stringent process to follow'
Peter Volz, owner of Oxford Gardens in Niwot, watched helplessly as a surging Left Hand Creek consumed portions of his fields during the flood.
"The southern portion of our field was affected, which sits right next to Left Hand Creek," Volz said. "Our fields essentially became a part of the creek."
Within a 24-hour period, the 15-foot-wide creek expanded to roughly 300 feet wide, washing away topsoil and wiping out crops, taking numerous beets, leeks, scallions, onions and greens along with it.
After incurring an estimated $15,000 in damages from both the loss of half an acre of produce and interruption in business, Volz had to decide whether to keep or throw away crops that may have been touched by floodwaters.
Following advice from Adrian Card, a Colorado State University Extension agent for Boulder County, Volz opted to clean any vegetables that may have come in contact with floodwaters.
"There was a special, stringent process to follow," Volz said. "We dumped produce in a specific Clorox solution, recommended by Adrian Card. I even contacted Clorox directly to make sure this was done properly on the potentially contaminated produce. Then we used the same process on some of the produce that wasn't affected by the flood, just in case."
'Slow process of acceptance'
Sunbeam Farm, which was denied assistance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sustained an estimated $19,000 in damages, after floodwaters destroyed 16,000 square feet of plants, and damaged the farm's greenhouse, animal pens and equipment.
Lacking assistance from other local and government agencies, Kline set up a fundraiser through YouCaring.com, asking the community to help keep the farm afloat. Setting a goal of $9,500, or half of the estimated losses, Sunbeam Farm's fundraiser has collected more than $6,000 so far.
Kline said that after putting everything they have, and more, into the farm, he hopes that with community support, Sunbeam Farm will be around for many more seasons.
"It's a slow process of acceptance," Kline said. "Our farm is our little baby. We've focused so much time and energy into it. Materials were lost and some things just can't be fixed. We're still picking through it all, since every area was affected. It's a mess and fairly confusing, but we're hoping with community support, we can pull through."
'Continue supporting local agriculture'
Mark Guttridge, owner of Ollin Farms in Longmont, whose fields were flooded by Left Hand Creek, has focused his efforts not only on his own farm cleanup -- after incurring $8,000 in infrastructure damages and another $10,000 in lost sales and damaged crops -- but also on helping other farmers get access to funds for recovery, as a member of the Farm Relief Fund Advisory Group.
"In general, farmers don't have access to funds for flood recovery, so a Front Range Farm Relief Fund has been set up and is accepting donations," Guttridge said. "This is a great step to help farmers with immediate needs."
Local Food Shift Group, a nonprofit organization, has joined forces with the Community Foundation of Boulder County and the Boulder County Farmers' Market to accept tax-deductible contributions. Donations will go toward grants and low-interest loans to farms affected by the flood.
"The best way to support farms is to continue supporting local agriculture by shopping at farmers' markets, farm stands or signing up for a 2014 CSA when they become available," Guttridge said.


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In this high-stakes, edge-of-your-seat thriller, a thin thread of survival separates a teenage kidnap victim from her only hope: a compassionate, steady voice on the other end of a cell phone marshaling all the resources she can to find her. Veteran 911 Emergency Call Center operator Jordan has the kind of job that's not for the...
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In this high-stakes, edge-of-your-seat thriller, a thin thread of survival separates a teenage kidnap victim from her only hope: a compassionate, steady voice on the other end of a cell phone marshaling all the resources she can to find her. Veteran 911 Emergency Call Center operator Jordan has the kind of job that's not for the faint of heart: navigating the public's distress in order to save lives. But when a young woman's frantic report of a prowler ends tragically, Jordan is devastated. Reassessing her life, Jordan wonders if perhaps she's experienced her last fraught-filled phone call. With a supportive cop for a boyfriend, maybe it's time to step back, enjoy life, and teach others the ins and outs of her high-pressure profession.That lifeline to strangers isn't over yet, though. When average American teenager Casey, is abducted by a serial killer, she manages to place a 911 call from the trunk of the killer's car. Jordan, leading a group of new recruits through the massive Call Center operation, is in earshot of the call. It's an all-too familiar scenario for this experienced public servant, but before long, Casey's situation reveals itself as eerily, shockingly familiar. There's only one thing Jordan can do: take charge in a way she's never done before. She must turn Casey into a partner in helping them track down the killer, and prove that this call is Jordan's calling.
To get showtimes, select a county to find cinemas showing this movie in your area.
We hear The Call and, for about three-quarters of its runtime, we answer. This is a twisty, compact thriller that completely skids off the rails before it's through. Which is a shame, because it features Halle Berry's best performance in a long, long time, and because director Brad Anderson (Transsiberian) mines Nancy Grace Era paranoia about sex offenders and serial killers to palpable effect.
Berry plays Jordan, a 911 emergency operator in Los Angeles, who spends her days taking call after call, most of them definitely not emergencies. There's the lonely drunk who always dials 911 just for company. Endless reports of missing cats and other animals on the loose, and even the odd pizza order every now and then. But then Jordan gets a true emergency call from Casey (Abigail Breslin), a girl who's been abducted at a shopping mall and is stuck in the trunk of her kidnapper's car as he speeds out of the city. It becomes clear from details Casey gives about her assailant that it's the same guy who mutilated and murdered another girl. A girl who also called Jordan right before she died. Jordan's still nursing grief and regret that emergency responders weren't able to get there in time, and so she makes it her mission not to let history repeat itself with Casey.
RELATED: WWE Wrestler Dave Bautista Will Be Green and Mean in 'Guardians of the Galaxy
Much of The Call consists of close-up shots of Breslin, confined to the dark interior of a trunk, intercut with close-up shots of Berry talking into her hands-free phone. It demands a lot from both actors to modulate their performances so that we're getting more from them than abject terror (from Breslin) and barely hidden terror (from Berry), and both actresses more than meet that challenge. There's a really nice exchange early on when Jordan tries to calm down a panic-stricken Casey by asking her what her favorite movie is. (You'll have to see the movie to find out the answer.) And their phone conversation quickly becomes an intricate display of escape artistry as Jordan walks Casey through several possible ways she can get out of the trunk, or at least signal for help. That WWE Studios (yes, that's World Wrestling Entertainment for you) co-produced a movie about two women using their wits to combat violence from men is pretty impressive. Though maybe the fact that the WWE is a company devoted to entertainment taking place inside an enclosed ring, explains the film's affinity for claustrophobia.
Anderson keeps upping the ante as Casey's kidnapper encounters multiple strangers who know he's up to no good and try to free the poor girl trapped in the trunk. But unlike Hitchcock, who would have made the scenario far more perverse by encouraging some identification with the kidnapper, in The Call he's nothing more than a one-dimensional psycho, a bogeyman driving a Camry. This is a movie for people who love to spend their nights watching HLN and think that any stranger they encounter may possibly want to torture them to death.
Yet, The Call doesn't become truly sensationalistic until its final 20 minutes, when Berry's Jordan decides to leave her call-center desk, venture out into the field, and attempt the rescue of Casey herself. On her own. It's a violation of an otherwise suspenseful parallel-editing structure that's so effective because it's as old as D.W. Griffith.
Once I was attending a screening of Rear Window at a Chicago repertory theater, and there was an audience member who suggested Hitchcock's film would have been better if Jimmy Stewart had left his apartment and, broken legs be damned, chased down Raymond Burr's Thorwald around New York in an epic mano-a-mano pursuit. Of course, that would completely ruin the concept of the movie. Maybe that audience member was Brad Anderson, because that's exactly what happens in The Call. The movie ends up in a dead zone.
[2/5 stars]
Follow Christian Blauvelt on Twitter @Ctblauvelt
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Framing began on Saturday for a new Habitat for Humanity house in Frederica.
Last week 101 Fifth Street in Frederica was a grassless plot of land with a cinder block foundation resting in the center. By 12 p.m. Saturday afternoon the lot was filled with community members and four freshly erected walls that had been built by Habitat for Humanity volunteers from across the area.
In a matter of months those four walls will belong to Mike and Renay Walls and their four children Anthony, Codi, Mikey, and Logan. For Renay the center of the project is family.
"Having a home is important because it's security and stability," Renay said. "It's about knowing that you have a place where your kids can grow up, where they can come back to."
For the past five years the Walls have called Frederica home, but only by way of rental property. However according to Renay rent is high and she wanted to give her children a sense of stability. Last March Renay attended a Habitat for Humanity seminar and after some prodding from her sister in law, who also owns a Habitat house, Renay applied to have a house of her own built. Once their house is finished the Walls will enter into a 25 year mortgage at a 0% interest rate, with Habitat for Humanity as the lender. Mortgage payments from Habitat homeowners like the Walls will be used to fund future Habitat houses. Habitat homeowners pay only for the land and the cost of building the house, Habitat for Humanity sees no profit. The average cost of a Habitat house is $105,000.
According to Cody Daugherty-Hayes, a Del-Tech student and volunteer with Habitat, the Walls will own a piece of Frederica by June.
"It usually takes around three months to build a house from new ground up." Daugherty-Hayes said. "It takes 14 Saturdays with 20 volunteers working eight hours a day."
Some of those man hours that it will take to build the two story, five bedroom, 1,500 square foot house will be worked by Renay and Mike themselves, each of them will have 250 hours into the project through physical labor on the house, attending financial advising sessions, and serving in the community. According to Renay their hard work makes the reward that much sweeter.
"When you're putting your blood, sweat and tears into something you get a huge sense of appreciation," she said. "I think it's the most exciting and rewarding things to do."
Their house is the fifth or ten houses that Habitat for Humanity plans to build in the Frederica area as part of their Neighborhood Revitalization project.
The lot right next door to the Walls house has already been cleared to make way for two more Habitat houses, ground has also been broken for another two homes on Fourth Street and a third site on the corner of Purnell and Thomas is being finalized. Habitat for Humanity is slated to have completed the remaining projects by the end of 2014.
However one thing that makes this house unique is the fact that it is the first Apostles build that Central Delaware has done in its 20 year history. Twelve churches have come together to offer monetary support, as well as physical labor in order to build the Walls house. The 12 participating churches are Calvary Assembly of God, Christ Episcopal Church – Dover, Felton Viola United Methodist Church, First Southern Baptist Church, Freedom Baptist Church, Grace Church, Holy Cross Catholic Church, Hope United Methodist Church, Peoples Church of Dover, Presbyterian Church of Dover, Wesley United Methodist Church and Wyoming United Methodist Church.
According to Jocelyn McBride, executive Director of the Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity, churches are natural partners for Habitat, as the non-profit group is a Christian organization itself.
"It's an unbelievably great feeling to see all the support, love and care that people have put into this," Renay said.
At the moment the house may just be cinder blocks and framing but in Renay's head it's already becoming home.
"The first thing I'm going to do when the house is finished is line my kids up to one of the beams and mark how tall they are, so I can watch them grow," Renay said.


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Sports fans live for a good script.
Whether that story is one about an accomplished team chasing history or a cinderella team playing way over its head, the resulting euphoria can become addicting.
Sports fans live for a good script.
Whether that story is one about an accomplished team chasing history or a cinderella team playing way over its head, the resulting euphoria can become addicting.
It's easy to forget that sports aren't scripted after all, even when the story seems permeated by predestination or filled with fable-in-the-making vibes.
The Miami Heat's win streak sparked the imaginations of many and even resulted in a tribute video prominent on YouTube which provided the perfect soundtrack for a historic achievement. The Heat needed just seven wins to eclipse the record for the league's longest winning streak.
And Miami seemed like a good candidate to get the job done. They had 27 in a row. Why not a few more?
For a minute, fans believed. And not just a little bit. They believed with all of their heart and none of their brain cells.
This record was unlikely to be broken for the simple fact that teams have been trying to break it for around 40 years.
The Laker and Celtic dynasties of the 1980s couldn't get it done. The Bulls dynasty of the 90s fell short too.
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal didn't reach that mountaintop during the early 2000s either.
And so when the Bulls ended the Heat's streak on Wednesday night, well, that really wasn't all that big of a story.
Heat succumbs to gravity.
Seems like that sort of thing happens to all of us at one point in time or another.
But there was still a sense of disappointment and disgust. And, for quite a few fans, the NBA probably didn't seem as exciting on Thursday morning as it had a short 24 hours previous.
No need to believe in these larger-life-stories now. Right?
If that were the case, all fans would be inoculated against the devastating consequences of over-hype.
We haven't been inoculated and we aren't immune.
Case in point, the hype surrounding this year's cinderellas in the NCAA tourney.
No. 9 seed Wichita State plays LaSalle tonight. The Shocks beat a No. 1 seed to reach this game. They are riding a tide of momentum.
No. 12 seed Oregon plays a tourney favorite in Louisville Friday night. Dana Altman has his players beliveing when others refuse to believe.
Don't forget the No. 15 seed, Florida Gulf Coast, which is slated to play Florida on Friday. Florida has an athletic department budget that dwarfs that of Florida Gulf Coast, but the Eagles feel the gap in talent isn't that big. They can win.
Why not?
Fans see these match ups and virtually froth at the mouth. Wouldn't it be great if one of these teams made it to the Elite Eight? How about the Final Four? What if one of these teams wins the National Championship?
It is definitely easy to get caught up in it, if only for a moment.
I am not saying to completely resist the temptation to pull for an underdog. It's one of the things that makes sports fun to watch.
Just remember, the story isn't written.
Teams seeded as low as the Shockers, Ducks and Eagles rarely reach the Elite Eight, let alone the Final Four. And the lowest seed to win the whole tourney was seeded No. 8.
A No. 8 seed won the title once.
Just once.
So believe in underdogs and have fun.
Just don't believe so much that the elimination of those teams destroys your enjoyment of March Madness.
Leave that job up to your busted bracket.


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In this heart pounding action-thriller, Kevin Costner is a dangerous international spy, who is determined to give up his high stakes life to finally build a closer relationship with his estranged wife and daughter, whom he's previously kept at arm's length to keep out of danger. But first, he must complete one last mission- even if it...
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In this heart pounding action-thriller, Kevin Costner is a dangerous international spy, who is determined to give up his high stakes life to finally build a closer relationship with his estranged wife and daughter, whom he's previously kept at arm's length to keep out of danger. But first, he must complete one last mission- even if it means juggling the two toughest assignments yet: hunting down the world's most ruthless terrorist and looking after his teenage daughter for the first time in ten years, while his wife is out of town.
To get showtimes, enter your location to find theaters showing this movie in your area.
It's easy to compare 3 Days to Kill to Luc Besson's flagship franchise Taken. The film itself practically encourages those comparisons, what with the older man who reluctantly returns to a life of killing for the good of his daughter. The hero's quest of hunting down international criminals in a stunning foreign locale is punctuated by all of the explosions and gore your heart could desire. Neither 3 Days screenwriter Besson nor director McG are attempting to blaze a trail or reinvent a wheel. They're simply attempting to create a film that will keep you entertained for two hours, and on that front, at least, they succeed.
Stepping into the Liam Neeson role this time around is Kevin Costner as Ethan Renner, who is either an assasssin or a spy that works for either the CIA or the Secret Service (it's not really all that important in the end), forced to walk away from the job after he is diagnosed with cancer (or maybe a brain tumor). In an attempt to spend his remaining months bonding with his estranged daughter Zoey (Hailee Steinfeld), he moves to Paris to settle down. Of course, that's when Vivi (Amber Heard), a CIA agent/spy/assassin arrives, along with an experimental new drug that could extend Ethan's life, which she will happily pass along... if he takes out their two most wanted criminals within three days.
From there, the film veers wildly between graphic fight sequences, with enough chaos and destruction to equal both Taken movies, and the story of Ethan and Zoey's growing relationship. Much of the plot is confusing and barely explained - Ethan and Vivi vaguely work for the CIA, although they're unconcerned by the devastating destruction they leave in their wake. The drug is "experimental," but how it helps or why it's only available through a giant purple syringe is waived away by the presence of a stack of "research." Ethan only has three days to complete his mission, but seems to hang around Paris for a lot longer. The villains are wanted by the government for being tangentially involved with a "dirty bomb." There's a shoehorned-in subplot about family of African immigrants squatting in Ethan's apartment. But despite the fact that so many of these elements never find a way to coalesce into a coherent whole, once the body count starts to rise and the buildings start to fall, it's easy to simply ignore all of that in favor of massive explosions.
When the film works, Ethan's job and his relationship with Zoey blend together in a way that gives 3 Days to Kill some much needed heart and humor - like when he's interrupted in torturing a target by her constant phone calls - but when it doesn't, the transitions between Ethan taking out the criminals he's hunting and his slightly cloying bonding experience with Zoey can be jarring. As Ethan, Costner is a serviceable action hero; he growls threateningly and stares fondly at Steinfeld when the script calls for it, but for the most part, he appears to be phoning it in. Of course, for this kind of film, that's all he really needs to do, but it means that by the time the credits roll, much of his performance is already forgotten. As Zoey, Steinfeld does her best with the material, and makes some of the more emotional scenes between herself and Costner affecting. However, even she can't save the father-daughter plot of the film from becoming trite and stale at times, and so her scenes mostly feel like a quick breather in between the rounds of graphic violence.
Heard feels out-of-place as Vivi, who is introduced as the buttoned-down second-in-command to the head of the CIA, but then proceeds to spend the rest of the film speeding around Paris in sports cars, and prancing about in a wardrobe of leather, corsets, and high heels. Costner is clearly in an older-man action film, but Heard is in another film entirely, one in which she's a sexy super spy single-handedly taking down international criminals. Despite the fact that she's mostly there to provi
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text: Hello, World Good, it looks like this thing is working. Welcome all to the new Shacknews! Yes, as your first look already told you, we've given the place a massive overhaul. When we started talking about redesigning the Shack, we decided to go all the way and not just slap a new coat of paint on things. The changes you see--and those you don't behind the scenes--throughout the site reflect months of work toward the goal of creating a better Shacknews experience. Clearly, the front page is a departure from the blog format of old. We absolutely intend to continue reporting the video game news of the day as our core content. And we have a revised news page for that as well if you prefer the traditional "river" view. The new Shacknews home page comes at things a little differently. The visual approach gives us an easy way to quickly present the best stories of the moment. It results in a page you can quickly scan to see what stories you might want to check out right away. We also wanted to better support the community that forms the heart and soul of the Shack. That starts with a new and improved chatty. It now runs on a 24-hour cycle, meaning you'll never again get cutoff by the Morning Discussion or Evening Reading reset. We also bring in headlines from our news stories as a new root post. This puts the conversation for a story in one place and makes it easy to sit on chatty and see everything that's going on as well. It's an all new Shacknews underneath the hood as well. Not nearly as flashy, but maybe most important of all the upgrades, the end result should be a consistently responsive site. We also modernized many of the things you use everyday like the new screenshot viewer and video player. Enough talking about it, we're eager for you to get in and see what we've been working on. We put together this brief video walkthrough as a quick way to get familiar with the lay of the land. Give it a look, play with the new site, and thanks for being part of the Shack. We know this is a bold change. It's also just the starting point. There's a lot still to do and we'll be closely watching all the suggestions and comments. BOOM video 8219


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Buck dismissed the pending charges because he did not believe his office could prove the perjury charges against Broderick without two additional perjury charges that had previously been dismissed. The dismissal was upheld by the Colorado Court of Appeals, and the Colorado Supreme Court this week declined to consider the case.
"It's a sad day for justice in Colorado in my opinion," Buck said. "I'm sorry I can't do more for Tim Masters.
Feb. 11, 1987: Peggy Hettrick is murdered. Then 15-year-old Tim Masters discovers her body on the way to school and does not report it, arousing suspicion by Fort Collins police.
August 1998: Masters is arrested in California and charged with first-degree murder after an 11-year investigation that focused mainly on him as a suspect.
March 1999: A jury finds Masters guilty of first-degree murder, and he is immediately sentenced to life in prison.
February 2001: The Colorado Court of Appeals upholds Masters conviction.
October 2002: The Colorado Supreme Court upholds Masters conviction.
May 2003: Masters files a motion for a new trial.
August 2007: A series of hearings on that motion for a new trial begin and ultimately lead to the discovery of new DNA evidence as well as footprints and other evidence that was withheld from the defense in the original trial.
January 2008: DNA results come in, Masters is released on bond, all charges are dismissed and Colorado Attorney General John Suthers takes over the investigation into who killed Hettrick.
October 2008: Masters files a civil lawsuit against Larimer County and Fort Collins.
February 2010: Larimer County settles the civil suit and agrees to pay Masters $4.1 million.
June 2010: Fort Collins settles the civil suit and agrees to pay Masters $5.9 million.
May 2011: All perjury charges are dismissed because of a date missing on the indictment.
June 2011: Masters is officially exonerated. July 2011: Second grand jury indicts Broderick on nine perjury charges.
December 2011: District Judge dismisses two perjury charges based on defense arguments, leading to appeals to higher Colorado courts.
January 2013: Colorado Supreme Court declines to hear prosecutors appeal, leading District Attorney Ken Buck to dismiss all charges against Broderick.
At the original trial, Broderick testified he knew of only one print at the scene that was definitively from a Thom McAn shoe. While that is technically true, he knew of other prints that appeared to be from the same Thom McAn -- a shoe Masters never owned and not in his size -- though they did not have definitive markings.
A grand jury twice indicted Broderick on multiple perjury charges, including allegations that he lied on the stand about those shoe prints. The trial judge dismissed that count against Broderick, ruling that his answer was vague enough that it was not a lie.
That allegation was probably the most central to the case against Broderick, Buck said, and the failure of higher courts to reinstate it made it difficult to prove he lied and show a pattern of untruths.
"That testimony was probably the most misleading of the case that we considered perjury and the judge did not," Buck said.
While he would not outright say Broderick lied or did something wrong, Buck said he would not trust Broderick were he an officer in Weld County.
He also said, that after he and a panel of highly trained prosecutors and investigators looked over all the evidence, murder charges should never have been filed against Masters.
"The people who did this to him were more than incompetent," Buck said, blaming the end result on tunnel vision and an attempt to make evidence fit the theory that Masters committed the murder at the age of 15.
"There's no way independent minds were brought to bear on this case.
The footprint evidence withheld at trial supports a theory that two people were involved in Hettrick's murder and removed her body from a car at the curb, at times dragging it and at times carrying it together to the spot in the field where it was discovered. A trail of her blood, too, supports that theory, according to Buck.
"It's absurd to think that Tim Masters at his age would have been able to carry Peggy Hettrick's body or even drag Peggy Hettrick's body a distance like that," Buck said.
Those at the heart of the case against Masters were lead detective Broderick, who is still on paid administrative leave with Fort Collins Police Services, and then-prosecutors Terry Gilmore and Jolene Blair. The prosecutors became judges after convicting Masters and were later censured for mistakes made and voted off the bench. Broderick was indicted by two different grand juries.
The first charges were dismissed because of a missing date on the paperwork, while the second were dismissed by Buck on Friday because he did not have enough evidence to prove them.
Broderick's attorney, Patrick Tooley, said the decision was the right thing to do, the ethical action for prosecutors to take.
"I'm pleased that there is now closure on this matter," Tooley said. "We were confident the case would be dismissed one way or the other. It's time and appropriate for this matter to be dismissed."
Masters and his supporters, however, do not agree that this was the right thing to do.
Upset and angry at the news, Masters declined to speak about the decision Friday.
His friend and supporter, local attorney and former policeman Troy Krenning, however, said that a dismissal based on not being able to prove allegations is what should have happened to Masters instead of a trial and conviction in 1999.
"It's nice to know on occasion that the system works," Krenning said. "Too bad it didn't work for Tim. His family was wiped out financially and Tim spent yeas behind bars while Jim Broderick gets a defense financed by the city of Fort Collins."
The city paid for much of Broderick's defense before reaching a cap and turning the bills over to the lieutenant.
While he no longer faces a criminal investigation, Broderick does still face an internal review by Fort Collins police, which was reinvigorated by the decision to dismiss the charges.
Masters still lives in Northern Colorado, released a book about his ordeal and was awarded a total of $10 million from Larimer County and Fort Collins for his wrongful conviction. Buck said he was sorry to have to call Masters and tell him about the dismissal.
"I think Tim Masters has conducted himself with great dignity in this ordeal, and I have a great deal of respect for him," Buck said. "I'm sorry we couldn't proceed with justice.
Justice also still eludes Hettrick. While the case is still open by the Colorado Attorney General, no one has been charged with her murder.


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A bill that would allow illegal immigrants to attend college at in-state tuition rates passed the Colorado Senate with a historic vote Monday, the first time any Republicans had ever voted for the bill.
Senate Bill 33 passed the Democratic-led Senate on a 23-12 vote, with three Republicans voting in favor. The bill now can go to the Democratic-controlled House, where it is expected to pass and possibly pick up a few GOP votes there as well.
"We are now going to be able to reward young people who have played by the rules," said state Sen. Angela Giron, D-Pueblo, a co-sponsor of the bill. "They are now going to be able to give back."
The bill allows students who have attended a Colorado high school for at least three years, and who have graduated, to attend public colleges and universities at the in-state tuition rate regardless of their immigration statuses.
There has been far less opposition to the bill than in previous years, when even some Democrats opposed the idea and no Republicans supported it.
Still, historic opponents like Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, called the bill "false hope" for students who still wouldn't be able to legally work in the country.
Tim Hoover: 303-954-1626, firstname.lastname@example.com or twitter.com/timhoover


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Seven Ways Battlefield 3 is Improving on the Battlefield Blog outlines post-launch improvements for Battlefield 3, DICE's military shooter sequel. Some have already been implemented, whole some are coming in the near future. Already complete are improved QuickMatch functionality, Hardcore server availability, game stability, and lag and rubber-banding fixes. In the works are fixes for joining and remaining in squads, a default region setting in the server browser, and Origin installation and authentication issues.
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With three major sports leagues suffering through lockouts recently, I can't help but often recall the process responsible for the foundation of modern free agency. Free agency meant an open market for players, with fewer or no restrictions, the primary effect of which is more players moving around to make more money.
From 1879 to the late 1970s, Major League Baseball players were subject to the "reserve clause" in a standard player contract. This essentially meant that teams owned the right for a player to play for them, like property. Players couldn't voluntarily leave their teams, they could only be traded. It also meant that they received only one contract offer. They either took the offer and played or were forced to sit out.
This was a rule very common in pro sports at the time, originating from when they were just nascent businesses growing out of organized clubs. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there wasn't much of a market for pro sports stars. They were making 10 or 50 times the wages of a blue-collar worker for playing a game in a league with much less exposure and market power.
There wasn't much of a reason to fight for more money. Many clubs at the time were so financially fragile, there just wasn't more money to be given.
This is why, in 1922, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that baseball was just an "amusement," not an organized business, and therefore was not considered interstate commerce. This gave baseball a critical shield, because it was now free from antitrust regulations. Owners could do as they pleased without being regulated like any other business. They got a free pass on collusion just 12 years after Standard Oil was ordered dissolved for doing the same thing.
At the time, no one imagined the economic potential of pro sports. By the late 1960s, however, MLB was up to 24 franchises and was spreading all over the country. Games could be seen on television now. Stars were household names across the country.
All of this benefit went to the league. Willie Mays made $130,000 in 1966 and was the highest paid player at the time. That's $841,000 in today's dollars. And that was only 30 percent more than Joe DiMaggio was making 17 years earlier, in a much different scenario. Players were starting to grumble louder, demanding more and talking of organizing.
After the 1969 season, the Cardinals traded three-time All-Star outfielder Curt Flood to the Phillies as part of a six player deal. Flood refused to go. He didn't technically have a contract at all at the time, but he could only play for the Phillies. The Phillies had offered him a contract but he didn't want to take it and thought he should be able to consider deals from other clubs.
When baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn refused his request for free agency, Flood brought suit.
Flood v. Kuhn made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. While the court didn't rule in his favor, it did say that baseball was interstate commerce and the courts would not protect baseball as immune to antitrust regulations. Flood was receiving threats from people who believed he was destroying the sport.
Finally, by 1976, an arbitration decision created true free agency in baseball. The owners employed the arbitrator in that case, and he was fired the very next day. Owners have never gotten over their lost monopoly and seem to take it a little too personally.
Maybe I just want my hockey back.
Bill Sayer is a financial analyst in the insurance industry and holds a degree in economics. A native of upstate New York, Bill enjoys watching college football, the NFL, NHL and Premier League soccer from his home in Palmyra. Have a suggestion, link or question?


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Column published March 14, 2013 in The Mexico Ledger
100 Years Ago
"Arrangements have been made for the mass meeting of Audrain County citizens in the interest of Farm Advisor Movement and the organization of the Audrain County Bureau of Agriculture. This will be a two-day meeting to be held at Lyric Theatre, Mexico, on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 25th and 26th. The Lyric Theatre will seat 1,000 persons."
50 Years Ago
"Don Forbis of Wellsville has joined the advertising staff at The Ledger and will be in charge of classified advertising, replacing Don Branson, who has resigned to take another position. Mr. Forbis attended Fulton High School and is the son of Clyde Forbis of Fulton. He is married to the former Miss Rovera Debo of Wellsville and they have three children, Paul, Stephanie and Cynthia. He operated his own business in Wellsville before coming to Mexico. The family are members of the Wellsville Methodist Church and Mr. Forbis is a member of the Masonic Lodge."
25 Years Ago
"More than 200 friends of Rev. Robert Collins, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Mexico, filled the Knights of Columbus Hall Friday evening as he was honored with the Distinguished Citizen Award, presented by the Little Dixie District, Great Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Tim Williams, district chairman, read a resolution from the Missouri House of Representatives in recognition of the award. He also presented the Rev. Collins with the New Random House Dictionary of the English Language and a walnut dictionary stand, handcrafted by Jim Atkinson, a gifts from the Boy Scouts."
10 Years Ago
"The DAR essay winners were honored at the March 3 meeting. Winners include Robert Seigfreid, Benjamin Jennings, Kaitlyn Woods, fifth grade; Matthew Wilson, Katherine Wortmann, Makenzie Mudd, sixth grade; William Seigfreid, Kathryn Perll, seventh grade; Ryan Tyser, Rebekah Burke, Katherine Hamlett, eighth grade; and Sarah Seigfreid."
The Yesterday In Mexico column is published daily in The Mexico Ledger.
An expanded column is published on Fridays.
Call the circulation department (573) 581-1111 for subscription information.


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Approximately 30 landowners, watershed scientists and resource managers interested in watershed restoration in the Scott River basin attended the annual Scott River Watershed Information Forum in Fort Jones on March 20.
Approximately 30 landowners, watershed scientists and resource managers interested in watershed restoration in the Scott River basin attended the annual Scott River Watershed Information Forum in Fort Jones on March 20.
The forum is an opportunity for groups and individuals involved in watershed projects in, or related to, the Scott River to exchange information about their projects.
This year's forum featured informative presentations on the history of stream restoration in French Creek, Klamath National Forest snow surveys and coho salmon habitat creation.
Stuart Farber, biologist for W.M. Beaty and Associates, presented a comprehensive history of the more than 20 years of restoration work in French Creek, an important tributary to the Scott River. According to Farber, the effort began in 1990, when landowners and fisheries professionals became concerned about the obvious and excessive sediment problems in French Creek. He said the watershed was "ripe for war" among landowners who were pointing fingers over responsibility for the problem.
Due to the lack of knowledge and abundant accusations in the watershed, an independent facilitator was brought in to conduct meetings and gather perspectives. Before the end of 1990 those active in the effort formed the French Creek Watershed Advisory Group, which quickly began gathering information, pooling resources and forming a plan to tackle the problem. As a result of a sediment analysis, unpaved roads were identified as the primary contributor of sediment to the stream.
Between 1990 and 1992, the advisory group resurfaced 42 miles of road and driveways in the watershed, the US Forest Service (USFS) closed four miles of road and 20,000 trees were planted – all aimed toward reducing the erosion of roads, cut banks and fill slopes.
The effort was so successful at vastly reducing sediment in its first few years that reports on the projects were published in prominent scientific journals. Farber told the audience that the historic and ongoing efforts in French Creek continue to be a very positive example of voluntary watershed restoration.
USFS Biologist Mia Meneks gave an informative presentation about the process used to measure snowpack in the mountains west of Scott Valley. That snowpack is a major contributor to summer stream flows in the Scott River and its tributaries and knowing its water content can help predict and prepare for summer water conditions.
Meneks displayed the metal tubes used to drill snow cores. The cores are then measured for depth and weighed to judge water content. She said USFS is just one of several agencies and organizations statewide that take snowpack measurements and submit their data to the California Department of Water Resources, where the data is compiled and analyzed for use by water managers throughout the state.
Mid-Klamath Watershed Council Executive Director Will Harling presented information about his organization's efforts to create off-channel rearing habitat for juvenile coho in the mid-Klamath region.
Harling said, to date, his group has constructed four off-channel rearing ponds along Seiad Creek and one on West Grider Creek. The ponds are constructed adjacent to the stream where groundwater levels are high enough to fill the pond. Each pond has a single outflow channel on its downstream end, which connects it to the main channel. This keeps high velocity stream flows from entering the pond on its upstream end but allows fish to come and go freely from the downstream end. Harling said juvenile coho do not survive well in winter high flow conditions, making low velocity, off-channel rearing habitat essential to their success.
According to follow-up monitoring, Harling said different ponds showed higher levels of use by coho juveniles at different times of year, depending on the surrounding habitat, but some ponds hosted as many as 862 fish at once. He also showed growth rate data that indicated substantially faster growth in the ponds they constructed compared to in-channel habitats, though in-channel beaver ponds also showed relatively high numbers of coho and strong growth rates as they utilize many of the same components as the off-channel ponds.
Harling said the success of these projects indicates that larger projects are needed to reconfigure stream channels in the Klamath Basin. He said over 100 years of channel alteration from large scale mining and flood response efforts have left much of the watershed with straight, channelized streams containing very limited low velocity habitat. He also believes that these kinds of projects are very applicable to the Scott River watershed, which has been subject to the same influences and alterations.
The forum ended with an open discussion among the audience and presenters. Several agency scientists gave brief updates on their activities in the Scott River and gave other attendees the opportunity to ask questions.
For more information about restoration and enhancement projects in the Scott River watershed, contact the Scott River Watershed Council at www.scottriver.net or cal


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While the U.S. Military has its Area 51, which is rumored to house evidence of a spaceship crash in Arizona in 1947, Hudson County can boast its own deep money pit: Building 77, into which taxpayers poured millions of dollars in renovation costs over the last several years in an effort to give the county Office of Emergency Management its own digs in Kearny.
Recently gutted only to have local officials learn that the structure had historical significance and should have been preserved, Building 77 is getting nearer to becoming a countywide emergency communications headquarters as the Hudson County freeholders authorize purchases of equipment.
Too late to honor the historic role the building played in America's war effort in World War II, the building will, however, be fitted with a plaque on the all so that future generations will be able to appreciate its value.
Located at the top of Newark Bay in Kearny near the Jersey City border, Building 77 was along a number of historic military sites along that waterfront that serviced seat bearing and other military operations during the depths of WWII.
"The site was where many of these things were fixed," said Freeholder Bill O'Dea. "Unfortunately, nobody bothered to check if it had historical significance before work started there. No one checked with the Department of the Interior."
"Unfortunately, nobody bothered to check if it had historical significance before work started there." – Freeholder Bill O'Dea
O'Dea said not was the county unaware of the need for a variety of items, such as checking the historic significance, but also got hung up in the quagmire of an unexpected environmental cleanup.
Bids awarded, contracts authorized
For many years, the county OEM shared space with the Jersey City OEM. The new facility with its communication network will, according to county officials, provide one more level of protection to residents of Hudson County – if, of course, Building 77 doesn't come up with any more issues.
The county appears to be on track now, as freeholders at their Sept. 13 meeting authorized the award of a bid for electronic equipment for the new emergency operations center, a $107,642 contract to firms. In another bid they awarded a $43,111 contract for new conference tables, and authorized a purchase of cellular services with AT&T as well.
The concept is to provide one communications headquarters where all the key decision makers in an emergency can connect. OEM officers became the center of a local strategy for dealing with major disasters after the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993. A national report issued to Congress in the mid-1990s established the 1998 Federal Response Plan, and the need for every agency at every level to understand its role and responsibilities. Each level of government was required to accumulate information about their communities and establish protocols for dealing with emergencies such as establishing which group was responsible for what response, and to facilitate communication between them.
The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks showed that there were still many serious deficiencies that local, state, and federal officials have been seeking to rectify.
The OEM center will not be used exclusively for acts of terror, but for any emergency that requires the coordination of emergency services that cross municipal, county, or even state lines, and where communication is essential to a coordinated response.
Al Sullivan may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.