Volume 108, Issue 3
Senior wins individual state title D
by Grant Campbell @grantc_3100
Danny Kilrea ‘18 caps off dominant senior cross country season as 3A champion Danny Kilrea ‘18 finishes state meet in first place. (Submitted by @ColinBPhoto)
espite missing the entirety of his freshman cross country season due to two stress fractures in his left leg, Danny Kilrea ’18 bounced back from injury to become a state champion in his final cross country season at LT. “[My injury] taught me how to take better care of my body,” he said. “If it did not happen to me, I would not be the runner I am today.” On Nov. 4, Peoria’s Detweiller Park was plagued with mud and faced serious rain the night before the race and during the race. While the conditions were not ideal, Kilrea was able to maintain his composure for one of the biggest races of his career. “I knew times would not be as fast because of the muddy course,” he said. “My plan going into the race was to compete.
During the race, I only thought about finishing. It feels great to be a state champion.” Kilrea finished with a time of 14:08, 14 seconds ahead of the second place finisher. Since Kilrea’s injury, he has dominated practically every race in his high school career. In addition to his natural talent, his teammates have noted his work ethic in and out of practice. “Everyday he comes to practice with a great attitude to get better,” varsity teammate Charlie Harders ’18 said. “He works hard and keeps his goals in mind to make sure that every day he gets close to the goal he sets. His competitiveness and passion for this sport allow him to have the drive and strength to win every race he’s a part of.”
Friday, December 1, 2017
P H aper
ighlights
Look here for some quick reads on this issue’s features. Page 2: Have you heard of “The Do It For Dominic Hero Fund?” If you haven’t, check out Page 2. Page 3: Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live a life of poverty? McClure recently had a simulation. Read all about it on Page 3. Page 4: Special needs Theater delivered a great performance of Beauty and the Beast. We have pictures on Page 4 in case you missed it.
Continued on page 12
Page 5: The community page is back. See what’s happening at the start of the Christmas season on Page 5.
“I was just really interested and wanted to go and see it for myself,” Kuntz said. Kuntz returned home to begin her freshman year at Savannah College by Pilar Valdes of Art and Design, but did not feel satisfied with her time at the film Less than 24 hours after graduating from LT, Rebecca Kuntz ‘11 was school, Allan said. She decided to take another trip to Africa through Carpe Diem Edon a plane to Ghana, Africa, to volunteer with Light for Children, a nonucation, an organization profit organization based that runs gap semesters in Ghana that focuses on focused on volunteering, education, orphan preKuntz said. She spent three vention and health for months in East Africa and children. went to Uganda, Rwanda Throughout her tenand Tanzania and volunure at LT, Kuntz was inteered at local nonprofits. volved in LTTV as both “We would really just a student director and a be the hands and feet of filmmaker, advisor Bill whatever they needed done Allan said. During her there,” she said. senior year, she became After permanently leavinterested in documening SCAD, Kuntz enrolled tary filmmaking. in DePaul University and At the same time, continued to work towards she interned at a docher degree in peace justice umentary film compaand conflict resolution onny, What Took You So line, she said. For the next Long, which worked three years, she continued with Light for Children to go to Africa every three and produced documento six months and stay there taries about Africa. This for months at a time voluninspired her to go to Afteering at Light for Chilrica herself and help in dren in Ghana. the local communities “At LT I was always with the nonprofit, she Rebecca Kuntz ‘11 hoists her newly adopted daughter Ellie Grace. (Kuntz) involved in leadership posisaid. “[Kuntz] was really moved by that,” Allan said. “I think a lot of people tions and I was interested in volunteering and giving back,” Kuntz said. “I knew that my life passion was working with kids.” were, but Rebecca especially. Something clicked.” While in Ghana, she saw the need for an education center for chilThe summer before college, Kuntz spent three months in Ghana, working with Light for Children, Kuntz said. She spent the summer volunteer- dren, Allan said. She began to raise funds with the help of the LT community to build a multipurpose education center. Continued on page 6 ing and working with children through the non profit.
Page 6: If you didn’t already know, the LION seniors killed it in Dallas. Check out our trip in the Snapchat box on Page 6.
LT alumnus improves Ghanaian community Rebecca Kuntz ‘11 brings home daughter after six years of volunteer work in Ghana
Beverage tax canned Tax on sugary drinks repeal to go into effect today, Dec. 1 by Grace DeKoker @grace_dekoker
The Board of Cook County Commissioners reached a decision regarding the highly contested tax on all sweetened beverages on Oct. 10. After months of pressure from their constituents, the commissioners took a vote which would repeal the beverage tax, Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison (R- Palos Park) said. The board voted 15-2, ruling that as of today, Dec. 1, the penny-per-ounce tax on drinks with added sugars or sweeteners would be rescinded. “It was the general public that absolutely helped drive the repeal,” Morrison said. “I was the lead sponsor, I wrote the ordinance to have it put in, but I very likely could not have gotten it repealed. The citizens of Cook County placed a lot of pressure on my elected colleagues, which helped to encourage them to vote against the tax.” Morrison was immediately against the beverage tax, and voted against it from the get-go, he said. The initial vote was 8-8, and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle (D-Chicago) tipped the scale. She was one of the tax’s largest proponents, though several drink companies and most citi-
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zens of the 17th district opposed it. Small businesses faced an immediate threat, as the tax would impact their sale and distribution of most offered beverages. The expected revenue was anywhere from $90170 million, Morrison said. In his tenure as a commissioner, he had “never experienced anything like [the soda tax]; no tax issue has had this negative of an effect.” Additionally, a lawsuit was filed by the Illinois Retail-Merchants Association earlier this year challenging the constitutionality of the tax. The Illinois Constitution states that taxes must be evenly applied; the specific target on the soda industry was hard-hitting, opponents say. “Any tax that segments a small section is bad tax policy,” Morrison said. “A government should never sue a resident or resident organization for something like that. It was my last straw.” Yet with the repeal, the promised funds disappear. In order to begin paying off the state’s debt, Preckwinkle has proposed the elimination of several mid-level management positions and vacant positons. “Without revenue, we are left with no other option,” Preckwinkle wrote to the county’s commissioners. “It’s not a case of not wanting the money to go to Cook County, it’s a case of appropriating the money… we have to live with money issues, with political issues, with taxation, but I personally don’t think that tax looked at the big picture,” LGBA President Kathy Dierkes said.
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Page 8: What do you think should happen to the $20 bill? We have some ideas of our own on Page 8. Page 9: Everyone hates the reminder emails about submitting proof of meningitis shots. See how we feel about vaccines on Page 9. Page 10: This former LT runner dominated his first marathon. Read all about it on Page 10. Page 12: Remember Chris Herren from health class? He came to talk to South Campus. Full coverage on Page 12. Page 14: Want to reminisce about the 2000s? Flip to Page 14. Page 16-17: Will we ever make it to Mars? We talk about it on Pages 16-17. Page 19: Sexual harassment is always coming up in the news. We decided to cover this topic too. Flip to Page 19.
JEA/NSPA Results
by Harper Hill @harpss42 The following current LION reporters received national recognition for their work at the National Scholastic Press Association and Journalism Education Association convention, held in Dallas from Nov. 16-19. The JEA national write-off consisted of 48 contests with a total of 1,581 student journalist participants.
Sydney Kaehler ‘18- Honorable Mention in Editorial Cartooning Luke Lusson ‘18- Excellent award in Sports Writing Greta Markey ‘18- Excellent award News Editing/Headline Writing Spiro Kass ‘18- Excellent award in Editorial Writing Mikaela Larson’18- Superior award in Commentary Writing Caroline Konstant ‘17, Sheridan Speiss ‘17, Grace Palmer ‘17, Maddy Cohen ‘18- Honorable Men- tion for two-page spread in May 2017 issue
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