KCC-1-14-2013

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CHRONICLE Monday, January 14, 2013 | kcchronicle.coM

Shot at fame

area reSidentS audition for BatV reality Show PaGe 3

Rena Naltsas – For the Kane County Chronicle

ashley Welsh, 19, auditions Sunday for BaTV’s new reality show, “Project Publish,” by reading her piece “Time Traveling cop” at Batavia Public library. “Project Publish” spotlights teams of writers and performers coming together to create a performance for a grand prize. The the reality show streams live from Feb. 10 through March 24.

looKinG forward lego displays headed to Batavia Public library

BATAVIA – Lego fans are invited to view an assortment of displays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave. For information, call the Youth Services department at 630-879-1393, ext. 500.

Swing Set Preschool to celebrate 40th birthday

ST. CHARLES – Swing Set Preschool will celebrate its 40th birthday at an event from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday.

There will be games, ice cream and pizza. Children’s musician Bill Hooper will perform from 6 to 6:30 p.m. The school is at 40W451 Fox Mill Blvd., St. Charles. For information, call 630-4438570.

the weather high 26 low 15 today Sunny during the day, partly cloudy at night.

high 30 low 21 tuesday Mostly sunny during the day, partly cloudy at night.

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Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com • Monday, January 14, 2013

| NEWS

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OUT AND ABOUT Open house at Friendship Station Preschool

GENEVA – The Geneva Park District’s Friendship Station Preschool will host its annual open house from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22 in the east wing of Geneva Middle School South, 1415 Viking Drive.

Parents and their children are invited to ask questions, meet staff and explore classrooms before registration for the 2013-14 school year. The 3-year-old classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 4-year-old classes meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Morning programs meet from 9 to 11:30 a.m., and afternoon programs meet 12:30 to 3 p.m. Children must be 3 or 4 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2013, to enroll in the respective programs. Registration for 2013-14 preschool for residents not currently enrolled begins Feb. 4. Registration for children currently enrolled in Friendship Station Preschool will be Jan. 23 through Feb. 1. The preschool is at 1415 Viking Drive in Geneva.

Parking is available between Geneva North and South middle schools. For information, call 630.232.4542 or visit www.genevaparks.org/programs/friendship_station.html.

Spaghetti dinner to benefit St. Peter mission

BATAVIA – An all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner is set to benefit St. Peter Church’s high school mission trip.

The dinner will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Knights of Columbus Hall (Riverview Banquets), 1117 N. Washington Ave., Batavia.

Ticket prices are $10 for adults and children age 10 and older and $5 for children age 3 to 9. Children age 2 and younger are free.

Carry-out dinners will be available. Customers can come in and assemble their own dinners or pull up at the front door and a teen will come out to take the order and deliver food to their car. Tickets can be purchased from 8:30 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the St. Peter Parish Center, 1891 Kaneville Road, Geneva, or by calling event coordinator Mary Kay Rogers at 630-232-9026.

Third Tuesday supper to feature beef stew

GENEVA – A homemade beef stew supper will be served from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Third Tuesday Supper at United Methodist Church of Geneva, 211 Hamilton St. For information, visit www.thirdtuesdaysuppers.com or call 630-232-7120. The church is continuing its freeto-all, no reservations needed meal in the second-floor dining hall. This menu includes beef and vegetable stew, buttered noodles, Caesar salad, hot rolls and butter and a homemade dessert buffet. Hot dogs and chips are always available as an alternative meal. There will be two buffet lines all evening. Anyone wishing to donate money to the supper program can do so by sending a check to the church office marked “Third Tuesday Suppers,” or donating in “The Quiet Can” on the beverage table. All funds received go to supper expenses.

Have news to share?

To submit news to the Kane County Chronicle, send a news release to editorial@kcchronicle.com.

Be sure to include the time, the date and the place, as well as contact information.

Nicole Weskerna - nweskerna@shawmedia.com

Terry Kelly and his son, Conor, 5, of Oak Forest look at a Cabela’s moose display Saturday at the All-Canada Show at Pheasant Run Resort and Convention Center in St. Charles.

All-Canada Show helps outdoor enthusiasts plan trips up north

By NICOLE WESKERNA

nweskerna@shawmedia.com ST. CHARLES – Michael Vlasich has experienced some of his most memorable fishing excursions in Canada.

It was at Red Lake in Ontario where he caught a 42-inch, 24pound great northern pike – a fish big enough to brag about for years.

It’s been a while since he last visited, though. Vlasich of Munster, Ind., was at the All-Canada Show at Pheasant Run Resort and Convention Center in St. Charles on Saturday looking for a fishing outfitter to help coordinate another trip to Canada.

“I used to go [to Canada] a long time ago. I’m rekindling an old flame, so to speak,” he said. “It’s light there for 17 hours so you can fish all day.”

Featuring more than 120 vendors, the All-Canada Show annually draws thousands of people who are interested in coordinating hunting and fishing trips all over Canada. Some vendors offered comfortable resort atmospheres, while others offered a remote, rugged experience.

Vlasich said he enjoys fishing in Canada, in particular, because

it gets him outdoors enjoying nature. He said it’s not uncommon to see moose, bears and eagles there.

Cabela’s had several displays of taxidermied wildlife, including two moose with locked antlers, fish and deer.

The Coffee family of Glendale Heights checked out some mounted fish displays Saturday when they stopped by the show to start planning a family vacation. Jamie Coffee said he has been to the show a handful of times to plan trips to Canada, but his wife, Jennifer, and their son, Benjamin, 7, have never been there. Jamie Coffee said he looked forward to bringing his family along on a trip, possibly to Ontario.

“I fish just about everywhere,” he said. “There’s no experience like fishing in Canada.”

Show vendor Debbie Alexander, manager for Thunderhook Fly-Ins, said some of her clients have caught as many as 100 walleye each while fishing in the heart of northwestern Ontario.

“There’s no road access. It’s really remote and beautiful,” she said. “You’re going to catch a nice sized fish.”

That’s similar to the experiences Terry Kelly of Oak Forest has had when he’s traveled to Canada

to fish. He said one of his most memorable trips was a recent one with his nephews who had never been fishing in Canada.

“There’s some amazing fish,” he said. “Last time I was there, we caught 100 walleye in one day and went through 12 dozen minnows.”

Kelly said his new favorite spot to fish in Canada is Wawang Lake in Graham, Ontario. He said he hopes his son, Conor, 5, gets to tag along on his next trip.

Alexander said most people who are looking to travel to Canada are seeking remote areas where few, if any, other people fish. But she said there are other packages available that include canoeing and kayaking.

She said the All-Canada Show, which tours five states, is especially popular in St. Charles.

“It’s one of the most popular shows we do and one of the most highly-attended,” she said of the St. Charles location. “It’s a really good show with a lot of guests. I love this show.”

The show continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Pheasant Run, 4051 E. Main St. in St. Charles.

Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and children, and free for children 12 and younger.

By ERIC SCHELKOPF eschelkopf@shawmedia.com

Rena Naltsas – For the Kane County Chronicle

ABOVE: Steve Poulos auditions Sunday for BATV’s new reality show Project Publish, performing Paul Rudnick’s “I Hate Hamlet” at the Batavia Public Library.

Project Publish spotlights teams of writers and performers coming together to create a performance for a grand prize as the reality show streams live from Feb. 10 through March 24. LEFT: Creative Director Richard Graves (center) reacts as John Drake reads his piece called “How I Gave Up The Sciences And Took Up The Arts.”

BATV community television station intern and “Project Publish” producer Kimberly Kozar heard Graves

read the poem during last year’s Art in Your Eye festival in Batavia, and decided to bring his idea to life.

House blaze caused $350K in damage Kane County Chronicle editorial@kcchronicle.com Firefighters continue to investigate a blaze that caused $350,000 in damage to a twostory house at 5N353 Crane Road near St. Charles on Saturday morning.

There were no injures in the fire, according to the Fox River and Countryside Fire/ Rescue District. Firefighters arrived on the scene at 11:52 a.m., and had the fire under control at 12:59 p.m.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, they found the house engulfed in fire, with heavy flames on its front and side, according to a press release.

The house was set back with limited access, and the area is not served by fire hydrants, the district stated.

The first crews on the scene deployed a handline for dousing the fire and established a tanker for shuttling the water. Because of concerns about the structure’s

stability, crews were limited to exterior operations, the press release stated.

The fire caused extensive damage throughout the home, its roof and flooring. Fire departments from South Elgin, Pingree Grove, Elburn, Burlington, Batavia, St. Charles, Sugar Grove as well as personnel from the Kane County Sheriff’s Department, Kane County Office of Emergency Management also assisted the Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District.

“It’s very exciting,” Kozar said Sunday outside the audition rooms. “What I like most about it is how we have so

• Monday, January 14, 2013

BATAVIA – With guitar in hand, Rebecca Strand of Batavia performed an original song, “Press On,” in front of the judges at the Batavia Public Library on Sunday in the hopes of landing a spot on BATV’s new reality show, “Project Publish.”

While the judges applauded Strand on her musicianship, they gave her another challenge – to make a song out of a short story written by another contestant. Strand said she was up for the challenge.

“I’ve never written a song on the spot before,” the 22year-old Strand said. “I’ve always done it at my own tempo. But if I don’t step outside my comfort zone, I’ll never grow.”

The auditions will continue Sunday at the St. Charles Public Library for the 14 participant slots that are open for “Project Publish,” a seven-week show that will be broadcast live from BATV on Sunday afternoons, Feb. 10 through March 24.

Each week, a performer will be randomly paired with a writer.

“They can bring somebody else’s work to life,” said local writer and St. Charles resident Richard Graves, host and creative director of the show.

Graves had bemoaned the fact that writers have a hard time generating an audience during open mic events in a humorous poem he wrote titled “Open Mic Mania.”

many people from the community getting together to pull it off.”

That includes Patrick Moynihan of Waveform in Batavia, who is producing the show’s theme song and sound elements, to local resident Karl Lescelius, who made the show’s logo. About a dozen people auditioned Sunday, and Kozar said she expects more people to audition next Sunday.

That included Andrew Schroeder, 25, of Batavia, who read a piece called “And A Bright Light Caught Us Standing There,” that revolved around a real-life experience about how he got arrested after climbing on to the roof at Rotolo Middle School the summer after he graduated from high school.

“I figured I would give it a shot,” Schroeder said about auditioning for “Project Publish.” “I figured it would be a cool thing to be a part of.”

Donald Bingle, a published area writer and a judge for “Project Publish,” viewed the piece favorably.

“It’s a nice frozen moment in time,” Bingle told Schroeder. “A little more detail would have made it more vivid for me.”

Bingle said he wants to offer constructive criticism to the contestants.

“We’re not here to be mean,” he said. “I think we are here to be honest with people about their strengths and weaknesses.”

More information about “Project Publish” is available by going to BATV’s website at www.batv.us.

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NEWS | Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com

Area residents audition for BATV reality show

Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com • Monday, January 14, 2013

| SPORTS

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COACH SLY’S CORNER

Rena Naltsas – For the Kane County Chronicle

St. Charles East's Amanda Hilton drives around St. Charles North’s Natalie Winkates on Saturday. Hilton scored a game-high 26 points as the Saints won, 59-55, to retain the Upstate Eight Conference River Division lead.

gIRLS BASKETBALL: ST. CHARLES EAST 59, ST. CHARLES NORTH 55

Hilton, East gets kicks against North

By KEVIN DRULEY

kdruley@shawmedia.com ST. CHARLES – Amanda Hilton balances St. Charles East girls basketball with offseason club soccer workouts for Strikers Fox Valley each winter.

Her efforts Saturday proved to be an extension of time-management skills, as the Saints’ junior point guard naturally fused both sports together.

Hilton weaved quickly and aggressively through St. Charles North’s press and half-court defense, keying a 59-55 Upstate Eight Conference River Division road win. As the game tightened down the stretch, the only part of her soccer instincts she abandoned was the illegal use of her hands, finishing 12 of 14 from the foul line to highlight a 26point game.

“Speed and control, for sure, are in both,” said Hilton, who doubles as a midfielder and recently committed to the Nebraska women’s soccer team.

“And plus, tough situations where it’s high pressure, a lot of that comes into soccer, too.”

Hilton handled the final tense moment of the afternoon, splitting a pair of free throws with 7.8 seconds remaining to provide the final margin.

East (12-9, 7-1 UEC River) grabbed sole possession of the conference lead with its third straight win in the crosstown series. Streamwood, idle until next weekend, is the league’s only other oneloss team.

The North Stars (5-15, 2-6) countered the Saints’ hustle with their own added

energy. Told East coach Lori Drumtra had applauded North’s strides since the Saints’ 15-point home victory last month, the North Stars’ Alex Silverman couldn’t help but agree.

While sophomores Nicole Davidson (18 points) and Sam Novak (10) joined Silverman (19) in double figures, North still derived much of its urgency from Silverman’s fellow seniors. Lauren Durocher and Ava Tarka are the others on an underclassmen-heavy bunch.

“It’s the last East rivalry game for a lot of girls on the team this year, and they want to come out and win their last one,” Silverman said. “We were a little short, but we did everything we could, and I’m proud of how we played.”

North chopped away at a 32-25 deficit at the break, seizing a 42-40 lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter on a Novak 3 from the left wing.

Hilton answered with a 3 moments later. It was her first field goal of the half.

The Saints started attacking the basket once North went over the foul limit with 50.8 seconds to go in the third quarter.

“More layups, less outside shots, less 3s,” East senior forward Laney Deckrow said. “Play smarter.”

The Saints converted 22 of 31 free throws (70.9 percent), a success rate that helped offset North’s four 3s. Silverman provided the last one, hitting a long 3 to draw the North Stars within three, 58-55.

“We’re down, it’s a rivalry game, anything can happen. We just wanted to

get back in the game,” Silverman said.

“Good thing Nicole Davidson and Morgan Rosencrants set two good screens for me to get the 3 up without any pressure, so it was good. Luckily, it went in.”

Unfortunately for North, Hilton was handling the ball. She took the inbounds pass and immediately darted past three North Stars.

Hilton crossed midcourt and buttonhooked to take more time off the clock.

North finally caught up to her and fouled with 7.8 seconds left. With East in the double-bonus, Hilton missed her first free throw but recovered to make the second.

“That’s kind of how the momentum kept going,” Hilton said. “We kept making free throws and driving.”

North dribbled to East’s baseline but did not attempt a shot before time expired.

Deckrow followed Hilton with 10 points for the Saints. Carly Pottle – also a forward during soccer season – had eight.

Sophomore guard Katie Claussner scored each of her seven points in the first half, giving North Stars defenders a different look as a speedy left-handed ballhandler.

Still, the Saints pointed to Hilton as their difference-maker. A night after scoring 13 points in limited minutes in an easy win at Larkin, Hilton treated Saturday like any other day on her winter sports calendar.

“Just her talent. Just her talent in general,” Deckrow said. “She knows how to use the ball, knows how to pass.

And her strategy, too.”

A 22-point win for the Batavia boys over Geneva? Who saw that one coming?

Kudos to Jim Nazos and his Battlin’ Bulldogs for a command performance Friday night. A team that looked like it was going nowhere early in the season now looks like a team that nobody would want to play.

It would be one thing if Batavia pounded Geneva out of the blue, but this Bulldogs team played good ball to close 2012, too, taking third place at the Elgin tourney.

Batavia already has four conference losses and probably isn’t going to compete for a River championship, but the Bulldogs look plenty dangerous enough to make life difficult on the teams that are in contention.

Geneva will vouch for that.

On the bright side for those in Vikings blue on Friday, the Geneva girls scored a big W over Batavia.

The Vikes might be a game behind St. Charles East and Streamwood in the River race, but you better believe those teams can hear Geneva’s footsteps behind them, getting louder by the day. Even with somewhat of a patchwork lineup at this point, the Vikings have an impressive collection of talent, and still have games with East and Streamwood left on the slate.

Lastly, did you guys hear about that ACC-Marmion boys game Friday night? ACC coughed up a 19-point halftime lead, allowed Marmion to take a late lead, but still pulled out the W. Just about as strange as a 7-8 team beating a 13-3 team by 22 points. That’s rivalry basketball for you ... weirdness is to be expected.

BOYS BASKETBALL: HUSKIES 63, SAINTS 59

By DENNIS D. JACOBS

editorial@kchronicle.com

two points midway through the second quarter, but a 7-0 run by Naperville North put East behind, 22-13. At that point, Gentry had yet to score and East’s other primary scoring threat, junior guard Dom Adduci, had yet to find his shooting touch.

“My mentality is to attack the whole game,” Gentry said.

“When I noticed [Adduci] was a little off, I just figured I’d go to the basket to try to draw some fouls and get to the freethrow line because that’s easy points.”

Gentry did just that, going a perfect 9 for 9 from the foul line.

But the Huskies won the battle of free throws, hitting on 27 of 32 attempts (91 percent) compared with East‘s 12 of 17 (71 percent).

Naperville North senior Bryan LoLordo matched Gentry, hitting all nine of his free throws, including eight in the final 3:12 of the game to help seal East’s fate.

BOYS BASKETBALL: ST. CHARLES NORTH 73, STREAMWOOD 38

North surges past Streamwood

By MICHAEL GIBBS

editorial@kcchronicle.com

ST. CHARLES – The St. Charles North boys basketball team got a huge shot in the arm from its bench Saturday and turned it into a 73-38 victory against Streamwood in Upstate Eight Conference River Division action.

Led by sophomore reserves Jake Ludwig and Jack Callaghan, as well as senior bench player Ryan Thomas, the North Stars (10-6, 4-2 UEC River) outscored the Sabres (6-11, 1-5), 20-6, during the second quarter.

The run swelled a 16-14 lead into a 36-20 advantage.

Ludwig scored five points, Callaghan three and Thomas two during the quarter. And in the first quarter, junior Erik Miller came off the bench to score five points.

“This was a good game for us to break out because we want to start peaking for the state tournament,” Ludwig said. “We technically have a

first and second team, but we all play together.

“It is a competition in practice each day. We are all practicing hard to get better and earn more minutes.”

North coach Tom Poulin said the lift from the bench was huge, especially after he pointed the finger at himself for how the unit was used during Tuesday’s loss at Bartlett.

“I keep talking about how much depth we have, but in the second half against Bartlett, I should have gone to our bench to re-energize us,” Poulin said. “I didn’t do that, and I regretted it. “[The reserves] want their minutes. They are told when they get on the floor to make the most of it, impact the game in a positive way. This week in practice, it was whoever gets out there and competes is going to be rewarded with playing time. Those guys were rewarded with playing time and they made the most of it.”

The North Stars’ starters made sure they made their

presence felt in the third quarter, as Tony Neari scored nine, Quinten Payne eight and Alec Goetz five during a 24-12 quarter that increased the lead to 60-32 heading to the fourth.

“Guys off the bench stepped up, and that is what we needed,” Payne said. “We were missing some shots early.

They came out with great energy and built us a big lead.

Then the starters continued that in the third quarter.”

Payne led all scorers with 19 points. Ludwig had 12, Neari 11 and Justin Stanko 10.

“It was a bad loss to Bartlett Tuesday. We shouldn’t have lost that game,” Payne said.

“On Tuesday, all the guys in the locker room said we had to come out in practice with a ton of energy.

“All 16 guys were [practicing hard], diving. We did a great job of having energy Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.”

Joel Lightbourne led Streamwood with eight points.

We check in with the Geneva boys bowling team as the Vikings prepare for the late stages of the season.

Also, our boys basketball insider looks ahead to an eventful Friday of prep hoops, including rivalry games between St. Charles East and St. Charles North and St. Francis and Wheaton Academy.

Friday

We preview the Upstate Eight Conference Wrestling Meet, which takes place this weekend at Batavia.

Regular season champion St. Charles East and conference runners-up Batavia will be favored to excel.

Saturday

Log on to KCChronicle.com/preps for coverage of Saturday evening’s crucial UEC River boys basketball game between conference front-runners Larkin and Geneva in Elgin.

The game will be the first of two scheduled conference meetings between the contenders; the teams will also meet on Feb. 8 in Geneva.

PREP SCHEDULE

TODAY Girls basketball: St. Francis at Marian Central, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY Girls basketball: Morris at Kaneland, 7 p.m.; Burlington Central at Rockford Christian, 7:15 p.m.; Montini at Wheaton Academy, 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY Boys basketball: Elgin at Batavia, 7:15 p.m.

Girls basketball: CICS Ellison at Aurora Central Catholic, 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY Wrestling: Marmion at Mount Carmel, 6:30 p.m.

Boys swimming: Waubonsie Valley at St. Charles East, 4:30 p.m.; Metea Valley at St. Charles North, 5 p.m.

• Monday, January 14, 2013

NAPERVILLE – Points at the beginning of a game count the same as points at the end, a fact that tripped up the St. Charles East boys basketball team Saturday night at the Naperville North Shootout.

After a lackluster start against the host Huskies, the Saints rallied from a 10-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to take a two-point lead with four minutes to play. The Saints simply couldn’t maintain their momentum down the stretch in a 63-59 defeat.

“Wedidnotplayhardenough from the beginning,” East coach Pat Woods said. “We weren’t ready to play once again. … I don’t know if we’re thinking we’re better than we are in the locker room or what.”

Woods was asked if the Saints (10-7) still were searching for an identity after the loss

of star Kendall Stephens for the season with a shoulder injury.

“No doubt,” Woods responded. “We’re still trying to find our way and we haven’t yet.

Hopefully we will by next Friday when we play St. Charles North.”

East is 2-3 without Stephens and his nearly 20 points a game average, and is still searching for players to pick up some of that scoring slack. Sophomore guard Cole Gentry did his part against the Huskies (10-6), scoring a career-high 31 points.

“We fought well in the fourth,” Gentry said. “I just [think] we didn’t have the same intensity we had in the fourth quarter throughout the game.

We dug ourselves a hole. We had to come back out of it and when you come back from that big of a hole, you’re going to be tired, so I don’t think we had the energy to sustain [our momentum].”

The Saints trailed by just

Tuesday

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SPORTS | Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com

Saints fail to hold on

LOOKING FORWARD: THE WEEK AHEAD IN KANE COUNTY CHRONICLE SPORTS

Arlo & Janis

Garfield

Big Nate

Get Fuzzy

Crankshaft

The Pajama Diaries

Stone Soup

Pearls Before Swine

Dilbert

Rose Is Rose

Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com • Monday, January 14, 2013

| COMICS

6

Blondie

The Born Loser

Real Life Adventures

DEAR ABBY Jeanne Phillips It may turn out that your son’s playmate is a latchkey kid or being neglected. If the latter is true, then Child Protective Services should be notified.

Dear Abby: I am a woman who is more than 50 pounds overweight. It didn’t happen overnight, and I completely understand that I am the only person to blame for it.

I gained the weight because of years of unhealthy eating, lack of exercise and the birth of my two daughters over a period of six years.

Recently I decided to do something about it. I took the initiative, adopted a sensible diet and have started walking two to three miles a day with my friend, “Shannon.”

Abby, on almost every occasion, Shannon and I are made fun of as we walk. It’s embarrassing and extremely discouraging. We realize we are overweight. We don’t need people calling attention to us or making fun of the “fat girls.”

Won’t you please let your readers know that struggling with weight loss is hard enough without adding the fear and anxiety of being made a laughingstock while exercising? – Losing Slowly in Ohio Dear Losing Slowly: I applaud you for recognizing you had a challenge and rising (literally) to meet it.

When I see someone who’s carrying extra weight walking or working out at a gym, what comes to mind is, “There’s a person who is doing something positive about his or her problem.”

The individuals making those unkind remarks are trying to make themselves feel superior by putting you down. Please don’t let it discourage you. You’re on the right track.

• Write Dear Abby at www.dearabby.com.

• Monday, January 14, 2013

The Argyle Sweater

Dear Abby: My son “Timmy” has a playmate from down the street I’ll call “Bobby.” I’m happy that Timmy has someone to play with, but Bobby’s parents haven’t taught him good manners. Even though Bobby is only 6 years old, he does not have a curfew. He has stayed at our house as late as 10:30 at night without his parents coming after him or calling to ask me to send him home.

Also, Abby, I did not invite Bobby to my 4-yearold daughter’s birthday party because it was for her and her little friends.

Well, Bobby, his older sister and a friend of hers showed up anyway. I didn’t have enough favors for the extra children. I was able to stretch the food, but I was aggravated that his parents didn’t have enough respect for me to stop their children from crashing my daughter’s birthday.

I was brought up to leave my friends’ homes when it was dinnertime, but these children don’t want to go home even when I ask them to leave so we can have our dinner. They beg to stay and eat with us.

How can parents be so inconsiderate as to allow their children to come over anytime and stay as long as they like? I want it to stop, but I don’t want to cause hard feelings. How do I handle this? – Imposed Upon in Oklahoma Dear Imposed Upon: There is usually a good reason why children don’t want to go home. Has it occurred to you that Bobby’s parents may be drunk, stoned or absent?

If a parent is reachable, explain to him or her that at your house you have a regular dinner hour and that it is family time. Guests must go home then, unless they have been specifically invited to stay.

Also, after-dinner playtime is over at 8:30 p.m. and guests must go home by then – but not walk alone after dark.

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COMICS AND ADVICE | Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com

Asking son’s playmate to go home is no fun for mother

Beetle Bailey

CROSSWORD

BRIDGE by Phillip Alder

SUDOKU

Answers to Puzzle

Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com • Monday, January 14, 2013

| PUZZLES

8

The bidding helps the declarer play

SOLUTION

CELEBRITY CIPHER

Evan Daugherty, a screenwriter, director and editor, said, “Those are the two best words in English: ‘bidding’ and ‘war.’”

These are the two best words in bridge: “bidding” and “cardplay.”

And they are certainly interrelated. The bidding often helps one side or the other in the cardplay – as in this deal from a private game with four experts.

South was in five diamonds.

West led the heart queen. East won with his ace and returned a heart. How did declarer continue?

North’s one-club opening bid was Precision, showing at least 16 points. South’s pass over East’s one-heart overcall announced either zero to 4 points or the desire to double one heart for penalty.

The rest of the auction was natural.

The bidding strongly suggested that West had the spade king and diamond length. But if South took the second trick with dummy’s heart jack, how would he have continued? Appreciating that he needed to be in his hand, declarer won with his heart king, played a spade to dummy’s queen, and cashed the diamond ace to get that unsurprising news.

Then he took the spade ace, West correctly dropping the king, the card he was known to hold.

However, South ruffed a spade with his diamond 10, played a diamond to dummy’s jack, cashed the diamond king, and led a high spade. He lost only one heart and one diamond.

Note that if East had never bid, it would have been much harder for declarer. When you do not expect to win the auction, silence can be golden.