Western Courier| May 1st, 2019 by The Western Courier

Opinions: Should El Rancherito have stayed closed?

Sports: Track and Field gets ready for Summit League Championships.

WesternCourier.com

Wednesday, May 1, 2019 - Vol. 119 Issue 85

@Western-

City Council discusses lift station repairs

FELICIA SELMON/COURIER STAFF

Public Works Director Scott Coker (left) and City Administrator Dean Torreson (right) discuss water pipe repairs.

By Steven Barnum news editor Public Works Director Scott Coker shared with Macomb Aldermen on Monday evening that there’s a leak at the University Drive lift station. The public works department discovered the leak on Easter weekend during a routine inspection. Coker said that workers tried to patch the leak but were unsuccessful in doing so. The department would need $100,000 to get the necessary materials to fix the issue.

“Everything is working currently, but we need to go back in and disconnect the pipes,” Coker said. “What we did was just a temporary fix.” Coker said that the funding for the repairs will come out of the Wastewater Reserve Fund. That fund has about $800,000 available to spend at the start of the new fiscal year, which indicates that the city will be able to withstand the financial burden of the project. Once approved, the project is expected to be completed in five hours. The newly named “Macomb Arts Center” is seeking

a grant from the city of Macomb through the Downtown Renovation Grant Program. Ron Patron, a volunteer board member for what was formerly the “West Central Arts Center,” spoke on behalf of the nonprofit organization. Patron said that the city loaned the group money to purchase the East Side Square location in 2008. Since then, it’s provided music, dance, crafts and photographythemed events for members of the Macomb community. Recently, Patron shared that the fitting rooms were transformed into space that is now

used for storage, office and a kitchen. The kitchen makes it possible for the organization to now prepare snacks and beverages during shows. Additionally, they repaired faulty gutters and downspouts, fixed the exterior finish to the building where it was falling off and replaced the outdated heating and air conditioning units. This didn’t come without a cost, according to Patron, who referenced the $18,000 setback. “We’re still trying to get our finances in order,” Patron said. “It’s very important as a nonprofit to capitalize on

FELICIA SELMON/COURIER STAFF

what we have and to make sure that every dollar we put in that we’re getting it back.” If the city chooses them for the grant, the Macomb Arts Center would like to replace the siding, the windows on the first and second floors and improve the lighting. “They need to be replaced,” Patron said. “And it will be reasonably inexpensive to make these updates to the buildings.”

City Council page 3

NEWS

WesternCourier.com

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

University Art Gallery holds event for high school students By Karla Foster courier staff

As the school year ends, that means that the current seniors who attend Western Illinois University for the art program will make room for the new artists to come in with their ideas and talent. Recently, the Art Gallery hosted the High School Invitational for high school students around the Macomb area to have their work be shown in a real gallery. These feature art from students who live in: West Central, Rushville-Industry, Monmouth-Roseville, Spoon

River Valley, Illini West, Farmington Central and Mercer County. Over 40 pieces were selected for the event and each student was thrilled over the fact that their art was displayed for all of the Macomb area to see and witness. Tyler Hennings, the director of the art gallery and the host of the event, says that the event should help bring in more students to Western. “One of the goals is to try to recruit some students and get them on campus and see the art department and see what we do, but it’s mostly to give

these students an opportunity to have their works shown in this space,” Hennings said. The smiles and the pride were shown around students and faculty as it was a time for these high schoolers to have their time in the spotlight. There were many different mediums of art that were shown in the invitational, such as digital, watercolor, sculpture and even fan art. People who came to the event were very amazed with the work that the students brought in. High school art teachers were very proud of their students and felt like

they were doing a great job in their field. One high school teacher, Kurt Fowler, says that he is very proud of his students taking the next step in their art career. “Every teacher ’s goal is to see those students succeed and so when you get to see your students work displayed in a gallery setting thats a big bonus, a big plus,” Fowler said. It was pretty obvious that many teachers and faculty felt the same way when they saw their students work make it in the real world. With the art displayed at this event, it helps devel-

FELICIA SELMON/COURIER STAFF

op future skills that these student artists can use to enhance their future job opportunities. With the school year coming to a close, we have to embrace what is coming next semester here at the University. These future students will be given the torch to represent Western artistically. They will expand the art department by helping it grow into a more well known department in our University. If you want to check out the work of the high school students, you can go to the art gallery from now until this Friday.

FELICIA SELMON/COURIER STAFF

Above are two of the displays that students presented during last week's art gallery event.

WC Located on the third floor of the Heating Plant Annex on the south end of campus across from Sherman Hall. Mail: 1 University Circle, WIU, Macomb, IL 61455 Phone: 309-298-1876 Fax: 309-298-2309 Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays E-mail: micour@wiu.edu Member: Illinois College Press Association, National Association College Press

STAFF MEMBERS editor-in-chief Devon Greene DJ-Greene@wiu.edu news editor Steven Barnum

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photo editor Becca Langys

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sports editor Bradley Piros

assistant photo editor Sara Remar

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assistant sports editor Chris Bean

production manager Jimmy Pierson

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edge editor Marc Ramirez

business manager Faith Rucker

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Wednesday, May 1, 2019

@WesternCourier

City Council from page 1

Downtown Development Director Kristin Terry said that the group plans to replace old doors and add a new sign to their structure. According to Terry, the town budgets $50,000 each year for the renovation grant; however, they wouldn’t be able to offer that amount at this time. Aldermen Gayle Carper and Tom Koch said that they were in strong support of the plans to renovate the building and that they wish that there was more money available. They agreed that giving the amount that is currently in the grant is an appropriate decision. Elsewhere, Chris Trotter was the only person to submit a proposal to improve the properties at 121 and 123 W. Jackson St. in Macomb. City

Administrator Dean Torreson said that Trotter is offering the city $5,000 to redevelop the locations. The proposal includes plans for office space for the Western Illinois Regional Council. Part of the building would also be demolished in order to accommodate for extra parking space. The proposal will be on the agenda for first reading during next week’s meeting. Mayor Mike Inman said that he was pleased to find out that Governor J.B. Pritzker selected Macomb as one of 28 local governments to receive grant money for the safe routes to school program. As discussed at previous meetings, the initiative encourages exercise through biking, while also making sure there is a clear and safe route for kids to walk to and from school. With the announcement, the city could construct new sidewalks and ramps near the schools.

FELICIA SELMON/COURIER STAFF

NEWS 3

COURTESY OF TSPR.ORG

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Above are the Arts Center (top right), Ron Patron (above left) and Kristin Terry (above right) who talked about the potential improvements to the building.

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2019 Fall Semester Editorial Board

Edge Editor - Marc Ramirez Editor-in-Chief - Devon Greene Opinions Editor - Allison Young

OPINIONS

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

WesternCourier.com

JIMMY PIERSON/PRODUCTION MANAGER

Now that El Rancherito is closed, people will no longer have to weigh the pros of eating good food with the cons of potentially getting food poisoning. I used to go to El Rancherito every week. I loved their food, as much as I love the food at the Galesburg location too. Then I heard about the temporary shut down last fall. I went to the health board meeting to write about it for the paper and I wish I

wouldn’t have. Among all of the violations, the one that turned me off the most was the fact that they would routinely serve meat that wasn’t cooked or prepared properly. I can forget about a lot of things, but not something as serious as serving food that could have bacteria. From that moment on, I never went to that restaurant again, which pains me because it’s only about 85 steps from my apartment complex.

The most surprising reveal of that meeting was when the health board decided to keep El Rancherito open and give them another chance. Based on some of the comments that the board members made, I thought that it was heading in the direction of a permanent closure. They all seemed reluctant to keep it open, but they did anyway. If I had a vote, it would have been no. I truly think that they only gave them one last chance because they didn’t want to see Macomb lose yet another business. If we saw this behavior in a restaurant in a different town, I think that there’s a strong likelihood that the health board would have immediately shut

them down. After I removed El Rancherito from my restaurant rotation, I became loyal to Wendy’s. For someone who has gone to Wendy’s so much that I’ve probably paid their electrical bill for the entire year, it’s amazing how I haven’t had one bad experience there. The worst thing that ever happened to me at Wendy’s is when they accidentally gave me Dr. Pepper instead of Coca-Cola. They never put me in the hospital, which is sadly where I set the bar for quality. I know a lot of people who were still going to El Rancherito regularly up until the day that it closed. They are still standing, but that’s not evidence that it was a well-run restaurant; that’s

evidence that those people are very fortunate to never have gotten food poisoning. Nobody wants to see more people lose their jobs or to see another vacant building in a town that seems to be struggling; however, we shouldn’t allow a business to continue operating if it means putting the public’s health at risk. If I had the opportunity to own a restaurant and the health department gave me numerous chances to remain open, I wouldn’t take that opportunity for granted. At a certain point, I only feel sorry for people who were dealt a bad deck, not for those who controlled their own fate by failing to follow health codes.

Healthy food options should not be more expensive Why are the healthier choices so expensive? Healthy foods are supposed to be good for the consumer and promote healthy living which is “good” by society's standards. Companies know that a profit can be made on what is still a niche group of healthy eaters. Whether it is a salad or an energy bar, companies can rip off consumers because the label says organic or allnatural. The worst part is that sometimes these companies do not even make the

food all-natural. This is because the FDA and USDA are very ambiguous as to what is green and all-natural. For instance, all-natural is food that is not artificially colored, or in fruits case, nonbleached. The biggest thing companies can get away with is “products that would not normally be expected to be there.” What does this even mean? Well, I wish I had never found out. GMOs (genetically modified organisms) has taken over the food industry and there

is nothing we can do about it. So, GMOs are the way that engineers (not farmers) make plants stronger, more nutritious or better overall. The question is at what cost? This form of science is still a new practice and therefore there is no way for us to really know the long-term effects of this. We, especially United States, are the volunteered guinea pigs. Why would the U.S. do this? Capitalism is why the amount of jobs and production you get when using GMOs is exponentially higher than using normal practices in farming. So, when someone is eating healthy, who knows how healthy the food really is. Combine this with the out

breaks of healthy foods like romaine lettuce and the extreme prices seem a little more believable. Although like most things, if the masses begin fighting for pure and healthy food options, the country will have no choice but to suit the wants of its people. The crazy thing is that the U.S. is the only country to be so inconspicuous about not only what is in the food but how they deal with companies that label the food. For example, high fructose corn syrup, which is extremely bad, is an inexpensive alternative to sugar. The reason I bring this up is because even if you are being healthy, (although healthy is relative) you will eventu-

ally have a cheat day or have something with some sugar. This is perfectly fine, but if you are trying to stay within our diet and have something as simple as an energy bar you could be doing more harm than good. Some notable things high fructose does that sugar never will do is show resistance to insulin, which will make your body unable to absorb sugar as energy and confuse your body into thinking that you do not have enough insulin which can cause a person to go into shock. Regardless of why you are dieting or eating “healthy” making sure you understand what you put in your body is important especially when it is a google search away.

Students should give recipes to dining centers

Eating in the dorms is great whether it's with friends or within the privacy of your room. The food sometimes leaves little to be desired especially in the actual dormitories. I believe if we get the students involved we may be able to create something that might make eating the food enjoyable as well. Everyone has their own type of food preferences and more importantly their own recipes. The students that have more culinary skills can provide the halls with

some recipes that other students would like. Promoting not only student participating, but also exciting ideas in the food court. This would not only provide students with an additional option, but give students the chance to show off their skills for everyone to enjoy. The way that this would work is the dining halls could have students make dishes similar to the international bar that day. Monday, for example, someone could potentially make a Mexi-

can dish, since the bar has Mexican food in Corbin. Or on wing days, someone can bring an Anmerican wing recipe. This will provide a little more variety and competition amongst students . To make the deal even sweeter, students can create desserts or items that could strictly be on the grill. This would create items that students can consistently get like certain toppings on a pizza, burgers, ect. If everything goes correctly, the winners dish would seen on the classics menu every time their international day throughout the week. In addition to a prize reward of money, naming their dish is a small bonus to the potential 6-10 winners of this competition.

The way the winners would be chosen would also give the dining halls some life. I propose the student chefs make their dishes in portions to feed 20 and then they cut them up to the size of a toothpick. This way, potential judges, which can be students or eventually past winners, can taste the dishes. Students that come and participate can try the dishes as well. To make sure that as many different people as possible have a say, you cannot go to multiple days of the competition and taste the food. The price of admission can be used to ensure that the people tasting the food will vote and not just taste and run off. The competition can be held either in the

food court itself or the lunch room to accommodate the amount of people. After people RSVP and the student chefs are picked (from like a prelim), the competition can be held every year or semester depending on how much buzz the competition gets and the number of students participating in the event. Hopefully something like this can be implemented to give the dining halls some more attention since it has the best thing any place can have: location and proximity. I would be excited for something of this stature to be sought out because the best thing we can do is keep Western exciting, especially when it comes to food.

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2019 Fall Semester Editorial Board

Edge Editor - Marc Ramirez Editor-in-Chief - Devon Greene Opinions Editor - Allison Young

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

SPORTS

Men's golf wraps up spring season By Brendan Riedy courier staff

MACOMB, Ill. — It’s that time of year when summer is right around the corner, and that means the golf season is coming to a close for the men’s Leatherneck team. Though the NFL Draft is in the headlines predominately this time of year, this is a big time of the year for golf as well. The Masters just happened, and we’re at the time when people dust off their clubs and head over to their nearest course to get back in the swing of things. For Western Illinois, the men’s golf team teed off one last time on the season. They traveled to Sand Creek Station Golf Course to compete in the Summit League Golf Championships. It was a rainy weekend and

this forced the golfers to push back their play. The team finished in eighth place in this year’s tournament. “It was an awesome spring with two team wins and two individual wins. I’m proud of the team and all they accomplished. The future is bright for Leatherneck Golf,” said interim head coach Lia Biehl Lukkarinen. The team left it all out on the course, and leading the way was senior Jackson Wetherbee. It was Wetherbee’s last time hitting for the Purple and Gold, and he showed up. He shot a combined 227 in the tournament, good for an 11-over par. Another strong performance from the Leathernecks was Kyle Irlbacker. He also shot an 11-over par throughout the tournament and added 10 birdies throughout the competition.

GOLEATHERNECKS.COM

Dennis Reedy follows his chip shot.

Denver came out victorious in the Summit League Championships. Day two of the tournament left no room for a potential comeback. They won the tournament by 15 strokes, and had a combined team score of 874. It was the last time Wetherbee, John Duggan III, Graham Conrad and Dennis Reedy would play for the Leathernecks, as all four are set to graduate this spring. Even though the Leathernecks did not finish the season how they would have hoped, it’s still nice to know that the weather is starting to warm up for the everyday person to go hit the links. The birds are chirping, the grass is growing, but more importantly, the golf clubs are swinging. It is a great time to pull out your clubs and hit the fairways.

GOLEATHERNECKS.COM

Graham Conrad follows through his drive.

CLASSIFIEDS

For Rent

Submit a classifieds ad to JD-Day@wiu.edu

Spacious 2-5 bedroom homes for rent. 10 month lease available. Great locations, close to bus stops, plenty off street parking, all new windows, AC, energy efficient furnace, hardwood and ceramic tile floors, free washer/dryer. Well maintained (24 hrs.) by local landlord. Call 309-255-1233. Houses for Rent 2016/2017: A&D Real Estate has several 3, 4 and 5 bedroom houses for rent, all with at least 2 bathrooms, recently rennovated and located close to campus. Call for a tour or visit our website at www.wiucollegerentals.com. Local landlord with a focus on clean and updated housing with personal service for your college housing needs. 309-313-1122. FALL INTO SAVINGS with Charleston Boulevard Apartments! Now offering SPECIAL RATES through Dec. 2017! Call for specific details 309-833-4545!. NICE, CLEAN, WELL MAINTAINED 1 TO 6 BEDROOM HOUSES FOR 2016-2017 Our houses have hard wood floors, ceramic tile, central air, washer and dryer and are close to campus with plenty of parking. We offer a ten month lease so you don’t pay for the months you aren’t here. Please call 309-255-1959 for a showing. Now showing for 2017 & 2018 year 2, 3, and 5 bedrooms homes all close to campus. Call 309-331-4565. Westen Investments: Leasing season has officailly begun, and we’re showing properties now! 1-5 bedroom houses close to campus are ready to be leased for this upcoming school year! Call our office at 309-833-5995 to schedule an appointment! Stay updated with us on Twitter @Western_Invest STC Investments now leasing for the 18/19 school year. We have 1-6 bedroom apartments/houses ready for you to call home! Check out our selection at www.stcinvestments.com. You can also find us on Facebook to see daily posts!

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LARGE STUDENT RENTALS 5 and 6 Bedroom Homes are still available!! Ask for our $1000.00 Discount program! First come first serve for the last large homes that are open for the fall. NICE, CLEAN, WELL MAINTAINED 1 TO 6 BEDROOM HOUSES FOR 2017-2018 Our houses have wood floors, ceramic tile, W/D, central air, and are close to campus with plentry of parking. We offer low rent and a 10 month lease to save you money! Call 309-255-1959 for a showing. Small 1BR apt near campus and downtown. All utilities included. (Electric, Water, DISH, Garbage) $500/month, $300 deposit. Available immediately. Also have 2BR, you pay electric. $600/month, $350 deposit available September 1st. Please contact 309-255-4367 for a showing. Timbercrest Apartments 1587 Riverview Drive Now showing 1 & 2 Bedroom Units. Very clean, close to WIU campus with bus stop in front of building. Washer/dryer available in most units, all other appliances included, FREE INTERNET, ceiling fans in every room, pet friendly. All units have off street parking and private decks overlooking campus. Both 10- and 12-month leases are available. Openings for Summer 2017 and school year 2017/2018. Deposit required. Phone (309)833-3192 and leave message. Westen Investments: Are you looking for an apartment? We are now showing our beautiful 1-3 bedroom apartments for this upcoming school year! Don’t like paying for utilities? Ask about our ALL UTILITIES options, and be sure to check out our website (westerninvest.com) to see our listings! Schedule an appointment with us today at 309-833-5995. The nicer apartments are going fast, excellent service- 24 hour emergency maintenance. Reasonable prices. Studio, 1-3 bedrooms, locations on/off campus available ‘18-’19 school year. Check us out at rentcollegepads.com. If interested, please call F & H Rentals 309/837-1705.

JIMMY PIERSON / PRODUCTION MANAGER

RATES $5.50 per issue (open rate) $4.00 per issue (campus rate)

For Rent Available now: Close to campus, clean studio apartments, excellent condition, reasonable rent, and partly furnished. Ceiling fans and a/c. Professionally maintained. No pets. Semester leases offered. Call 309 837 4369 and leave your phone number if not there. Email: MandKhousing@gmail.com ALL APARTMENTS - ALL INCLUSIVE Get control of your budget. Know exactly what you are spending each month. Each apartment includes free a/c, free heat, free electricity, free water, free cable tv, free hi speed internet, and free off street parking. Laundry on site. No noise policy. Bus stop across the street. Close to campus. Well maintained. Studios are $460/mo, One bedrooms are $620/mo. Call Doug at 309-255-8179 for an appointment. For Rent: Little Swan Lake, 30 min from campus. 2br, 2bth, heated double car garage with work area. $600 per mo. (309) 335-2206 after 6:00 pm, may leave message anytime. Spacious 3 Bedroom Upper in Duplex close to campus and Jackson St. All utilities furnished and appliances Includes cable and internet 18/19 school year $375.00 per Br Ph 309 255 8086 Please leave message Still have some nice large locations available at reasonable prices. Excellent service- 24 hour emergency maintenance. 1-8 bedrooms, locations on/off campus available ‘18-’19 school year. Pets at some locations. Check us out at rentcollegepads.com. If interested, please call F & H Rentals 309/837-1705. Looking for 2 roommates to share a 3-bedroom furnished house beginning in August for 2018-19. 10- to 12-month contract. New carpet, air, garage w/ storage, laundry. $300 each per month, plus utilities. Call Sharon at 309-338-3888.

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Wednesday, May 1, 2019

The Chicago Cubs, the 2016 World Series Champions, haven’t done a whole lot since they won it all three years ago. The best they’ve done is make it to the NLCS but lost. Coming into this season, the ball-club was projected to last in the NL Central with only 80 wins according to PECOTA. The team didn’t take that well and refused to accept the projection. Heading into the regular season, the team was fired up until that fire was quickly snuffed out. The team got swept by the Atlanta Braves in the first series of the season. They followed that up by losing two out of three to the Milwaukee Brewers, the team that ended up beating them out for first place in the NL Central last season. Before the team knew it, it

of them. The problem was that the pitching was blowing the lead, whether that was early in the game or, more often than not, late in the game. This is very visible by looking at their pitchers' ERA's. Relief pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. has the highest on the team currently with a 32.4 ERA and Mike Montgomery is right behind him with a 16.88 ERA. These two pitchers also have the highest opponent batting average on the team with Montgomery allowing hitters to hit .571 off of him, while Edwards Jr. is allowing opposing hitters to hit .375 off of him. This hurts to see, as both of these pitchers played vital roles in the 2016 postseason. However, after using these two pitchers so much, the other pitchers on the staff are starting to get back into the swing of things, the pitching staff has started to right their ship. Another thing that has helped the Cubs launch themselves back up from the bottom of the rankings is

Sports 7

Cubs showing signs of potential was April 14 and they started the season out at 4-7. After the first 11 games PECOTA was looking good about their prediction because a shift occurred. And no, not one of the infield shifts that opposing teams do against Anthony Rizzo. The Chicago Cubs are one of the hottest teams in the MLB right now. Since April 14, the Cubs haven’t lost a series, sweeping the Miami Marlins, taking two out of three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks twice and taking two out of three against the Los Angeles Dodgers, for a combined record of 9-3 in these series. The main thing that helped to turn this ball-club around was the pitching. In those first 11 games, the Cubs were leading the majority

their hitting. Coming into the season, everyone expected shortstop Javier Baez to lead the team offensively. Baez has done just that, leading the team with 22 RBIs, nine home runs, 35 hits and a batting average of .315. This doesn’t just put Baez at the top for the team, but also in the entire National League. However, Baez has been getting help from the rest of the offensive lineup. David Bote, the utility man for the Cubs who oftentimes plays second base or third, has been hot as of late and has added a couple of walk-off hits to his 2019 resume as well. Right fielder Jason Heyward has started to step up offensively this season, leading the team in on-base percentage with .433. Even though it is still early in the season, Heyward has the highest on-base percentage of his career. This is much needed for the Cubs, as only a couple seasons ago people were criticizing Heyward on his lack of offense. While that’s good to see, and definitely a much-need-

ed turn around, the Cubs haven’t played top tier teams. The majority of those wins came against sub-par teams. The Marlins and the Diamondbacks have a combined record of 24-33. The Marlins alone are 8-20. Now, I don’t bring this up to dispel the Cubs' victories. I bring this up to help their case. The Cubs have won games that they’ve been expected to win. If they were losing these games to sub-par teams, then there would be huge trouble looming ahead for the team. In order to succeed in the MLB, teams need to play up to their potential, which includes beating teams that they should be beating. The Chicago Cubs may not win the 2019 World Series, but I’d love it if they did. What I know for sure is that right now they are one of the hottest teams in all of the MLB. They are playing the game like they were a couple of seasons ago: fun. Hopefully, they can keep this up for a while.

Breaking down all four NBA conference semi-final mathcups

The NBA playoffs have entered the conference semifinals round. This year, the semis are competitive as ever. All four of the match-ups in this round feature teams in the top-four of their respective conference standings. Furthermore, this looks like a year where all eight teams in this round have a shot at reaching the NBA championship. For many, the defending champion Golden State Warriors are still the favorite. But after the up and down first round that resulted in a 4-2 series win over a severely less talented Los Angeles Clippers team, the Houston Rockets must be seen as a threat to their throne in the semis. Let’s take a closer look at the conference semifinals match-ups and try to figure out not only who will advance, but who has the best chance at making it all the way to the title series. The Philadelphia 76ers hold the third seed in their match-up against the second seeded Toronto Raptors. The series is already off to a terrific start, tied at 1-1 after the first two games in Toronto. This should be an advantage to Philly since they have taken over home court advantage with their game two win. However, I think this is a series where

home court advantage won’t mean much. Toronto will likely take one of the next two games on Philly's floor, leaving the series tied at 2-2 going into game five. My initial prediction was the Sixers would take this series in seven, but after watching the first two games, I feel the Raptors could take it in seven, with my gut feeling telling me six. Sixers young core of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid don’t seem to have what it takes to get past this round just yet. Embiid has been completely covered up by Marc Gasol, and Simmons' refusal to shoot any type of jump shot has made it hard on him to score in this series. The Raptors' length and physicality has bothered the Sixers. Jimmy Butler will have a great series, but he cannot outplay Kwahi Leonard who is averaging 40 points compared to Butler ’s 20 in the first two games. My final prediction is that the Raptors will walk away with the 4-2 series win. The next series features the first seeded Milwaukee Bucks and the fourth seeded Boston Celtics. The Eastern Conference is wide open this year without the presence of LeBron James, and because of that, the matchups are more compelling.

The Bucks were dominant in game one on their own floor, and the likely MVP this year, Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo, didn’t play well at all. Even with the terrible loss, I think the Bucks can win this series. Their length and defense will tighten up on Boston as the series goes along. The Celtics played unbelievable defense in game one, defense that I don’t think will be sustainable throughout the entire series. Boston has no one that can guard “The Greek Freak,” but if they do a better job on Kyrie Irving, they should be okay in this series. The only thing that bothers me about the Bucks is that they are in unfamiliar territory. Without the deep playoff experience, they might collapse against a more experienced Boston team. The Bucks will still take it, 4-3. The Western Conference features two exciting matchups as well. The first being a rematch of last years conference finals between the fourth seeded Houston Rockets and first seeded Golden State Warriors. The Warriors won in game one, but this series is far from over. James Harden appeared to be fouled while shooting on four different occasions in that game. Three of those were from the three point line. Those foul shots would have likely changed the outcome of game one, but the Rockets can’t cry about it and need to focus all their atten-

tion on the Warriors. I really don’t think these two teams are as close as many believe they are, though the series went to seven games last year, I still see the Warriors as the easy favorite. Most people believe this is a seven-game series, I happened to think that the Warriors can get rid of the Rockets in five if they are consistent. Had the Rockets gotten game one the story may be different, but I think that loss will be a major blow to their chances. Kevin Durant is starting to hit another level in these playoffs. He’s scoring whenever he wants and even though Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are banged up, I just don’t think the Rockets have a chance. Harden still doesn’t look like he has solved his playoff woes and the Rockets don’t have much scoring when he’s not rolling. The Warriors are still very inconsistent in their dominance this year, therefore, this series will be long again. My final prediction for this series is the Warriors, 4-3. The last semifinal matchup is between the Portland Trailblazers who earned the third seed and the second seeded Denver Nuggets. Both teams earned surprising round one wins. They were both considered underdogs despite being the higher seed entering into their round one series. Neither can be satisfied though, being this close to the conference finals for

these two franchises doesn't come around often enough for them to take the opportunity for granted. Denver hasn’t made the conference finals since 2009 when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. For Portland, they haven’t made the conference finals since 2000, they also lost to the Lakers that year. This series is tough to judge, without seeing a game, I figured the Trail Blazers could win 4-2 behind a heroic performance from Damien Lillard. After seeing game one, I think the series will go a bit different than that. Portland must find a plan for Denver ’s star center Nikola Jokic, as he was superb in the game one win. Already leading 1-0, Denver has proven they have what it takes to compete with the Blazers. Lillard has already admitted Denver is a tougher task than their last round opponent because of their variety of shooters. Since this is the case, I think Jokic and company will end up being too much for the Blazers. My last prediction in this conference is the Nuggets, 4-2. With my prediction, the Conference Finals matchups will be the Nuggets squaring off against the Warriors, and the Bucks against the Raptors. My initial winners for these two match-ups are the Raptors and Warriors. All this can change, however, these playoffs have been intense so far and I expect the same for the next coming weeks.

Track and field pulls double duty at Drake Relays and Kip Janvrin Open to prepare for Summit League Championships By Bradley Piros sports editor

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Western Illinois men and women’s track and field teams concluded their regular spring season last week after competing in the Drake Relays. This event is one of the largest in the country hosting competition to multiple NCAA Division I leagues such as the BIG 10, SEC, Missouri Valley and The Summit League. With that being said, Western was up against some tough competition in the four-day meet. The Leathernecks didn’t compete in a lot of events at the Drake Relays because they were pulling double duty, competing in the Kip Janvrin Open last Friday as well. Both of these events were great preparation for the upcoming Summit League Championships next weekend. Western only competed in three events at the Drake Relays. The first event of the meet was the women’s 4x200 meter relay. This was Western’s first 4x200 of the season that consisted of Sierra Long, Megan Reed, Amelia Peterson and Bo Brasseur. They set the seventh fastest time in program history with a ninth-place time of 1:41.43. South Dakota finished fourth and North Dakota State finished right ahead of Western out of 25 teams. Brasseur and Long teamed up with Raytoria Richardson and Jamieria Stennis in the sprint medley where they posted a time of 4:14.88. They finished sixth out of seven teams. NDSU came in fourth followed by South Dakota,

Western and South Dakota State. Both of those women’s events were a good preview of some of the competition Western will be up against next weekend. The only male competitor to compete on the day was freshman Gabe Cheeks in the long jump with a mark of 6.69 meters. The Kip Janvrin Open is also a pretty large meet, but Western scheduled both of these meets for a reason: to prepare for the Summit League Championships. Lots of athletes were able to compete for Western between the two meets which is always a plus. Senior Khalyia Lawson placed eighth out of 40 competitors in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.62 seconds while freshman Aijah Venerable finished 12th, clocking in at 12.68 seconds. Cheeks competed in the same event but in the men’s division and finished 12th as well out of 44 competitors with a time of 11.13 seconds. Venerable also competed in the 200-meter dash finishing 22nd out of 69 total competitors with a time of 26.45 seconds. Sophomore Dyllan Bonk placed 13th out of 53 in the same event in the men’s division with a time of 22.53 seconds. The highlight of the Kip Janvrin Open was junior Justin Montalto. He first competed in the 400-meter dash where he placed fourth with a time of 49.30 seconds. Later on he teamed up with Lucas Hofer, Terrance Bruce and Johnny Dickson in the men’s 4x400-meter relay where they took first place with a time of

BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR

3:23.11. It was Western’s lone first place finish between the two meets. Western picked up another podium finish when freshman Jasmine Stokes took third in discus out of 26 competitors with a throw of 41.66 meters. Junior Allison Richter took 10th in the same event (38.01 meters). Eric Fox and Brady Shows placed 10th and 11th in the men’s division with throws of 44.75 meters and 43.77 meters, respectively. In the hammer throw, Stokes finished eighth out of 29 competitors (42.73 meters) while junior Carrissa Tinsley finished one spot ahead of her with a 43.55-meter effort. Shows also came eighth but out of 25 competitors with a throw of 43.44 meters. Tinsley was back in action in the shot put where she took fifth of 24 with a 12.23-meter throw. Sophomore Nick Olson took eighth in the same event in the men’s division with a mark of 14.46 meters. Finally, sophomore Allie Scott took fourth in the triple jump with an 11.25meter leap, while freshman Tyronay Taylor finished eighth (11.08 meters). The Leathernecks had lots of success in the field events and seem to be well prepared for what’s to come. They host the 2019 Outdoor Summit League Championships where they’ll compete against the other seven teams in conference. It will be a three-day meet that begins a week from today. If you aren’t too busy with finals, come on over to Hanson Field to cheer on your Leathernecks track and field teams. Twitter: bradjp08

BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR