Opinions: Dealing with another mass shooting.
Sports: St. Louis sports continue to disappoint.
Sports: Leathernecks win first exhibition matchup.
Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - Vol. 119 Issue 30
AWARD-WINNING STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY. SERVING MACOMB SINCE 1905.
INTRODUCING rd
the 93 District Candidate
John Curtis Jimmy pierson/Production Manager
By Steven Barnum assistant news editor In a rematch from 2016, John Curtis is looking to take District 93 from Norine Hammond. Curtis has always been invested in the area. While serving in the United States Peace Core, he met his wife Karen, who manages the Peace Core Fellows Program. The couple built a home on his grandfather ’s farm in Macomb, where they live with their three kids.
In a diverse career path, Curtis can tout experience in farming, small business and teaching. He has been growing vegetables, herbs and berries to sell at farmers markets for the last 20 years. His business, Barefoot Gardens, lets customers harvest what they want each week. Away from his farm, he’s taught classes at Beardstown High School, Carl Sandburg College and most recently, Western Illinois University. Curtis was motivated to run again after he fell victim to Western’s
recent layoffs. “For me, this is all very personal,” Curtis said. “Not only has the failure to pass a budget for two years and the loss of students in Macomb affected me with my teaching, but it’s also affected my business.” Eliminating departments and cutting tenured faculty is a common theme at Western right now, which Curtis finds disturbing. “I’ve seen that firsthand, so for me, there’s a real sense of urgency in fixing up our ru-
ral schools and helping them attract qualified professionals,” he said. “I’ll be fighting to make sure Western gets the state support they’re supposed to.” While tuition may be part of the declining enrollment problem at Western, Curtis doesn’t see it as the only factor. “Other state schools are seeing enrollment numbers climb back up and Western’s continues to go down. Somebody needs to be held responsible for that,” he said. “I’ll be
somebody that’s not afraid to ask tough questions because I’m going to want to understand what they’re doing.” He helped start the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, which quickly became a driving force in sustainable agriculture. Curtis explains that the district has some of the finest soil in the world, which he thinks is underutilized.
By Steven Barnum
gerous path to travel. She wonders why the city has yet to put sidewalks in that area. “I know a lot of students walk along the street on Grant, which is a risk,” she said. “I think it should be addressed.” Coker says that the Macomb Police Department has identified the streets and walkways with the highest risk, but that doesn’t rule out new sidewalk projects in the future. “It’s not addressed in this application, but it’s on our priority list,” Coker said. “We just haven’t had the funding.” Another resident believes Macomb is becoming an expensive place to live. “I’m not saying this doesn’t need to be done for the safety of the children, but Macomb has so many tax bodies,” she
said. “You’re running senior citizens and other people who don’t have as much as public sector people out of Macomb.” Addressing the financial concerns, Coker says the city has weighed its options. “We’re trying to balance services versus having a safe environment,” Coker said. “We’re trying to do this with grant dollars so that it will minimize the impact it will have on our tax payers.” City Administrator, Dean Torreson, says it was one of many tough judgment calls. “The city council weighs these decisions all the time. Cost against benefit. That’s what they do. It’s not an easy job,” Torreson said.
Curtis page 2
SGA awards City Council discusses Student of the school route project Month awards assistant news editor
By Marc Ramirez news editor
Tuesday’s Student Government Association meeting began with the announcing of the SGA Scholarship Fall 2018 recipients. Each year, the Student Government Association of Western Illinois University sponsors scholarships for deserving, involved and academically gifted students. The SGA scholarship is a $400 monetary award, which is given to two students each semester. These students must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of a 2.8, a good judicial standing with the University, not be a current member of SGA and
applied through Purple Post. The scholarship was awarded to Tony Perez and Briana Cross. The two were selected out of a pool of around 15 other applicants. SGA President, Grant Reed, then yielded to the two to introduce themselves to the legislative body. “Hi, I’m Briana Cross and I am a junior elementary education major,” Cross said. “I’m on the executive board for the Black Students Association and Student Education Association. I am also a part of the Campus Girl Scouts.”
SGA page 3
Before the committee, the city council held an open discussion about the “Safe Routes to School” project. Public Works Director, Scott Coker, recapped that the project is designed to provide kids with a safe route on the way to and from school. Specifically, the city plans to replace the stairs on Grant Street with a ramp and add a nearby crosswalk. They will also add sidewalks to parts of Kelly Street and Grant Street in order to improve the accessibility to MacArthur School. Several members of the public shared concerns about safety, taxes and snowfall. One long-time resident of Grant Street feels that speeding cars on Ward and McArthur Street make it a dan-
City Council page 3
2
NEWS
Curtis
from front page
“We can grow more than corn,” he said. “I think we need to be developing more local market agriculture. We should also be growing and eating more of our own food, which would make us healthier but it would also help boost our local economy.” Curtis acknowledges that winning in the 93rd district is an uphill battle. It’s a tough task to unseat Hammond, who has held the position since 2010. Additionally, President Trump won by more than 20 points in the district, and the Democratic Party typically doesn’t put a lot of faith in area Democrats. Some have told him it’s “impossible” for a Democrat to win in this district, but Curtis senses that voters want change. To prove skeptics wrong, Curtis has been knocking on as many doors as he can. He’s visited all eight of the district’s counties, along with every town with a population of 400 or more. In the last week of the campaign, he is hitting towns from the “Forgottonia,” a term coined to describe the underfunded and forgotten towns of westcentral Illinois. While some may shy away from visiting those who don’t support them, Curtis embraces the idea. He even makes a point to introduce
Wednesday, October 31, 2018 himself to those who are likely to vote for a Republican. “I’m introducing myself, telling them why I’m running, and I ask them to tell me about themselves and share their concerns,” Curtis said. “If I win, it’s going to be really important to understand their points of view. It’s not about my views as much as it’s about theirs. I take the word ‘representative’ very seriously. That’s one thing my opponent never does. She protects herself from having unpleasant interactions.” Wayne Slaughter is an example of a traditional Republican voter who is looking for a change. Slaughter is a retired banker who has lived in Macomb for more than 30 years. “I think John is a very honest, hard-working man,” Slaughter said, “and I think he will fight to do what is best for our district.” Slaughter recalls when Macomb was prospering in the 1980s and 1990s, but times have changed. “We’ve lost so many businesses and jobs and people,” he said, “and we just don’t have enough revenue to get things going.” For Slaughter and his wife, the three biggest issues are education, jobs and healthcare. They feel Curtis will address all three. “He hit home on three of our priorities,” Slaughter
said. “He’s someone I have total faith in and I know he’ll work very hard for us.” Curtis, who believes he is the people’s candidate, thinks politicians stay in power too long and forget what their jobs are. “When somebody gets into one of these positions, they tend to stay there for a long, long time,” he said. “They get into office and forget who they work for and they get real comfortable in Springfield or Washington. We need elected officials who have a real sense of urgency and solutions to start turning this situation around.” Curtis doesn’t believe Hammond is getting the job done, mentioning that he and his wife are always saying goodbye to friends and neighbors who have lost faith in the area’s future. He also isn’t interested in divisive politics, stating that most of the problems the state is facing don’t have party labels. If Curtis wins, he will gladly be the voice of District 93. “It’s important to have somebody who will be able to represent rural Illinois and be in the room with all of those legislators from Chicagoland.” If upstate politicians aren’t already aware of how dire the financial situation is in this district, Curtis says “they’re sure going to hear about it from me.”
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Wednesday, October 31, 2018
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NEWS 3
City Council from front page
Aaron Steele (left) and Madison Lynn (right) give their officer reports.
SGA
from front page
Following the introduction, Cross was presented with a certificate acknowledging that she’s a recipient of the award, which was followed by a round of applause by the Senators in the room. “My name is Tony Perez and I’m currently a last semester senior walking the stage in December,” Perez said. “I am a hospitality management major and I am also a part of University Union Board and I am also a part of Sigma Lambda Beta.” After passing around roll call, Speaker of the Senate, Aaron Steele, gave the floor to Reed to give his report. Reed began by sharing the saddening news that First Lady of Macomb, Melissa Inman, wife of Mayor Mike Inman died Sunday. The Student Body and the members of SGA openly expressed their condolences for the family, as they are big advocates of Western. Inman has expressed his support thorough initiatives like the Mayor’s Student Roundtable and speaking at the annual Student Lobby Day. “ A d d i t i o n a l l y, Fall Leadership Conference is coming up,” Reed said. If people are still interested in attending, applications are still being accepted. Reed expressed it as a great event right here on campus where you get the opportunity to hear from student leaders, graduate students, staff members as well as a keynote speaker. Each week Reed highlights admissions initiatives to get students involved in helping with recruitment efforts. Discover Western and Social Media Takeovers are events that have previously been expressed by Reed and the Office of Admissions. However, a new leadership opportunity has
presented itself. “Additionally the have the Home for the Holidays program,” Reed said. “When all of you leave over winter break to go back home, they encourage students to schedule a day, morning or afternoon to go in and visit with the high school you graduated from and talk to students about your experiences at Western.” The Office of Admission is offering training for students who would be interested on Nov. 14 and Nov. 28. They will provide you with fast facts about the University and high points of things to talk about. They will also provide admission view books and giveaway items. This is seen as a great way to interact with prospective students about Western and your personal experiences. Reed touched on the fact that Election Day is Nov. 6. He explained that it is everyone’s civic duty to go out and vote. “Illinois does have a same day voters registration,” Reed said. People can go to vote.org or elections.il.gov to register for the upcoming election. Students can also log on to request their absentee ballot. He also let the association know that they are still looking to fill some committees on campus including the Western Courier Publications Board, CSAF and Committee on Talent Grant and Tuition Waivers; as well as reminding those who sit on the Social Responsibility Task Force that they will be reviewing the mission and vision of Western for the upcoming reaccreditation as a University. Reed then also urged students to sign up to co-author a bill on getting Western a Center of Performing Arts. He described it as a low-maintenance role in crafting the bill and sending it to Springfield to help Western continue to grow. Attorney General, Kelly Rodgers, gave her report next announcing that the body
felicia selmon/couirer staff
would be having a costume contest since members were able to wear the Halloween costumes to the meeting. Following Rodgers, Director of Academic Affairs, Colton Markey, gave his report. “Last Wednesday the Interim Provost held a meeting on realignment,” Markey said. “Also I will be starting on the Provost Search Committee.” Concluding the business part of the meeting since committees had no reports to share and as there was no new or old business was Student Trustee Justin Brown’s report. “Thursday it was announced that 18 academic programs were being evaluated to determine whether they would be cut,” Brown said. “The preliminary list of programs was reviewed by the Academic Program Elimination Review Committee, also referred to as APERC. That report was presented to the Board of Trustees on the Aug. 24 board meeting where only a few modifications were made after fall enrollment data was finalized.” The 18 programs are considered low producing meaning that fewer than 40 students are majoring in them or have fewer than nine students graduating over a three-year period. APERC has the opportunity to leave the program as is, reorganize it or recommend it to be eliminated. They will also be looking at occupational outlook, possible collaboration with other areas on campus, enrollment trends over the last few years and other data to make these decisions. “It is also important to note that if these programs are chosen to be eliminated they will be phased out,” Brown said. “Meaning that if you are currently in a program you will still be able to graduate with a degree in this program, it just means that new students that are accepted to the University will not be able to be accepted into these programs.”
Alderman Gayle Carper has empathy with the situation. “I understand what you’re saying because I’ve never had kids in this school district, but I pay taxes for this school district,” Carper said, “and sometimes we do that because there’s a community good there rather than just individual good.” Torreson also shut down claims that sales tax has increased in Macomb. “The city’s tax rate actually went down. You pay less money to the city this year than last year,” Torreson said. The Macomb Municipal Code states that those who live near school routes must remove snow from their sidewalks. One resident doesn’t mind keeping kids safe, but she is frustrated when snow plows erase her progress. “One of the unfortunate things about snow plows is that they do throw the snow and slush and sand quite a ways,” Torreson said. “It’s not a great system, but until somebody invents something different, I’m not sure what we can do.” The grant has a $200,000 limit and Coker doesn’t anticipate the project exceeding that amount. The city council has approved the design work from IMEG Corp, an engineering consulting firm. Classroom and parent surveys show that more kids will walk or ride a bike to school once the city
completes the project. Mayor Pro Tem, Dennis Moon, opened up the committee of the whole meeting with a moment of silence for Melissa Inman. Melissa, the wife of Mayor Mike Inman, passed away Sunday. The city council voted to put the purchase of a largescale printer and scanner for the community development office on next week’s consent agenda. According to Torreson, the city uses the machine to copy maps and put them on the computer. The plan is to buy a refurbished machine from “City Blue” for $9,400. Although a new machine would cost significantly more, this was an unexpected expense. “This would pretty much drain the cash balance fund,” Torreson said. Coker is looking for approval to join a mutual aid agreement. The agreement would group Macomb into a network of towns that could offer assistance to towns with unplanned water or wastewater facility issues. A total of 154 towns in the state of Illinois are currently in this network, which forces towns to reimburse those who send them money. The agreement would not cost the city any money, and according to Coker, joining would not commit Macomb to helping anyone. City Attorney, Kristen Petrie, doesn’t see any potential issues with the agreement from a legal point of view. The agreement will be on the agenda in the next meeting.
Interested in writing
NEWS? contact Marc Ramirez News Editor
@ ma-ramirez3@wiu.edu
4 OPINIONS
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
WesternCourier.com
JIMMY PIERSON/PRODUCTION MANAGER
Many of us have heard of the recent Pittsburgh shooting. Eleven people were killed and six were injured while worshiping inside the Tree of Life Jewish Synagogue this past week. Not only has this event raised concern to the already touchy gun control debate, it has also stirred up concern from the few Holocaust survivors still alive as well as the Trump administration. The suspect, Robert Bowers (46), was taken into custody soon after opening fire in the Pittsburgh Synagogue. According to CBS News, Bowers had a long history of posting anti-Semitic posts on his social media pages. The FBI
is looking into the events of the shooting and many are reporting that the government is going to be seeking the death penalty for Bowers. Bowers was armed with an AR-15 and three handguns, which as many of us can guess, have created a big stir among gun control activists. In the past year alone, the United States has had the Stoneman Douglas School shooting, which killed 17, and the Santa Fe High School shooting that killed 10. In 2017, we had the big Las Vegas shooting that killed 59, and in 2016 the Orlando nightclub shooting killed 50. Those are just a few of the many shootings that have happened.
These are the main basis for the gun control movement that we all keep hearing about. Trump, however, has a much different approach to the gun control backlash from the Pittsburgh shooting. According to CBS News, Trump was reported to have said, “If there was an armed guard inside the temple, they would have been able to stop him, maybe there would have been nobody killed, except for him, frankly.” In regard to the death penalty, Trump also added, “When people do this, they should get the death penalty, and they shouldn’t have to wait years and years. I think they should very much bring the death penalty into vogue.” Trump is scheduled to visit the Pittsburgh community on Tuesday, and it has been reported that many of the victims’ families have refused to meet with the president on his visit. Lastly, the Pittsburg shooting has created much stir from the remain-
ing Holocaust survivors. NBC News did a report on some of the Pittsburgh Holocaust survivors that have been speaking out after the recent shooting. One woman, Shulamit Bastacky, was a Jewish child during the Holocaust that escaped to the United States 55 years ago. She was a neighbor with another Holocaust survivor, Melvin Wax (86) that was killed this past Saturday at the Synagogue shooting. After the shooting, Bastacky expressed her shock. “I never ever expected this in America: the country of liberty, of freedom of speech, of freedom of religion. When we came to this moment, it was absolutely horrific — beyond description. It almost made me sick. When a person goes to a place of worship, whether it’s a synagogue or a church or a mosque, you come in peace and leave respectfully.” The neighborhood, Squirrel Hill, is a large Jewish Community in
Pittsburgh where the Tree of Life Synagogue is located. This shooting has hit home for many Jewish families in Pittsburgh as well as nationwide. The Pittsburgh shooting is a tragic eye opener for the United States as a whole, and although I personally don’t believe in stricter gun control, I do think that this event needs to be talked about more and precautions need to be taken to ensure it never happens again. Many large shootings are reported on for a few weeks after the event, but months later they are completely forgotten about and nothing was ever done. The families and close friends continue to mourn, and the rest of the world simply forgets about it. That is not how our nations large tragic events should be handled. We need to focus attention on the underlying hate issues our country faces and work hard to make sure our painful past events help shape a better future for us.
Election day is quickly approaching As we come towards the end of October we see two spooky things on the horizon; Halloween and the even more terrifying election season. This election season is considered by many to be a major one as it sets the direction of the country after all the unrest and turmoil the last few years. Elections in congress could have big implications towards the future of the country and even the future of the presidency for the rest of Trump’s term. After Republicans took control of Congress during Obama’s presidency we saw very little
passed. With some people feeling that Trump should be impeached for some of his past actions, we could see that being more than just a thought if Democrats take over congress. Recent polls suggest that there is reason for Republicans to worry but the election isn’t here just yet. Elections are also on the state level too. I can’t be the only one who is tired of J.B. Pritzker and Bruce Rauner ads on every form of social media. Polls suggest that this isn’t a tight race but most still have a lot of voters who are
unsure. This race will definitely come down to the end and will have a significant effect on colleges and college students in Illinois. Some voters feel that Rauner hasn’t done enough in his last term which might be true, but it isn’t entirely his fault. He’s in a very similar situation that Obama was in, where Republicans took over Congress. The Democratic state legislature doesn’t want to work with Rauner on a lot of things and they barely got a budget passed. The biggest complaint about Pritzker is that his plans require too heavily on increased taxes. Tax rates in Illinois are already astronomically high and have driven people out of the state. One tax proposal included a vehicle mileage tax which would be based on how many miles you drive. There would either be a
GPS tracker in your car or you could pay a sum upfront that is a significant amount. While Pritzker defended the proposal, saying he discussed it as something to first test, taxes in Illinois are not tested very long. A tax like this could be the final push that some Illinois residents need to drive across the state border, drop their tracker, and never come back. Neither candidate is really ideal but as is a majority of the time in politics, it comes down to who is the lesser of two evils. The final race that looks interesting and has grabbed national attention is the race for Governor in Alabama. Democrat Stacey Abrams is running to be the first female black governor in U.S. history against Brian Kemp who is the current Secretary of State. There has been criticism
Write for Opinions
has Kemp hasn’t stepped down from his duties which include running the election. New voter policies have seemed to hinder Democratic voters at higher rates than Republicans in an already tight race. Recent social media posts have also shown Abrams in college participating in the burning of the state flag due to its inclusion of the bars and stars rebel flag. The part of the state flag was removed in 2003 but many still feel that the bars and stars is more a representation of southern pride vs white supremacy as many who fought under the flag weren’t slave owners. Most slave owners paid someone else to fight for them. While this probably won’t scare off Abram supporters, it may sway people who were on the fence.
Contact Allison Young
AN-Young@wiu.edu
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
@WesternCourier
OPINIONS 5
Should an immigration caravan be allowed in the U.S.?
 Immigration has been a human phenomenon occurring at various times in history, at various levels and for varying reasons. Everything from war, crime, religious persecution to poverty are just a handful of causes that have historically forced hundreds of thousands upon millions of people to migrate every year all around the world. There are very few people, of any nationality or creed, that can say with clear certainty and honesty that they them-
selves or their ancestors did not migrate from one region of the world to another in some point in their history, for it is a phenomenon that is not reserved for only people of color or people from South American countries, it is not a phenomenon reserved only to nonEnglish speakers. Migration, immigration, refugees and political asylum seekers are what build the greatest country in the world, a nation that created the largest, wealthiest economy on the globe, a so-
ciety that built machines that conquered the sea, air, land and even space. It is this union of misfits, a union of all creeds and races, of nationalities, of religions, of people from all walks of life that give strength to our democracy, for even democracy demands diversity for without diversity there cannot be democracy but only totalitarianism. There is an inherent righteousness and strength that unity, diversity, and cooperation creates. So, when the question arises of what to do when thousands upon thousands of people,;men, women and children, come knocking on our southern doors, I am convinced that just because something is hard to do, maybe even impossible, that if it’s
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2018 Fall Semester Editorial Board
Edge Editor - Jonathan Lynch Editor-in-Chief - Devon Greene Opinions Editor - Allison Young
still the right thing to do then it should nonetheless be done. The plight of immigration belongs to humanity, not to a specific country or region or a group of people. I am convinced that it is human nature to fear the unknown, but it is also human nature to care for others to feel the pain of others, and to help one another. There is great fear, and rightly so, of strangers from a foreign country, speaking a foreign language and with foreign customs coming to the United States. The fear of not knowing who each and every person is deep inside, for it is simply not possible to flash a microscopic light upon the soul of each individual and see, for certainty, that they are good
in every sense of the word and not evil or bad. It is this fear, the fear of not knowing, that has driven anti-refugee and anti-immigrant sentiment, yet I am convinced that fear is trumped by hope, just as hate is trumped by love, and cowardice is trumped by bravery. There is, of course, much to be done, there are obvious precautions that must be taken, there are tests that can be done, background checks and psychological tests that can help weed out the evil doers in the caravan, if there are any. But we must ask a very difficult question. If we look deep down in the depths of America's soul will we find fear, hate and cowardice or hope, love and bravery?
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
6 SPORTS
WesternCourier.com
for the day. Higginbotham pulled double-double duty from back page recording 12 rebounds (three Closely behind Graettinger offensive, nine defensive) on in scoring top of her 21 points. was senior Western Illinois’ hosts guard Taylor another exhibition game this Higginbotham Thursday at Western Hall who had eight against the William Jewell for 17 with Cardinals. Tip off is set for three, three5:30 p.m. pointers for The Leathernecks open Taylor a grand total Higginbotham up the regular season next of 21 points Tuesday, as they face off
Women
Brandon Gilbeck putting pressure on an opponent last year.
Men
from back page
Ben Pyle is another name that stood out. He was a highly touted recruit from Kansas, and played the most out of any Leatherneck logging 26 minutes. His court vision and passing is very advanced for a freshman in The Summit League. There will be many new key cogs in the Leatherneck rotation for
against Power-5 team the University of Missouri Tigers at Western Hall. The tip off for that matchup is set for 8 p.m. Mizzou was 24-8 overall last season and saw wins against schools such as the University of Illinois, the University of Alabama and Ole Miss. The Purple and Gold will need all the support they can get at this season opener.
FILE PHOTO
the upcoming season. Wright will have a lot to experiment with this season, and will finally have that deep bench that he has always dreamt of. From the number one option on the team, to the last, this team will be very well rounded and fun to watch. The Leathernecks next game will be this Thursday against Iowa Wesleyan University at 7:30 p.m. inside of Western Hall. Twitter:briedytv
Taylor Higginbotham in her defensive stance during a game last season.
FILE PHOTO
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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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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. 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. 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.
RATES $5.50 per issue (open rate) $4.00 per issue (campus rate)
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. APARTMENT FOR RENT: FOR QUIET PERSON. ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT FOR RENT LOCATED AT 314 West Carroll ST Macomb, Ill 61455. Available end of August 2017-new carpeting yearly lease SMALEST FURNISHED IN MACOMB $345.00/month - HEAT & AC INCLUDED private entrance, off-street parking included call for appointment309-837-4748 or 255-5075 woodburning fireplace, ask for Paul. 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.
@WesternCourier
Sports 7
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Time to panic for St. Louis sports
Happy Halloween everyone. It’s every sports fan’s favorite time of the year. The World Series was just crowned to the 108-win Boston Red Sox, the Los Angeles Rams continued their undefeated run against Aaron Rodgers’ Packers and the Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson just broke the NBA three-point record set by his own teammate. Needless to say, it’s a crazy month in sports. But that’s not what I’m here for. I’m pretty upset. The best news I’ve heard all month is that St. Louis finally are in contentions to get a new MLS (Major League Soccer) team. But with the Cardinals crashing and burning out of playoff contention, and the Blues worst start to a season in years, I’m here to tell you why it’s time to panic if you’re a St. Louis sports fan. Let’s start off with the Cardinals. This team really made me believe this year. Sure, the beginning of the season was a little slow under manager Mike Matheny, but they were still above .500 after the first half (48-46). They maintained pretty steady, still above .500 and at this point still chasing the Cubs in a close race with Milwaukee. Then August happened; Matheny was sacked, and Mike Shildt was promoted to head coach. He led the team to winning 22 games over the course of 31 days, including an eightgame win streak as they swept the Miami and Kansas City. They won 10 series in a row and really looked like they could
have leapfrogged Chicago and leave Milwaukee in the dust. September went a little worse. Losing series to some of the worst teams at the time in the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. I mean come on, those should have been easy sweeps, but instead they lost both series two games to one. They went on to win two against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and then lose three straight to the Dodgers. After this series, it was panic mode. They made up for it, winning their next two series against Atlanta (2-1) and then sweeping San Francisco. This left them in pretty good shape for a wildcard spot, as Milwaukee had caught up and passed us by this point. It was down to this, our last two series of the year, the Milwaukee Brewers at home and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley. Well what happened? That’s right, the Cardinals were swept by the Brewers. I went to one of those games and watched as MVP hopeful Christian Yelich and Ryan Braun celebrated their playoff berth on our field. Oh, and then we lost the series to the Cubs 2-1 which officially ended the Cardinals season. So, what can we do? Sign Bryce Harper. This Cardinals team relied heavily on the bat of Matt Carpenter. He led the National League most the season with 36 homeruns but was eventually passed by Yelich and a couple others. He finished with an OBP (on base percentage) of .374 and was an all-around solid player offensively and in the
field as well. But he needs help, serious help. Signing Harper and having that combo, along with the likes of Jose Martinez, Marcel Ozuna, Yadier Molina, Kolten Wong and Matt Adams, and all of a sudden, we might have a pretty solid batting lineup, not to mention how good these players all are at fielding too. This signing most likely won’t happen, but it would rejuvenate the team and give it the much-needed life to make it back to the post season. To be honest though, I’m not exactly a baseball guy. I’m a Cardinals fan and I’m a St. Louis fan over anything else. I can’t wait to get this MLS team. I’ve said for years if it finally happens, I will be a season ticket holder. So, I have that to look forward too, but for now all I have is the Blues, and oh boy have they been a letdown this far. Ten games into the season and we only have three wins. We’re last in the Central division with only nine points. Now this is a team that I finally bought in to. We made all the right moves in the offseason. Bringing in new offensive additions like Tyler Bozak from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ryan O’ Reilly from the Buffalo Sabres. St. Louis native Patrick Maroon debuted in his home city after leaving New Jersey and David Perron returns for his third stint with the Blues from Vegas. Robbi Fabbri and Nikita Soshnikov are healthy and playing again with our AHL affiliates. We finally have the depth, but for some reason, the Blues just can’t figure it out. It’s not that we aren’t scoring, we have 36 goals still. I’ve been watching every game, and they usually start well at least. The Blues kicked off a seven-
By Jacob VanZuiden
her opponent from Oral Roberts in the opening round. Her sister and fellow returner, sophomore Ana, bounced back after a first-round loss to defeat her opposition from Iowa State. Coming into this past weekend’s contest, head coach Mirko Bjelica aimed to set the bar high for his ladies as they begin to shift their focus to dual match season. He has been more than happy from the growth he’s seen thus far from his squad. “This will be our last individual tournament test before the beginning of the dual match season,” said Bjelica. “We have been steadily improving our performances this Fall and I expect the trend to continue in Springfield this weekend where the competition will be more than challenging.” When the Missouri State Fall Invitational opened play, the singles matchup that kicked off the event for the Leathernecks came from the racquet of freshman Anouk Maajong. Maajong was defeated in the first round
by her opponent from Central Arkansas. After a round two bye, Maajong competed in her second event but came up short again to her adversary from Southeast Baptist. The opening round also saw freshman Mia Melnizki fall in defeat to her Missouri State opponent. However, she managed to seal a two-set victory in her next match with scores of 6-3 and 6-1. In the next round, her magic began to wear off as she fell to the hands of her opposition from SEMO. Coincidentally, these two players’ performances led to a face-off between the fellow Leathernecks. Aajung came out on top in this bragging-rights contest, securing an 11th-place finish out of 16 qualifiers. Even though this team may not have met their lofty expectations for this fall season, there are plenty of positives to carry with them as they head into next year. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this squad is how young they were as a whole. Freshmen Anouk Maajong, Natalie Malone,
game home-stand against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It started fabulously, taking an early 2-0 lead. Then they tied it up. Then they scored two more. We scored to make it 4-3, but then they scored three more. We scored a consolation goal to end it but fell 7-4 after leading by two. I turned it off at 4-2 because I just couldn’t stand to watch anymore. Then we played the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blues finally showed their potential in this game. Chicago finally got their starting goalie in Corey Crawford back, but it didn’t matter, as he watched the puck fly into his net seven times. I went to the first Blue/Blackhawks meeting of the season, and once again I was upset as I sat and watched Jonathan Toews score a breakaway goal to end the game in overtime 5-4. Then the Blues lost 4-3 in the second meeting, also in overtime, this time over at the United Center, but third times a charm, I guess. The teams exchanged goals in the first period, as it ended 2-2, shaping up to be something special. Then Vladimir Tarasenko and Bozak scored to make it 4-2. My least favorite man on Earth, Patrick Kane, scored his second goal of the night to bring it back to a one-point game. The Blues led the third period by one until scoring three straight goals in under five minutes. Kicking things off was Tarasenko for his second of the night and fifth overall, followed by captain Alex Pietrangelo for his first of the season and then finished off with a power play goal from Alexander Steen for his fourth of the season. But this is still about worrying and panicking. Was it a great win? Of course it was, we beat the Blackhawks, there’s nothing
Mia Melnizki, Camryn Rossa and Megan Tagaloa all made their debuts as a collegiate athlete. Most impressively, the members of this inexperienced group all managed to snatch their first collegiate victory this fall. Faces that aren’t so new to this team are, junior Laura Ballesteros and the Bjelica sisters, who have held their own in a mentoring role to the underclassmen. The lone three returners from last season have shown what they needed to in order to give the coaching staff faith in them moving forward. In his fourth year as head coach, Mirko has proven to take this team to new heights since taking the position over after giving the Purple and Gold its first postseason berth in four seasons just a year ago. Bjelica has added more wins to the program each season and helped snap 34-match conference losing streak. This team will look to take the momentum that they accrued and look to build on it as they prepare for the offseason.
better to me, but all jokes aside, we’re still last. There are 72 games left and I’m still hopeful we can make it back to playoffs, and even win it all, but it won’t be easy. The Blues lost their starting goalkeeper Jake Allen a little over halfway through the routing of Chicago, relying on backup Chad Johnson to save the day. Allen left late in the second period with a reported injury. The specifics have not been released yet, but he has still been placed on injured reserve. Head coach, Mike Yeo, said Allen would be evaluated soon, but that was Saturday, so it’s a little weird to not know by now. If this is something serious, the Blues could be in big trouble. They are only as good the starting goaltender behind them. Goaltending has to be reliable if the Blues have any chance of coming out of the hole they have dug themselves these first 10 games. I could be wrong; our defense could step up and make things a little easier for Johnson and his backup Ville Husso, but I doubt it. Our offense will have to be spectacular if we want to do anything in the Central. It’s still early on, but every game matters from here on out, especially these next two. The Blues will be back in action tomorrow against the red-hot Las Vegas Golden Knights. They’ll need to use all their momentum from that Chicago game if they want to compete. Then it’s back to central division foes on Saturday, as they take on the Minnesota Wild. Back-to-back wins here would jumpstart the Blues’ season and maybe give them the strength to hang in there in the ever so difficult Central division, but until then, I’ll try not to panic.
Women's tennis wraps up season
courier staff
KETTERING, Ohio. — The Leatherneck women’s tennis team wrapped up their 2018 fall campaign over the weekend as they looked to overcome their opposition in the season’s concluding moments. In the weekend-long contest, the Purple and Gold traveled to Springfield, Mo. to compete in the Missouri State Fall Invitational. They faced off against seven different schools, going against the likes of :Central Arkansas, LouisianaMonroe, host Missouri State, Mizzou, SEMO, Southeast Baptist, and Tennessee State. Last time out for this team in the ITA Central Regionals, it was shown that they have the ability to make some noise. The team made a strong impact in this contest, starting with sophomore Mary Bjelica, one of the few returners for the team this season. Bjelica started off the tournament with a bang, clinching a two-set victory against
Leatherneck basketball is back By Brendan Reidy courier staff
Kobe Webster prepares to shoot the ball at a home game in Western Hall.
FILE PHOTO
MACOMB, Ill. — The Western Illinois men’s basketball team opened up the season on Monday night against Knox College for their first of two exhibition games. The Leathernecks won 99-36 but remain at 0-0 on the season. Everyone has been waiting for the season to open up because of all the talent they have returning for this year. All eyes were on the returning starters: Kobe Webster, CJ Duff, Jerimeiah Usiosefe, Isaac Johnson and Brandon Gilbeck. With high expectations this year, the Leathernecks were ready to showcase their skills for the first time. The Leathernecks got off to a scorching start, as Webster drilled a three-point field goal in the first possession. The Purple and Gold showed flashes of dominance all throughout the first. They got almost everyone involved in scoring as they went on a 14-2 run to end the half. Western Illinois went into the break leading Knox College by a score of 60-15. However, the second half was showcased
by defense. The Leathernecks did not allow Knox College to score until there were 14 minutes left in the game. Despite the Purple and Gold not scoring as much in the second half, they still walked away with a dominating win. The Leathernecks shot 67 percent from the field, and 50 percent from three-point land. The Leathernecks showcased their high-octane offense for the upcoming season. They had four players score in double figures. Webster had 22-point, going six for six from behind the arc. The very explosive freshman, Zion Young, dropped 17 in his Leatherneck debut. James Claar and Johnson each scored 11 points. These four displayed their scoring prowess, but I was impressed with almost everyone on the team. Brandon Gilbeck, the returning Summit League Defensive Player of the Year, did not log many minutes, but was a force to be reckoned with when he was out on the hardwood.
Men
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Purple and Gold push past Truman State By David Koier courier staff MACOMB, Ill. — The Western Illinois Leathernecks women’s basketball team competed against the Truman State Bulldogs in an exhibition game last Sunday. The Leathernecks caged the Bulldogs, defeating them 92-86. Western Illinois head coach, JD Gravina, had many positive things to say about the game.
“That was exactly what we wanted out of an exhibition game. We scheduled Truman State because we knew they were physical, skilled and could shoot. There were a ton of positives and also a lot of things we identified that we need to improve on,” Gravina said.
The Purple and Gold came out strong in the first half, making 23 field goals of their attempted 35. Making seven three-pointers and seven of nine free throws, the Leathernecks led the exhibition at half 60-45. The second half didn’t look
as well for the Purple and Gold as they only made eight field goals, with only two of them coming from beyond the arc. The majority of their points in the second half came from 14 free throws made. The Purple and Gold took advantage of the Bulldogs’ 19 turnovers, scoring 24 points off of turnovers. The Leathernecks had their own blunders as well, letting Truman State score 20 points off of their 16 turnovers. The starters for Western led the team in scoring, taking the lead right away and never relinquishing it for the rest of the game. Western Illinois’ bench contributed nine points to the final 92, with freshman forward Jinda Guidinger not able to score in the matchup. Redshirt junior Annabel Graettinger led the team in scoring dropping 28 on the Bulldogs. Graettinger had eight for 12, while dropping two three-pointers in the process. She also recorded four rebounds and three assists on the day.
Women page 6
Olivia Kaufmann plays defense against a University of Nebraska-Omaha player.
FILE PHOTO