October 20, 2020 by College Heights Herald

ANNA LEACHMAN

Willow lays by a window in “Jules with the Flowers” plant shop on Oct. 17, 2020. Willow was found outside the store sick and injured when shop owner Jules Sandlin took her in. Willow now resides in the store and greets customers as they walk in. VOLUME 96 • ISSUE 9

WEEK OF 10.20.20

BLOOMING

Bowling Green flower shops come in a variety of styles By Henri Aboah aronie.aboah179@topper.wku.edu

Bowling Green features flower shops all around town. There are over 10 floral shops with many different stories of how they came to serve the community. Flowers Around the Corner, owned by Tyler Janes, has been up and running for the past two years on Broadway Avenue. Janes said that flowers and plants were a big hobby of his, so he decided to make it a career. According to Janes, he is the youngest florist and business owner in Bowling Green. “I’m only 24, so sometimes people don’t take you seriously because you’re younger as they would with a middle aged person,” Janes said. He also hires employees from WKU’s floral program like Hope Reed, a senior from Lexington, who has been working there for a year now. “It’s a great experience, and I’ve learned most of what I know about floris-

try through the job,” Reed said. Just down the street from Flowers Around the Corner is Jules with the Flowers. WKU alumna Jules Sandlin owns the shop and has been in business since 2017. Sandlin was a horticulture major while she attended college but didn’t get into floristry until she made a wedding bouquet for her sister-in-law. Her favorite part of the job is working with customers. “We develop relationships with people because people get flowers for certain occasions,” Sandlin said. “I’ve done people’s weddings and then I’ve done their newborn baby. I’ve watched people date and done funeral flowers.” “We’re involved in these really big aspects of people’s lives and it’s pretty special,” Sandlin said. Ellen Buchanon, the owner of Deemer Floral Co. on Lehman Avenue, said

her family business has been around for over 100 years. The business was originally started in 1903 but was owned by someone else. “My grandparents bought it in 1922, then my parents started working here and then I started working here after I got out of college,” Buchanon said. Buchanon is happy with the staff at Deemer Floral Co. because “we have a really good staff of experienced designers.” Deemer Floral Co. services all of Bowling Green and Warren County, she said. Another floral shop seen around Bowling Green is one with a twist. Seeds Flower Truck is a floral shop on wheels. “When my husband and I were getting married, he asked me what I loved to do and I told him that I loved flowers and that I wanted to do a flower truck,” Shelby Hingle, the owner of Seeds Flower Truck, said. “So we bought a flower truck.”

The flower truck opened on Aug. 8. She said it was a great experience learning what it took to be an entrepreneur during the coronavirus. Hingle said that they set up at different locally owned businesses because they want to promote local businesses. “I’m really grateful for the opportunity to have done it,” Hingle said. “It’s been better than we expected.” Another floral shop, MacKenzie’s Flowers, opened up about 15 years ago, according to store manager Beverly Dalton. According to Dalton, the previous owner had a love of flowers and wanted to put her skills to use, so she started MacKenzie’s Flowers. She had a thoroughbred horse named MacKenzie, and that’s how the floral shop got its name. The store closed temporarily for a few

FLOWER SHOPS • A2

Record setting voter turnout expected this election season By Easton Reynolds easton.reynolds653@topper.wku.edu With Election Day coming up on Nov. 3, early voting underway and millions of mail-in ballots being processed right now, this election is likely to see unprecedented voter turnout. “We expect 65-70% of the electorate to vote,” Saundra Ardrey, a political science professor at WKU who specializes in voting and electoral behavior, said. Higher participation among the electorate usually means dissatisfaction with the status quo, Ardrey said. “The electorate is a little bit more concerned, a little more upset about different issues,” Ardrey said. “That usually means they are not satisfied with the way things are going.” According to a Gallup poll conducted

in September, only 14% of the country is satisfied with the way things are going in the United States, nearly reaching the historic low of 7% satisfaction rate

during the 2008 Recession. Ardrey said this is a culmination of multiple different factors ranging from COVID-19, social injustice, economic

Saundra Ardrey Political Science Professor

“You threaten the system when you have disaffected people who do not get immediate results.”

stagnation and more. She says these factors will likely increase turnout among marginalized groups. “You threaten the system when you have disaffected people who do not get immediate results,” Ardrey said. Voter registration campaigns in-person and online, especially on social media, have increased voter registration numbers dramatically. For example, an Instagram post by Kylie Jenner with a link to vote.org increased website activity by 1,500% according to The Hill. Other organizations like Bigtent Creative are also reaching younger voters through social media. A massive $350,000 campaign was implemented to

VOTER TURNOUT • A2

Grocery shopping in a pandemic By Michael J. Collins

michael.collins527@topper.wku.edu.

FLOWER SHOPS • FROM A1 weeks this year due to the coronavirus but is now fully reopened. Dalton said the closure actually helped the business. “It had worked out very well because as people were staying home more we found that our orders were very steady,” Dalton said. “It’s probably attributed to the fact that a lot of people couldn’t be with their families, so many of them chose to give flowers in their absence of in-person gatherings.” Dalton also shared that MacKenzie’s Flowers is in the process of moving locations.

VOTER TURNOUT • FROM A1

BRITTANY FISHER People walk into Target in Bowling Green. Target is among the many other stores across Bowling Green that have put up signs informing customers to wear face coverings.

For WKU students, grocery shopping is an unavoidable public interaction with a risk of COVID-19 transmission. Mackenzie Weber, a fifth-year dance, hospitality management and dietetics major from Nashville, began to take greater caution in how she shops once she returned for the fall semester. “If I go into a store and I notice unsafe practices, then I won’t go back,” Weber said. Barren River Health Department reported on Friday 37 new cases of COVID-19 in Warren County. Since large grocery stores like Meijer, Walmart and Kroger cater to a large number of shoppers, Weber takes precautions in the way she goes about her grocery trips. “If I know I have to use a cart or a basket, I do bring a Lysol wipe so I can sanitize it,” Weber said. “If I’m buying a lot of packaged food, I will spray or wipe it with a Lysol spray after, but with produce and stuff then obviously I can’t.” Weber said seeing workers wearing masks and gloves makes her feel more comfortable when shopping, but her own measures help ensure she keeps herself and others safe from transmission. Weber’s biggest concern comes from people unnecessarily touching products they don’t intend to buy. “I wish I could encourage everybody to only touch and look at the fruits and vegetables that they really are going to get,” Weber said. “I feel like there’s a lot of people when they’re going to look for that pepper that they need, they might pick up four peppers that someone might eat raw.” Joe Edwards, assistant store manager at the Kroger on Campbell Lane, said many grocery stores, including his location, have adopted a number of measures to help keep workers and shoppers safe. “We do require all customers [to wear masks],” Edwards said. “If someone does contract COVID-19, an outside cleaning company comes and cleans ... all the high contact areas, produce and pharmacy the same way, but also come upstairs and clean the entire office since this is the general area that everyone uses.” Kentucky regulations mandate that businesses, including grocery stores, must remain below 50% capacity in order to ensure space for social distancing. Edwards said customers should be

aware of how the number and type of shoppers differ between time and location, and customers may feel safer during less crowded hours of the day. “In the morning, generally, most people mask up like at least 99% [of the time],” Edwards said. “Our busiest time is 3 to 7, so if you want to come anytime before that or after that, it’s usually when the store’s less crowded.” Andrew Marshall, store director for Meijer on Westpark Drive, said a number of factors play into whether grocery stores will be busy. “Weather dictates a lot,” Marshall said. “If it’s a rainy day, you will have more business. Now if it’s 85 and sunny, not as busy because everybody’s out there grilling, Jimmy’s got football practice and John’s got soccer practice and Billy’s got to go play baseball because they can do everything outside.” Marshall said customers should come as early as possible in the day because stores are most clean in the morning after staff spends the night cleaning. In regards to mask enforcement, Marshall said Meijer and other large groceries do require masks but must make exceptions and cannot turn customers away. “We require people to wear masks, it’s required [to get] into the building,” Marshall said. “We deal with that on a case-by-case basis, because there are exceptions. I get a lot of questions about disabilities. There’s a lot of folks that will call the store and say, ‘My husband has a breathing problem, am I allowed to come there?’ And the answer is yes because we don’t want to deny people their food, right?” Jamie Sowder, store manager at the Walmart on Morgantown Road, said grocery stores can only take on so much responsibility when it comes to protecting customers. “It’s a little bit of personal responsibility,” Sowder said. “I don’t get up on top of anyone. I wear a mask, and if someone’s not wearing a mask, I give them ample space. Things like washing your hands and [using sanitizers] after touching things that you may have in question is what we all have to do personally.”

register TikTok users who may have not normally voted. Bigtent registered over 21,000 voters according to Business Insider. As of Oct. 10, one day after voting registration ended in Kentucky, the State Board of Elections reported 3,565,428 voters registered to vote in this upcoming election. This number is up from over 200,000 compared to 2016. The Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams and the Democratic Governor Andy Beshear devised a bipartisan plan for how Kentucky is going to vote this year. The plan includes three weeks of early voting, absentee ballots for those with COVID-19 concerns and socially distanced voter booths on Election Day. “It has never been easier to vote in Kentucky,” Ardrey said. “The County Clerk has already stated the amount of absentee ballots that have been requested is unprecedented.” Ardrey doesn’t think that mail-in ballot rejection will be a problem in Kentucky. “During the primary, we learned some valuable lessons of how to do these ballots, and the secretary of state and the governor have worked together to make it a little bit easier and less complicated,” Ardrey said. Increased voter turnout typically favors Democrats, according to the New York Times, but even with increased voter registration and access in Kentucky, Ardrey said Democratic candidates like Amy McGrath and Joe Biden have an uphill climb to make progress in Kentucky. “I’m not too sure on how quickly Kentucky will turn blue or if it will turn blue,” Ardrey said.

They are currently working on remodeling the new building. In addition to the flowers and plants the business already offers, they will also be offering more home accessories and gift items, said Dalton. Dalton said one of her favorite parts of the job is working with the clients and “[clients] allowing us to use our creativity and to design something very special and unique for the occasion.”

Henri Aboah can be reached at aronie. aboah179@topper.wku.edu.

Across the nation, however, Ardrey says we are seeing a political realignment with minority and disaffected Democratic voters. “The Democratic party has to be careful because there’s a growing support by Gen Z African American voters and voters of color who are dissatisfied with the Democratic party,” Ardrey said. “Many of Gen Z and people of color are saying ‘We’ve been supporting the Democratic party and we’re still in trouble.’ They are really looking to the Republican party that is being led by our friend Kanye West that has given some legitimacy.” Data from the 2016 election shows that about 8.4 million 2012 Obama voters backed Trump in 2016, when only 2.5 million Romney voters supported Clinton, according to the American National Election Studies. Most of these voters were concentrated in swing states, predominantly white and without a college degree, that Trump won, such as Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Ardrey said it’s important for voters, especially voters of color, to be open to both parties in order to achieve substantial policy goals. “If you’re giving an organization 90% of your vote, they don’t have to do very much for you, because if they got you, they ignore you,” Ardrey said. “And if you’re giving 90% to one group, then the other group ignores you also because they’re not going to get your vote. If we’re going to have [an] impact on policy, then we have to be willing to oscillate.”

Easton Reynolds can be reached at easton.reynolds653@topper.wku.edu Follow him on Twitter @epdogg5000

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PHOTO FIGHTING FOR PEACE Photos and story by Sam Mallon

Derik Overstreet, 24, uses his platform as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter to promote his non-profit, Bowling Green for Peace, and to cope with the stress of running it.

RIGHT: Justin Webb, 34, leads BG for Peace alongside Overstreet. The two have been hosting voter registration pop-up locations around downtown Bowling Green and the WKU campus through Overstreet’s work with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth. Webb’s daughter, Sophia Webb, 7, tagged along to show off her future MMA potential.

he police killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor this year threw a match on the already lit fire of racial tensions in the United States. Protests erupted across the country, demanding justice in the face of police brutality and racial inequality.

CONTINUED ON A5

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WKU EHS provides do’s and don’t’s for this Halloween during COVID-19 By Laura Tomlin Assistant Director, Environmental Health and Safety, Lead Healthy at Work Program Coordinator

As a year of unprecedented challenges unfolds, Americans are seeking creative ways to celebrate yet another social tradition under the shadow of COVID-19. Halloween may look and feel much different this year and we must be inventive to make it enjoyable and safe.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and KY Public Health have offered some alternatives for celebrating Halloween and other fall activities safely. Some of the CDC’s recommendations include: · · · · · · · · ·

Decorate your home or residence hall room and door with a Halloween or autumn theme Carve pumpkins with members of your household and display them Go on a one-way walk through a corn maze or haunted forest Have an outdoor themed scavenger hunt Have an outdoor costume parade or contest with socially distanced judges Visit a pumpkin patch. Use hand sanitizer often especially when encountering frequently touched surfaces Have an outdoor Halloween movie night with socially distanced neighbors and friends or an indoor movie night with household members Go on a walk from house to house admiring decorations at a distance Make your cloth mask a part of your costume. Do not use another costume mask over it causing difficulty to breathe.

The Kentucky Department of Public Health recommends avoiding higher risk activities such as: · · · · ·

Traditional trick-or- treating Trunk or Treat events Haunted houses Hayrides or tractor rides Any event with large crowds

Kentucky’s health officials instead recommend low- or moderate-risk activities similar to CDC’s suggestions but also include: · · ·

Drive-by costume or car decorating contests Virtual Halloween costume contests An outdoor parade where everyone is socially distanced

Although traditional trick-or-treating is considered a high-risk activity this year by KY Public Health there are suggestions to reasonably reduce that risk. Health officials suggest placing individually wrapped candy outside on the porch, driveway, or on a table as opposed to offering candy in a large bowl. They also suggest washing hands before and after touching wrapped candy.

Both organizations share these common thoughts. While enjoying Halloween and autumn activities, you should keep these safety measures in mind: avoid large gatherings, wear your face mask, exercise social distancing from those outside your household and wash/sanitize hands often especially when in contact with frequently touched surfaces.

It’s time for WKU to switch to environmentallyfriendly take-out products Herald Editorial Board

Issue: The rise in take-out food on WKU’s campus has increased the amount of styrofoam and other environmentally-harmful products being put into the hands of students. Our stance: Because the products being used by WKU’s dining are not recyclable or biodegradable, the containers being used on campus should change if take-out options are going to continue. Modifications were made to WKU’s dining services after students were welcomed back in fall 2020 following the global COVID-19 outbreak, including an increase in carryout. While an increase in carryout is imperative to combatting COVID-19, using the right carryout products is imperative to caring for the environment. Styrofoam, used frequently on campus for take-out orders, cannot biodegrade or be broken down by any other means, so it must stay in landfills forever. Similarly, plastic is rarely recyclable, and when it is, it doesn’t really get recycled. Seventy-six percent of all plastic ends up as waste, according to Harvard Business Review. WKU has a very extensive recycling program as it is able to recycle paper, most plastics, aluminum, glass, tin and cardboard. However, the campus supply of “plastic bags and styrofoam are items not collected for recycling on campus,” according to WKU’s Office of Sustainability. It is understandable why plastics and styrofoam are being used for this uptake in takeout: they’re cheap. Plus styrofoam is especially helpful at keeping products hot due to its insulation properties, according to Rutgers University. Consider, however, the fact that there was an estimated 270,000 tons of plastic floating in the world’s water in 2018, ac-

ANNA LEACHMAN

A squirrel east a french fry on a recycling bin between Downing Student Union and Bates Runner Hall. cording to Forbes. Or consider that the Scientific American reported that chemicals from plastic can be absorbed by humans and wildlife in ways that affect their health. On top of that, the styrofoam that is used for take-out containers at places on campus like RedZone are manufactured by a process that is the fifth leading producer of hazardous waste, according to Rutgers. Similarly to plastic, styrofoam also seeps into the food that it carries and negatively affects human health. WKU has begun to work toward switching to more environmentally-friendly

products in its dining areas, however. In 2014, WKU’s composting program began and has been able to divert between 1,000 to 4,000 pounds of post-consumer waste from landfills, and it collects an average of 1,400 pounds of pre-consumer waste per day. Plus, places like Subway have begun to switch to more environmentally-friendly modes of take-out by switching from plastic bags to paper bags. But this is not enough. Students get food from all areas of campus, so it is important that all of these green initiatives and more are im-

plemented in every dining area on campus. If there is no way to recycle plastic bags and styrofoam — two substances which are not biodegradable on their own — then these things should be eliminated from WKU’s campus altogether. After all, there is only one decade left before climate change becomes irreversible, the United Nations said. So if WKU wants to contribute to reversing climate change, reducing its carbon footprint is an important first step.

PHOTO

A5 Protests in Bowling Green started to take place in late May. Overstreet first got involved when he attended a protest outside of the Bowling Green Police Department headquarters on the evening of May 29. The demonstration was disrupted when a pickup truck drove into the crowd and struck one of the participants. Overstreet was 10 feet away from the woman that was hit — that moment served as his tipping point, he said. After witnessing the incident, his drive to closely participate in Bowling Green’s activism scene only grew. “You can’t let people like that [mess] with you, or scare anybody,” Overstreet said. Overstreet reached out to friends in hopes of figuring out who was responsible for organizing the first protests. Coincidentally, Overstreet was already acquainted with the organizer of the first few protests. There was speculation about a protest the next morning, May 30, and Overstreet inquired about the plans for it. He found out there were scant arrangements made. According to Overstreet, they said they hadn’t made many concrete plans, they were “just going to have some signs,” and gather a group of “400 to 500 people.” He was worried that if it went poorly with “all those people down there, nobody will come out to anything after.” That night, May 29, Overstreet was asked if he would be interested in taking over the responsibility of organizing future Bowling Green protests. Overstreet immediately threw himself into community organizing. Overstreet took on his new leadership role at 10 p.m. and had exactly 12 hours to plan a protest. Sleep was not written in the stars for him that night. “I stayed up all night and wrote everything that we were going to do down … writing what I was going to stay at each stop [of the protest],” explained Overstreet. “And it just happened to go well.” Before the coronavirus pandemic began, Overstreet dedicated most of his time to mixed martial arts fighting. Even if he didn’t have a fight he was training. For a moment, the pandemic put a pause on his busy schedule — until he became involved with community organizing.

After wrapping up two hours of canvassing, Overstreet and his girlfriend, Hannah Shapiro, walk through downtown Bowling Green with her dog, Zuko, on September 20, 2020.

Derik Overstreet Founder of BG for Peace

“In my head, I’m like, ‘that’s not really the smartest idea, because what if it goes terribly?’”

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“This was always what I wanted to do,” Overstreet said, in regards to the nonprofit he has started, BG for Peace. The organization aims to encourage people of all ages in Bowling Green to become more politically active on a local level.

38 41

55 58

To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

Down 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 15 21 22

Arrest It’s a free country Hallucinogen Furry-footed rodent Ticket part Strikes “___ la la!” Come after Veil Man-made fiber Nickname Capt.’s prediction Half a score Crucifix Swindle Check for accuracy

23 24 25 27 28 29 31 32 34 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 46

Miss. neighbor Prospector’s need Antagonistic Take steps Born Extreme suffix Outback runner Heating fuel Ely of Tarzan fame Army unit, briefly Last Greek consonant Current unit Alias preceder Slough Botanist Gray Medical examiner Abandon

47 48 49 51 56 57 59 60 61 62 63 64 66 67 68 69

Pathet ___ Little wriggler Havana residue Engine need Squalid Upside-down sleepers Fence part City on the Rhine Horned goddess Start of a cheer After fire or harvester Don’t waste Quiche, e.g. Spanish aunt Hesitant sounds Hog heaven?

Last week’s crossword solution:

4 2 1 2

8 5 3 8 4 2

6 4

1 4 5 5 3 7 6 2

9 7

L A S H

P O L I O

T A I N T

C L A W

L O R E

O N C E

S A R E M O T I T D E

A N T E W E B E U D G S E S A I T E U S P T

A D I T M E S A P A S S D U S P E E A N O Y P A W E T P O T O N H L S E L A M A W I D A T O Y E N

T A R N D E E E M S

B A L K O P I N A A R O C A T B E E P A E I C E L A U B L I R B N C O S M A R A R I I T E D E L

E N S L Y N N S T A R

1 8 3 2 7 5 9 4 6

4 2 5 9 3 6 1 8 7

1. What was the only MLB team to win 2 World Series in the 1980s? (a) Dodgers (b) Phillies (c) Yankees 2. What NFL team had the first professional cheerleading squad? (a) Green Bay Packers (b) San Francisco 49ers (c) Dallas Cowboys 3. What decade did names first appear on the back of NFL jerseys? (a) 1970s (b) 1960s (c) 1950s 4. What woman won 5 U.S. figure skating titles, but never an Olympic gold medal? (a) Janet Lynn (b) Dorothy Hamill (c) Peggy Fleming 5. Who has the most victories as an MLB manager? (a) John McGraw (b) Connie Mack (c) Casey Stengel 6. The Harlem Globetrotters were formed in what city? (a) Philadelphia (b) Baltimore (c) Chicago 7. What MLB team set a record when they lost 120 games in 1962? (a) Chicago Cubs (b) New York Mets (c) Houston Astros 8. What tennis player was the first to win over $100,000 in a single year? (a) Billie Jean King (b) Chris Evert (c) Rosie Casals 9. Along with Sam Snead and Ben Hogan, who is credited with making the game of golf a popular sport? (a) Bobby Jones (b) Arnold Palmer (c) Byron Nelson 10. What MLB pitcher has won the Cy Young award 7 times? (a) Randy Johnson (b) Roger Clemens (c) Greg Maddux

9 6 7 4 8 1 3 2 5

Sports Soup

2 3 1 8 4 7 5 6 9

5 4 8 3 6 9 2 7 1

72 73 74

7 9 6 5 1 2 4 3 8

3 7 4 1 9 8 6 5 2

57 58 60 62 65 70

8 1 2 6 5 4 7 9 3

45 46 50 52 53 54 55

6 5 9 7 2 3 8 1 4

Partner of void Brake part West Pointer Claim Critical Maligns City-like Throngs Hideous Unexciting Attention-getter Highway division Enthusiasm Self center Ticket costs Zingy taste Bell and Barker Largish combo Short-handled receptacle Primitive calculators Suffix with ideal Kind of collar Pristina locale Mouth piece Bozos Petri dish filler British verb ending Stock Look like a creep Partiality Spa feature Turncoats Map within a map It’s short on purpose Cubic meter Cravings ___ does it!

6.c 7.b 8.a 9.c

1 5 9 14 16 17 18 19 20 22 25 26 30 31 33 35 36 37 38

1.a 2.c 3.b 4.a

Across

FUN

A6 PHOTO PAGE CONTINUED

Overstreet spends most weekdays driving to and from Nashville, balancing his commitment to activism in the Bowling Green community and training at Nashville MMA. Training helps Overstreet clear his mind to ensure he can stay focused on his work with BG for Peace, he said.

“The first month or so I was losing my damn mind,” Overstreet said, “My phone was going off all the time and I was always running around town. I’m not getting paid for anything, so it was just me doing it on my own free will.” Constant criticisms, demanding schedules and social exertion are unavoidable side effects of being an activist or organizer, all of which can take a toll on a person. Overstreet insisted that he is now just “used to not resting” but is also grateful that he can use mixed martial arts as a physical outlet. “Being able to hit people and train keeps me from snapping,” Overstreet said. “If [activism] was all I did, I would have lost it.” Overstreet has fostered a small platform for himself in Bowling Green through his budding career in MMA

fighting — this turned out to be helpful when he started Bowling Green for Peace, because community members already knew who he was and trusted him. Eventually, the protests lost momentum nationwide. It’s been months since Overstreet has organized one, but he has redirected the energy into other forms of community activism, using BG for Peace as a platform for more than just protests. At first, Overstreet was worried that the movement may lose traction. “I said it all the time, even at the protests, I was like, ‘We can’t have this be something where we just were bored and got out in the summer because it was a cool thing to do … and then just disappear,’” Overstreet said. BG for Peace has shifted its focus from protests to voter education and em-

powerment in light of election season. Overstreet recently began working with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth as a voter empowerment organizer. Through his work with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, he has been able to host voter registration pop-up booths around Bowling Green and WKU’s campus, where people can register to vote and learn about the candidates on the ballot. Overstreet’s goals are still set high, and he remains hopeful that real change can happen. “Even if there’s no sweeping legislation change or anything, what we’re doing could plant the idea in people’s heads and we can roll from there,” he said. “It starts with this election,” Overstreet said. “It starts right now, it starts locally, then statewide, then so on and so forth.”

Empowering younger generations to get involved in the political process is especially important to Overstreet. “What we’re doing right now isn’t even about the specific people representing you, it’s about [young] people knowing they have the option to empower themselves more than anything,” he said. “I feel like if we start that now, then electoral politics could actually work, because we’d be getting [young] people to actually do stuff and take power. Until that happens, we’re going to be f---ed up.”

Multimedia Editor Sam Mallon can be reached at samantha.mallon424@topper.wku.edu. Follow her on Instagram at @samamallon.

SPORTS CONTINUED

Covering a WKU football game amid the COVID-19 pandemic By Nick Kieser nick.kieser036@topper.wku. Walking through a desolate Centennial Mall with the sound of WKU’s band getting louder every step closer to Houchens-Smith Stadium signaled there was a congregation gathered for an event, but not as before. Cutting the corner by Downing Student Union, fans and students paraded toward the second home matchup between WKU and Marshall University. People were wearing masks and making their way to gat es around the stadium. As patrons approached the entry a staff member would check temperatures. By regulations set in place, no one could have a 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit temperature. Standing on the concourse and gazing at South Lawn, you could see no tailgating prior to the game. No group gathering there can have more than 10 people in it. Through two home games no tailgating has been seen, and the next chance to see the lawn come alive is Oct. 24 against the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. The football venue is capable of holding 22,113 people, but the new regulations in place due to COVID-19 changed that number significantly. This homecoming affair at WKU saw 4,428 people accounted for in the stands. This is roughly 20% of what Houchens-Smith can hold. Once the temperature reading was complete upon the media entry, passes were given out as per usual, and a boxed meal stood waiting on a table to

be picked up. Q Coffee Emporium provided the meal on this occasion. A ham and cheese sandwich with a bag of Lay’s

distanced. The press box has at least one chair empty between reporters and staff members. With the regular press box in play for

Nick Kieser Houchens-Smith Stadium from the perspective of where the media sit during WKU Football game.

original potato chips, plus a chocolate chip cookie the size of a person’s face. Seating for the media is also socially

returning media outlets, there was also some outside seating for any added reporters to the event.

For two games that was the seat assigned and rain was in the forecast on this cloudy evening. However, the rain held off until the game concluded and it was a light drizzle. With the outdoor seat, the view of the field was still impeccable, and seeing the players rush out of the tunnel for kickoff was as good as it would get from that angle. Around halftime, an email notification came across the screen. It was the Zoom link for the post-game press conference. That’s a part of the job that’s just understood now. Not getting the personal advantage with the coaches and players is unfortunate, especially with bad internet being a hurdle. Once the final whistle goes off, the Zoom meeting can be joined and the wait that feels like an eternity begins. Head Coach Tyson Helton comes across the microphone and asks “can everybody hear me?” He gives his statement regarding the game and then the players come up to the laptop to field questions. This is the new normal. There’s no sense of how long it will go on, but as long as there’s a chance to cover sports it’s a good day.

Sports Editor Nick Kieser can be reached at nick.kieser036@topper.wku. edu. Follow Nick on Twitter at @KieserNick.

SPORTS

A7 By Matthew Hargrove

photo from Steve Roberts, WKU Athletics

IN RUINS

matthew.hargrove426@topper.wku.edu.

Hillto Hilltoppers losing skid continues, new face at quarterback ues For the second week in a row the Hilltoppers (1 (1-4), (1-1, C-USA) couldn’t squander any positive outcome, as WKU’s uneventful second half tiv gave the University of Alabama at Birmingham ga (4-1), (2-0, C-USA) a convincing 37-14 victory. (4 The Hilltoppers now look to bounce back this Saturday at Houchens-Smith Stadium against Sa the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. th Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. CDT. Ki This will be the Mocs first and only game of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns. th The biggest news coming into Saturday’s contest was head coach Tyson Helton giving co the nod to redshirt sophomore quarterback Keth varis Thomas, handing the young signal-caller va his first collegiate start. hi Graduate quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome having turf toe throughout the week played a big in role in Helton’s decision to roll out Thomas ro against UAB. ag Thomas fared well, throwing for 162 passing yards and two touchdown passes while tossya ing two interceptions. Ultimately though, the in young gunslinger’s performance couldn’t push yo his team to the top. hi “Not good enough. I feel like I could have [done] a lot of things better to help the team,” [d Thomas said when evaluating his performance. Th Sophomore tight end Joshua Simon was Thomas’ go-to target. Thomas found Simon six Th

FOOTBALL • CONTINUED BELOW FOOTBALL • CONTINUED

times for 81 yards. Thomas also located Simon in the endzone on a six-yard throw. Sloppy is the keyword that describes how the opening quarter went for both teams, as there were a total of three turnovers in the first 15 minutes. “We just didn’t execute, they played good defense and I couldn’t put my finger on one particular thing. We’ll keep on working hard to get better,” Helton said. After the Blazers redshirt freshman kicker Matthew Quinn booted a 38-yard field goal for the first points of the game, an interception and a fumble on back to back drives followed. Thomas threw his first career interception to redshirt senior cornerback Brontae Harris, then senior defensive back Trae Meadows forced a fumble out

of the the he hands han ands ds of of redshirt red re dshi dshi ds hirt rt freshman fre resh shma sh hma man n tight tigh ti igh ght ht end Terrell McDonald. This WKU tturnover gave lif life tto th the Thi Hilltoppers, as Thomas found senior wideout Mitchell Tinsley on a six-yard pass to the endzone to give the Hilltoppers a 7-3 lead. Seeing that the turnover worked out so well for WKU, the Blazers jumped on the bandwagon to get themselves going. UAB created a fumble out of the hands of sophomore receiver Dayton Wade, which in turn led to the Blazers taking a 10-7 lead on a two-yard touchdown run from senior running back Spencer Brown. Freshman running back Dewaine McBride started the second quarter with some fireworks, going 71 yards on a touchdown run to make it a two-possession game at 17-7.

Thom Th omas om as tthough houg houg ho ugh h an ans swer swer sw ered ed b ack ac ck wi with ith h Thomas answered back authority, finding Simon for a touchdown on th the drive bring the d defi d h nextt d i tto b i th ficit back to three. When it seemed like was going to be a 17-14 score going into the half, that’s when everything started to drift away for the Hilltoppers. With under a minute left in the second quarter, freshman quarterback Bryson Lucero completed a two-yard touchdown pass to redshirt senior receiver Austin Watkins. This moved the score to 24-14 at the half. To begin the second half, WKU’s senior punter John Haggerty was blocked on a punt attempt that was returned for 37-yards into the endzone by redshirt freshman Ryan Davis. After that, the Blazers got a 44 and 30yard field goal from Quinn, which ended

Football beat reporter Matthew Hargrove can be reached at matthew.hargrove426@topper.wku.edu. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewHargrov1.

Views from the bottom of The Hill

COLUMN By Kaden Gaylord kaden.gaylord559@topper.wku.edu

The offense doesn’t have it together

Chris Kohley • WKU Athletics Senior linebacker (36) Kyle Bailey and senior defensive back (31) Antwon Kincade in pursuit of tackling (5) redshirt sophomore wide receiver Myron Mitchell.

After the game against the University of Alabama-Birmingham, I think it is safe to say that the reason this WKU team hasn’t been able to get the ball rolling was not Tyrrell Pigrome. Fans have been calling for a change at the quarterback position for the last couple of weeks and finally got it, and the question I ask you is what did that move prove? Has anything changed? No. The problem this Hilltopper team faces is an all around issue. In every aspect of the game Saturday, WKU was

the th he sc sscoring scor cor orin ing an ing in and nd ke keptt U kept AB u ndef nd def efea eatte ea ted in ted UAB undefeated conference play. Rushing the entire R hi was an iissue th ti game for the Hilltoppers, as they were out-ran 217 yards to 88. WKU also struggled mightily on third down, converting only once out of their 12 tries (8%). “Obviously we couldn’t get anything going in the second half at all, but some things to build off of, things to correct, and keep battling,” Helton said. The Hilltoppers will play in what feels like a must-win game Saturday when the Mocs come to the Hill.

outplayed by UAB and put up less than their normal average amount of points (18.6) that they have this season. The defense has been struggling all year. The highly touted offensive line this team is supposed to have hasn’t shown up this year, and the running game is basically nonexistent, averaging 108 yards while the opponent is at 200 a game. The point is, although the quarterback play hasn’t been the best it is far from Pigrome’s fault, and this game showed that. Now the guy has a turf toe,

which doesn’t make it any better. Kevaris Thomas went 16 for 35, totaling 162 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions against the Blazers. For the past two games, he’s thrown for 310 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions on 47% completion. Pigrome has thrown for 559 yards with six touchdowns on 59% completions, but the big number is he’s thrown zero interceptions this season. None. Besides the game against Marshall, he’s taken care of the ball exceptionally. Thomas obviously has the better arm,

which is why I think fans have been clamoring at the chance to see him start a game, but at the same time, Pigrome is the better decision-maker and protector of the ball and doesn’t try to force certain throws that don’t need to be thrown. It seems like each player has a different playbook when they are on the field. With Pigrome, the offense plays very timidly and conservatively, while with Thomas the field gets spread out with more shots being taken downfield and that’s when the play-calling has to come into question. The quarterback has to take more of the load when the run game isn’t up to par. It feels like the running scheme this year is to run laterally more than to run parallel down the field. What has changed in a year to the point that Gaej Walker goes from averaging nearly 100 yards a game to getting 20 a game? It’s also hard to expect great passing numbers when there has been a lot of turmoil in the receiving core with Lucky Jackson graduating last year and Jacquez Sloan and Jahcour Pearson leaving the program this year, who were supposed to be the number one and two receivers in this offense. The inexperience on the field has shown throughout the season whether receivers are falling while running routes, running the wrong routes, or when the quarterback scrambles they’re sitting there watching him and not moving to find open space. The overall question is, what has changed from last year to this year on why this team isn’t playing up to expectations? With 80% of the starters returning at the beginning of the season, it shouldn’t be as sloppy as it is, but one thing for certain is the fault or pressure of the season’s downfall can’t be put on the shoulders of the quarterback.

Men’s basketball beat reporter & columnist Kaden Gaylord can be reached at kaden.gaylord559@topper.wku.edu. Fol-

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