American Priorities

  I enjoy professional sports as much as the next guy. I've been a fan of the National Football League for most of my life. I'm even willing to look past a lot of the nonsense, drama, etc., that is all too often associated with the league these days.

  In this day and age when much of the talk around professional football involves players kneeling during the National Anthem, it's hard not to make one think about the priority and importance we give these men who have athletic talent. Though many of us find the anthem protests disrespectful and inappropriate, there are many other things done that demonstrate how skewed our priorities are.

  Listening to "Football Night in America" tonight, I heard mention that a player who has already missed a few games this season was reported to have a sore foot. Said player, in just the few hours between the end of the game and the beginning of "Football Night" had already had an x-ray and received a diagnosis. Because his foot was sore.

  This just left me wondering, if the person involved was an American veteran, would he or she have had an x-ray so quickly? How long would he or she have to wait to be seen? If we're going to put this level of importance on the health of one group of Americans, shouldn't it be those willing to fight and die to protect our nation and our freedom?

   I know the reasons why; the player is a multi-millionaire athlete playing in a multi-billion-dollar business on a team that has invested a large sum of money in his ability to play to make millions in ticket, merchandise and other sales. This is not a knock on capitalism. I love capitalism, it is truly the best economic system known to man. But it just seems to me that adjustments should be made when it comes to providing health care.

   The topic of veterans' health care pops in and out of the media quite often. Myself, I don't think it remains there as much as it should. When my journalism career was full-time, I spent a great deal of time and effort covering veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs. What became clear to me is that the VA, despite having several good people with great intentions working within the system, is too bloated a bureaucracy to truly serve vets and our country.

   A recurring theme I often heard when covering the VA was that its goal is to put more of its allocated dollars into veterans' health care. It is my opinion that the American health care system, as well as every veteran, would be better off if the VA's focused was on helping vets in other ways, while putting the bulk of veterans' health care back into the private sector. We could save billions by eliminating the overhead and bureaucracy of the VA if we just let vets choose which doctors they see where.

  The value of one's life should not depend on who is paying that person, or the role you play in the world. The professional athlete has seemingly unlimited access to the necessary healthcare to not only survive, but thrive within his or her industry. Why wouldn't we, as taxpayers, want the same thing for those who fight for us?

  While a team's ownership, or the league, have invested in the professional athlete to get the best performance out of them, we have done the same thing. We have invested in our national defense, the technology, the equipment and the training of our service members. My hunch - which I have neither investigated nor confirmed - is that we do care for these men and women while they are still actively enlisted, but why should that change when they leave? Do professional athletes lose their outstanding health care when they retire?

    I really don't know the answer to that. I just know how ridiculous and shameful it seems to me that there are waiting lists - including secret waiting lists created by bureaucrats to protect their own interests - for our warriors doing actual battle to protect us while a guy who can run fast in meaningless competitions can see top doctors on the spur of the moment.

   Take care of yourself and thank you for reading.
 

My friend Perry Bell

There are just certain special people in the world that you are grateful you had the chance to meet. I had not only had the pleasure of meeting one of them, I had the privilege of working alongside him for over a decade.

Perry Bell was born in West Virginia, but his true hometown is Knoxville, Iowa. A standout athlete in wrestling and football - including contributions to the team's last undefeated season in 1975 - Perry went on to college across the Des Moines River to Pella's Central College. There, he continued to wrestle and do what he does best - make people smile and feel good about themselves.

Perry Bell is pictured interviewing
Knoxville football coach Eric Kellar.

After college, Perry chose to stay in Knoxville and tell the stories of Marion County athletes. For over 30 years, he has continued to do so for newspapers in Knoxville and Pella.

"A commitment of over 30 years to the communities in Marion County is telling," Iowa High School Athletic Association Spokesperson Bud Legg said. "One doesn’t stay that long unless they genuinely care for the people." 

Of all people, Legg should know. He and Perry have been acquainted for over 20 years, including the 16 1/2 Legg has been with the IHSAA.

It's easy for one to get to know leaders of the boys' high school sports agency when you're responsible for covering six schools. Perry routinely covers Knoxville, Pella, Pella Christian, Melcher-Dallas, Twin Cedars and Pleasantville sports. Each sports season offers the opportunity to cover at least two to three teams per school. The athletes at these schools, over the decades, have made numerous trips to the postseason - with Perry Bell in attendance at as many games, matches, meets, etc., as he possibly can.

Juggling all of these communities and sports cannot be an easy task for anyone, but Perry has found a way. As a testament to his fame - but moreover, his dedication to the young people of Marion County - nary a sporting event passes in which he does not take a few moments to speak to officials and other adults whom he has covered in the past.

They remember him, and he remembers them, as well as the school they attended. This man has too many "buddies" to count.

Each season, Perry takes part in the Iowa Newspaper Association's All-State Selections Committees. Oftentimes, he leads the room full of sportswriters to help narrow down and determine who truly are the best of the best in Iowa high school athletics.

"He is always reliable and prompt with media requests for our state events and informs me of various little insights on the teams he covers and that I can share with other media," Legg said. "His soft-spoken and hardworking ethic makes him popular not only with us but his colleagues. His reporting mirrors his personality – honest, positive, straight-forward."

Marion County has been blessed with countless talented athletes over the past 30-plus years. Perry fights for each and every one of them to get the honors they deserve, all the while not being bullish. He respects the talent of all Iowa high school athletes and has the eyes and ears to recognize who truly deserves the honor. Nevertheless, there are many athletes who have gone on to bigger and better things with Perry's support - including several current Iowa Hawkeyes.

"His professional and ethical manner  in which he covers his teams and individuals is at the top of the list in his profession," Legg added. "He does not dally in opinion on social media/Twitter about things he may disagree with, rather he picks up the phone or sees me in person to express his concerns. I have never seen in bring an undue amount of attention to himself. Rather his story and words are his bond with coaches, athletes and schools. What higher compliment can you give a writer?"

Perry Bell is pictured on the sidelines of Knoxville's historic
Ken Locke Stadium. 

When it comes to honoring athletes, Perry recognizes that there is more to the quality of the individual than an ability to run, catch or hit. The content of a student-athlete's character is just as, if not more, important to Perry when offering his support. This is further evidenced as he is one of the founders of the IHSAA's Ed Thomas Award, given to the athlete who exemplifies all of the qualities you'd want a young man graduating high school to display.

Covering sports for six high schools in community newspapers would be enough of a challenge for any sports writer, but one cannot overlook that Perry continues to cover sports at his Alma mater, Central College, and the "Sprint Car Capital of the World", the Knoxville Raceway.

He's never said it, but it's been my observation that he sees covering the college and the raceway as further opportunities to make friends. Walking through a Central crowd, or the pits of Knoxville Raceway with Perry is like hanging out with a true celebrity.

Everyone knows him. Everyone likes him. Everyone wants to shake his hand, and he does. What is most striking is joining him during the Knoxville Nationals, when the pits are full of drivers - drivers who have literally raced around the world and amassed legions of fans - who walk up to Perry with a smile, greet him by name and shake his hand like an old friend. Granted, Knoxville Raceway is the Mecca of sprint car racing, but how many local, community sports writers have been able to cultivate relationships like that with people they see maybe twice a year?

Perry is a standout professionally because of his big heart, but it is his life away from the job that truly captures what a special person he is. Besides being a tremendous friend, he is a loving husband to Lisa; brother to Kathy; "Papa" to his Little Bear, Jasmine, along with fellow grandchildren Abigail, Caitlin and Madison. Sitting across a room from him, seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter coming from him when he is interacting with all of them provided only a small taste of what I am sure is a life away from the ink that is full of love and joy.

The number of lives Perry has touched is as immeasurable as the impact he has had on Iowa athletics. All I know is that it is a blessing to call him my friend, and I'm sure there are many more who feel the same way.

Increased loads decrease road life

On Sept. 18, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation that lifted weight restrictions for truck traffic on roads in the state to make it easier for farmers to transport corn, soybeans, hay, straw, and silage. The weight limit on Iowa roads for a semi truck is 80,000 pounds. With the proclamation, the restriction is now at 90,000 pounds.
Over the past several years, we in Iowa have been hearing about the deterioration of our roads and bridges. It was only July when the Iowa Department of Transportation released a map detailing the poor condition of most of Iowa's bridges. A national research group has said Iowa has some of the worst rural roads in the nation.
This made me want to find out if there is a correlation between heavy truck loads and the condition of our rural roads. I sought out Marion County Engineer Tyler Christian, who had plenty of answers.
"Any increased loading on county roads is just going to accelerate the deterioration of the pavement," Christian said.
Putting load restrictions on roads dates back to the 1960s, when the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) devised a way to calculate load limits. What resulted was the establishment of the Equivalent Single Axle Loads (ESAL) system, to provide a standard for nationwide load limits.
An 80,000-pound load on five axles is typically 2.39 ESALs per axle. The 90,000-pound load on the same number of axles is 3.8-4.0. While the number of ESALs may increase only slightly, the actual damage done to the road can increase by 60-70 percent, according to Christian.

“That can always vary, too,” Christian said. “The damage done to the pavement increases significantly more than a linear factor than what the load increases.” 

To put it simply, the heavier loads decrease the life of a road's pavement. Trucks within the usual weight limit already put a strain on highways, as a single 80,000-pound truck traveling over a highway once causes the same amount of damage to the pavement as 800 passenger vehicles. 

Trucks are something county engineers have just dealt with, as it is also very important to Iowa's economy to allow the easy transportation of goods - including harvested crops. Other states are looking into increasing their load limits, but the difference here is that Iowa roads have not been designed to handle the heavier loads. 

The number of miles of road a jurisdiction is responsible for can affect every aspect of design and maintenance. For instance, Christian's Secondary Road Department is responsible for 850 miles of road within Marion County's borders. Because of the volume of miles to be maintained, county roads cannot be built to the same standards as interstate highways. 

Funding for county roads comes primarily from the State's Road Use Tax. This tax was increased in 2015 by 10 cents, much to the chagrin of many Iowans. Of the amount of tax collected at the state level, 24 percent is allocated to counties. It remains the largest source of funding for counties, who also receive a small amount of property tax collected from properties not within an incorporated city's borders. The fund this money goes into is known as the Rural Services Basic Fund. 

"I think the formula they have in place now works well," Christian said. 

In all, Christian's budget is around $7 million. However, there are still many Marion County roads that rely on gravel. Each year, $1.5 million is budgeted to meet gravel needs. 

"Heavy trucks absolutely play a factor in how much rock we purchase," Christian said. The County has a rock report, which tracks how much is used on a certain road over time. There are definitely parts of the county that have required more rock than others. 

"Traffic volume is our baseline, and we adjust from there," Christian said. Roads can also be affected by drainage, soil conditions, heavy trucks and other factors. 

Damage by heavy trucks is easier to locate on gravel roads, versus pavement. Pavement issues can take years to surface. Typically, the County likes to get 40-50 years of life out of pavement if it can. 

Christian added that, beyond being secure in the fact that ESALs increase and damage is done, it is difficult to quantify how much damage heavy loads cause. There is no way to really tell what kind of an effect the weight restriction being lifted will have, but there is no doubt that the governor's decision will negatively impact rural Iowa roads. 

Friday nights on a sideline

There are truly only a few life experiences that are as grand as spending a Friday night on the sideline of a high school football game.

Autumn in Iowa often provides the perfect weather for the opening week. Whether there is still a faint notion of summer's humidity holding on in the air or a cool breeze to let you know that winter is well on its way, the air is always comforting as it enters your lungs. It is often complemented with the sweet smells of barbecued treats and popcorn wafting out to welcome spectators to the night's event.

As you approach stadium, there are parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles - and many others without current blood ties to the team - all decked out in sweatshirts and caps in their team's colors. You walk among them and all of you watch out for the children running to chase their friends. They simply still have the energy and innocence to express their excitement for the evening that we older folks don't.

The reasons behind the adults' fandom can vary. Maybe they've got someone special on the team, in the band or cheering on the sidelines. Maybe they are just filled with community pride, or a desire to see a great display of sportsmanship. Maybe they have had their time on the field and are trying to relive their glory days. All that matters is that they are there to support the young people.

As a reporter, stepping onto that sideline is always a fantastic feeling. Your position for the evening might be separated from the fans, by and large, but you're never above or distanced from the crowd. Not when you're covering one of your home teams.

Your team - including the players, coaches, managers, trainers, etc. - soon join you on the sidelines. From the moment the ball is kicked off, you're right there with them. Not just physically, but emotionally.

You feel the joy of every big gain. You feel the pain of the powerful tackles. Your hope floats along with the ball as it soars through the air after leaving the quarterback's hands. When that receiver catches the ball - whether he gets a long run afterward or not - your fist pumps along with the boys in uniform alongside you.

The game of football always has its ups and downs. Sometimes there are those games you know you're going to win or you know you're going to lose. But there is always the thrill of the game, the joy of being there and watching these young people grow and mature regardless of the outcome.

It's those tight games that especially get you. You look at the young faces on the sidelines and see these kids' passions hanging on every down. Your focus may shift to a coach's face and soon discover that there is no difference between what they are going through and what their players are.

Sometimes you're going through it as well and you don't take as many opportunities to be the observer you are supposed to be. In my opinion, those are the games that bring out the best in a sports reporter. There are few answers to seek nor perspectives to gain because you already know them. The more time you spend on a sideline with a specific team, the easier it is to share these feelings.

With darkness surrounding the beacon of light the stadium has become under the lights, the chill of the fall always takes hold. Always.

The teams have shaken hands and retired to either end of the field for their respective coach's post-game talk. Behind you, those rambunctious little ones have given up the fight and are lost in dreamland on a parent's shoulder. Those sporting the hometown gear, depending on the outcome, are either jubilant or morose. But they are all beaming with pride for what their young people have done over four quarters.

When the coaches have had their say, the players make their way to mingle with the crowd or choose to head for the locker room to whatever Friday night plans they may have.

The end of the night means one less week in an already short season, but many more memories made to cherish and stories to be shared for the next week in coffee shops, homes and other gathering places as the countdown begins to next Friday's kickoff.

Prop A expected to bring new tennis courts

An already unique Sept. 12 school election ballot will present Knoxville School District voters another question that will have an impact throughout the city.

The question, known as Prop A, will be a paragraph on the ballot asking voters to increase the current Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) by 67 cents per $1,000 of taxable valuation. As it stands, the district’s overall levy is expected to decrease by 80 cents per $1,000 due to retiring debt. Even if voters approve the 67-cent increase in the PPEL, property taxes are expected to see a net reduction of 13 cents per $1,000.

Going off the tax rolls is debt related to the district’s management fund. This fund was used to pay the costs for early retirement of dozens of district employees within the last five years. The early retirement packages were offered to try to lower the district’s general fund expenses.

The PPEL increase, if approved, would be in place for the next six years. Knoxville Schools Superintendent Cassi Pearson said the district is asking for the increase to help fund eight new tennis courts and a basketball court across the street from Knoxville High School.

This is the current site of the Knoxville Skate Park, next to the Recreation Center. The district is working with the City of Knoxville on this project. Currently, the district utilizes the tennis courts at Young’s Park, owned by the City.

The Young’s Park courts have been in disrepair for years. The soil conditions and lack of drainage have plagued the ability to keep the courts in the proper condition to be utilized for both high school athletics and independent recreation. If voters approve the PPEL and the new courts are built, the new courts will also be accessible to the public.

Though the current skate park would be removed, a new and improved skate park – as well as other amenities – would be built at Young’s Park. The City would pay for this project.

Pearson believes moving the courts next to the high school would be much more advantageous than their current location. Being near the high school, its facilities could be utilized to host more tournaments and events. This includes the South Central Conference Tournament. PE classes and Recreation Center programs will also be able to utilize the new courts.

If voters approve the levy increase, construction would begin in March or April. The goal is to have the courts open and available for use by June 1, 2018. Pearson reports that the soil on the proposed site has already been tested, and they have indicated that it will not have the same issues as the land at Young’s Park.

The current PPEL is 67 cents. This fund can only be used for buildings and buses. It cannot be used for salaries or supplies.

If the new courts are built, the maintenance agreement between the City and school district indicates that the City will maintain the courts after the district pays for construction. Pearson added that the courts themselves would be made of a material with a longer shelf life and may not require the level of maintenance and expense of the current courts.

She is excited at the prospect of adding these new amenities to Knoxville to promote a healthy lifestyle. The new basketball court could also enhance the community in new ways.

Prop A needs only 50 percent plus 1 vote to be approved. The ballot language does not specifically state what the proceeds from the levy will be used for. It is this project, and Prop A is the only yes-no question on the ballot. 

That old hymnal

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned the Avery United Methodist Church.
This is the church my late mother grew up in. We averaged maybe 19 people a week when we regularly attended in my childhood. Mom taught Sunday School at the church for many years, including many as a child herself, teaching those younger than she was.
The Avery church has never really left my mind. I had another reminder of it come across me at work last week.
The church, like many others, had a revolving door of ministers. It was often a training ground for young ministers and a pasture on the way to retirement for others. One of the young pastors I'd known and formed a bond with came to my workplace the other day. Not to see me, but seeking a service my work provides.
I have begun to realize that, while life can throw these blasts from the past at you, it's nothing compared to the impact the music can have.
In addition to the sermon, each week at the Avery church, someone would choose the songs we would sing during the service. Though we had a rotation of leaders, and three hymnals to choose from, we most often would choose music from the same one. Quite often, we would choose songs that we all knew best.
Not every week, but I would say at least once a month, our small congregation would sing "Amazing Grace", "In the Garden", and "The Old Rugged Cross."
We never really followed recommendations from the United Methodist Church organization or any other outside leadership group. We chose songs that we knew, songs that we enjoyed and songs that we, even as small as our congregation was, could truly harmonize on and feel we were truly praising the Lord as best we could.
Of course, any joyful noise made to glorify God pleases Him, but there was always just something about singing songs we knew that made it that much better. To me, anyway.
As I grew older and learned how to play the trumpet, I was never really interested in playing the songs they taught us at school. I wanted to learn how to play these hymns that I'd been singing for years. There was a time I could play some of them pretty well.
Time marched on, and even though I left the Avery church, it and its music, has never left me. I can still sing every verse, word for word, of "In the Garden" and "Amazing Grace." I'm glad I can, because, much like my congregation of old, I believe these songs truly capture the message God wants us to remember. He's there for us, and it is only through His grace that we will be saved. I really don't know if we need three hymnals' worth of songs to get that message across.
My church today, when I am able to attend, often has songs predetermined by the United Methodist calendar. It makes me sad, to be honest, because I miss the songs I know and love. That, and I just don't know the lyrics and melodies of most of them. We don't sing any of them often enough for me to get to know them.
I am reassured each time I sing in the shower, or sing my wife to sleep, that there are things that are always going to be with me. God's grace and mercy will be, as will those tunes that remind me of that, as well as my old home.
Take care of yourself and thank you for reading.

Pleasantville Pig Out 2017

This past weekend, I had the honor and privilege of serving as a judge for the Pleasantville Pig Out's barbecue contest.

Pleasantville, Iowa, is the third-largest community in Marion County, and it is everything that a small town should be. There's little crime, good schools, a wonderful coffee house, a great restaurant and much more. For the many years that I've had the pleasure of visiting and getting to know the people of that community, there is no more appropriate name than Pleasantville.

The Pig Out was spearheaded by former Recreation Director Brandon Bingham, and his wife, Angel. That was seven years ago, and the two are still very much involved in the event. Neither will take much credit, and they certainly would not be able to have made the event what it is without the help of many others. In my opinion, I believe the Pig Out would be successful if they were unable to contribute, but it just wouldn't be the same. They do this while running a successful business, Bing Bang Media.

For each Pig Out, I have served as a barbecue contest judge. When I refer to this as an honor and a privilege, it's not an exaggeration. The ability of a community of around 1,700 to host many times that one weekend a year is remarkable.

The 2017 Pig Out welcomed 10 cookers participating in the barbecue contest. Each year, contestants submit entries in the categories of pork, ribs, beef, poultry and one dubbed "wild card." The wild card category has produced many interesting - and delicious - entries over the years, including cake and alligator meat. Even for standard barbecue categories, each of the others has produced creative - and again, delicious - entries.

Beyond the food, the Pig Out also includes a car show. I didn't count, but I believe there were around 150 classic and modern day automotive wonders, filling nearly every street around the town's square this year.

Those are just two of the main components of the event that contribute to the atmosphere of what a small-town festival should be. Every sense was touched by this year's event. The sunshine and warm temperatures were perfect. Along with the smell of the barbecue and the sight of the cars, the sounds of children playing could routinely be heard. Little League ballplayers constantly called out to peddle their bottles of water. All of them seemed to beam with just as much community pride as the adults of Pleasantville.

From my vantage point, looking out the window during our judging procedure, the line to the food was consistently full for nearly two hours. Saying it was a long line presents a connotation of negativity that didn't seem to exist. No one seemed unhappy, as they know that the barbecue is always worth the wait.

For me, a visit to Pleasantville - even when there is no barbecue involved - is always worth the trip.

Boyhood home still resonates

Avery. 
It is a tiny village six miles east of what many others would consider a tiny village known as Albia. I lived in Avery for about eight years of my childhood, but it is truly where I grew up. 
The simple boyhood privileges of whiling away the daylight traversing the sparsely-graveled roads on my bike created memories for me that have already seemed to have lasted a lifetime. There was literally only one paved road that ran through Avery, and all the further it went was to Albia. Pavement ended at a set of railroad tracks on the eastern outskirts of our town. 
I had the pleasure of growing up there from the late 1980s through the early 1990s. In those days, everyone at least knew who their neighbors were, even if they did not socialize together. You were able to use the names of every home's occupant as a point on the map. 
"Don't ride past Gene's house" would be an occasional request on particularly hot days. "You know where June lives? Those people live just a few houses down" was another to help someone who may be unfamiliar with the area. 
There was always the fear of strangers coming to town with bad intentions, but it just didn't happen. Even if it did, the people of Avery were so close-knit that if anyone looked out their front window and spotted some shenanigans, they were not afraid to come out and try to put a stop to it themselves. Or, at the very least, gather enough information to pass on to authorities. 

When we were kids, we never really wanted to spend much time outside. Home video game systems were slowly starting to develop a few years before we moved out, which reduced some of the time we spent outside. But for the most part, if we weren't riding bikes, we'd be looking for other chums in town to meet to put a baseball or football game together. 

Summers were meant for being outside, enjoying your freedom from school and homework. We had all school year to waste our days inside a stuffy classroom No one wanted to go in until we were told, and even then, we fought the requests as long and as hard as we could. 
Avery still exists, though the number of people who continue to be there - who were when I was a kid - continues to dwindle. It still has the charm, though my last few visits haven't seen kids riding their bikes. I can only pray that they continue to do so, and they haven't all been sucked in to video games and other indoor entertainment. 
Even if no kids continue to live in Avery, that does not change the fact that simple, small town life can be inspirational. It can help one develop a sense of, and an appreciation for community. I know it did with me. 
I believe that, in today's world, we need a greater sense of community to try to bring us back to some common ground and maintain us as the UNITED States of America. My goal with this blog will be to try to look at different things that go on in our world, and bring them back to how it will affect our small towns and families - both of which are basic building blocks of community. 
I hope you will join me on this journey and find what I share to be worthwhile. Take care of yourself and thank you for reading. 
An old friend who inspired me to try blogging