4 I The Lovell Chronicle I October 25, 2012
CHRONICLE
IOHS
Tirade embarrassing
for UW football
University of Wyoming head football coach Dave Chris-
tensen made the news this week for all the wrong reasons,
suspended for one game and fined $50,000 for a foul-
mouthed confrontation with Air Force coach Troy Calhoun
following Wyoming 28-27 loss to the Falcons in Laramie on
Sept. 13, Wyoming fifth in six games at the time.
Christensen was livid and was surely feeling the frustration
of a season that had featured four losses by a touchdown or
less when he tore into Calhoun following the game. Chris-
tensen believed that the Air Force coach had been unethical
by "faking" an injury to quarterback Connor Dietz during the
go-ahead touchdown drive after his helmet came off, requir-
ing the quarterback to sit out for a play per NOV rules, giving
the backup quarterback time to warm up and coaches time to
prepare a play, a play that ultimately proved to be the winning
touchdown.
Rather than dealing with the issue in private, however, or
taking the alleged unethical act to the Mountain West Confer-
ence, Christensen went ballistic, berating Calhoun with a ti-
rade laced with F-bombs and calling him names not fit to print
in this newspaper.
Christensen may have been justified in his outrage, but his
reaction was outrageous as a representative of the university
and the state of Wyoming. He was clearly emotional following
another tough loss by a team that was expected to challenge
for the conference crown but has now fallen to 1-6 with a 42-
14 loss at Fresno State on Saturday night. And on October 13
he made a terrible mistake.
We've all been there, wishing we could take back words ut-
tered in a fit of anger. And coaches are known to curse from
time to time. There nothing new about that. So it seemed ini-
tially like it would blow over, Christensen apologized to Coach
Calhoun, the university and the Mountain West Conference,
which early the next week publicly reprimanded the coach.
Many fans even praised the coach for sticking up for his team.
But then the video surfaced.
A video of the tirade was posted on the video posting
website You Tube on Friday, and to use the modern parlance,
it quickly "went viral." Just as the university and Coach Chris-
tensen were trying to put the incident behind them, it was in
front of them - full in their face.
Monday, the university suspended Christensen for one
game and issued the $50,000 fine.
The timing of the suspension, if not the suspension itself, is
puzzling...and suspicious. Did Athletic Director Tom Burman,
who made the ultimate call, feel pressured into doing some-
thing? Some said he didn't immediately realize the scope of the
incident until later in the week, but he admitted in a news con-
ference Monday that he had seen the video two days after the
Air Force game.
So why wait so long? How were things any worse on Mon-
day, Oct. 22, than they were Monday, Oct. 15? Was this a de-
cision prompted by You Tube and the criticism that came with
it from boosters and state and university officials - decision by
You Tube?
Burman admitted that the video did have an influence on
his decision but wasn't what pushed him over the top. He said
he didn't want to make a hasty decision and ultimately decid-
ed, '%Vejust needed to do it."
Uh-huh.
Whatever the timing, the whole affair is sad and embarrass-
ing for the university.
Speaking of sportsmanship, we found the following letter to
the editor penned to the Chronicle in a back issue. It reads, in
part:
'(/hy is it that some people insist upon throwing insults at
the other team while a game is going on? That is a question I
don't believe they can answer themselves.
"When a team plays at our home town, do we want
them to go away and tell their home folks that they don't
like to play a game at our town because the people are so
insulting? Of course, none of us want anyone to do that.
"LetL all join hands in combating this foe of ours, which
is liable to pop up just anywhere, anytime, and watch our-
selves at our last game. We'll be able to conquer it if we all
pull together,"
-lone Boxrud
The letter appeared in the Nov. 11 edition of the Chroni-
cle - in 1937.
It seems as if poor sportsmanship has been an issue as
long as humans have played competitive sports. There were
probably bad sports at the Roman Coliseum and the origi-
nal Olympic games in Greece.
Maybe we should all remember IoneL words from 75
years ago.
-David Peck
Letters to the editor
One-cent tax a farce
Dear Editor,
Many weeks have passed,
with a constant barrage of may-
ors' opinions laid out publicly,
trying to coerce the population to
vote for increasing the tax base. It
has been written over and again
that this tax is for the good of the
entire county.
But the facts may prove dif-
ferent. For instance, early on I
read in the Lovell Chronicle that
the Pryor Mountain Mustang
Center would not be eligible for
penny tax funds because the Mus-
tang Center did not fall within
town limits. If this is indeed the
case, I sure find this "town lim-
its clause" strange. From a lay-
man's view, it seems a stupid
rule, especially when Lovell golf
course improvements are still on
the books. Golfers should pay for
their own recreational costs and
especially cart storage improve-
ments if they choose not to walk,
in my opinion.
So why are the stipulations in
place to allow the entire county
constituency be taxed, while ben-
efiting only infrastructure within
town limits?
The idea, propagated by may-
ors in writing over the past sev-
eral weeks, that infrastructure
improvements to towns will en-
courage development and new
people to invest in the county is
ludicrous. For instance, during
the recent election, a Big Horn
County commissioner took out
paid advertisements in the news-
paper to name call and deride
the newcomer (a 10-year resident
with vested interest in Big Horn
County with possible valuable
life experience in other localities
throughout America). And after
the election, the incumbent re-
elected winner submitted a taste-
less and boastful tirade again de-
riding the challenger from out of
town.
These actions by our "leaders"
show a real lack of respect to oth-
ers, sending a clear message to
those with discernment that Big
Horn County is closed for new
business and ideas from newcom-
ers. So although many of the town
projects other than those in Lovell
seem noble and possibly needed, I
don't buy into this tax, not even
for a penny.
Kevin Schilthuis
Lovell
Setting the record straight about sixth-cent tax
Dear editor:
As the date draws nearer to
election, I wanted to take this op-
portunity to answer some of the
questions that have come up with
regard to the sixth-cent proposal
that will be on the election ballot
this November.
1) What type of items does the
sixth-penny tax affect? There are
49 categories of items exempt (not
taxed) from tax for the sixth cent.
Most notably, you will not be taxed
on food items you buy at the grocery
store or your prescription items.
Also not taxed are farm imple-
ments, sale of gasoline and diesel,
livestock, feed, fertilizer and many
more.
2) How much of the revenues
from the sixth penny come from
tourists? It is estimated that 18
percent or more of the tax revenues.
comes from out-of-county or out-of-
state shoppers.
3) If you buy a $30,000 vehicle,
what will the additional penny cost
you? It will cost you $300 more than
you would have paid. That is less
than $1 per day over the course of
a year.
4) The rumor is that the sixth
cent will never go away, is that true?
That is not true. In fact, by statute
the sixth penny has to expire once
the cost of the approved projects is
paid for. In our case, it could take
as long as 13 years for the tax to ex-
pire, but it will indeed expire. It has
totally separate guidelines than the
fifth penny that the county has vot-
ed to keep permanently.
5) How will your support of
these projects benefit our commu-
nity? First and foremost, it will al-
low our communities to build in-
frastructure and boost economic
development. Many of the proj-
ects will likely never be affordable
for communities if not supported
by this proposal. As we look to
the future, we wonder how we are
going to attract people to our com-
munity to visit and also to take up
residence. We need adequate in-
frastructure in place to convince
people to build in our county. We
need recreational attractions to
encourage them to want to bring
their families here. In addition,
we need economic projects that
will encourage tourists and other
residents of Wyoming to stop in
our town and spend their money.
Those same tourists will be pay-
ing for our projects by spending
their money in our communities.
I am sure that you have many
other questions and I would en-
courage you to talk with your lo-
cal government officialswho can
answer some of those questions for
you. We, as a county community,
must begin to think about how we
are going to sustain our communi-
ties and build a strong foundation
for our future. Please take the time
to look over the projects that will be
funded by this penny. Whether you
support this initiative or not, being
informed and knowing all the facts
is important.
Sara Schlattmann
Greybull
One-cent projects add to quality of life
Dear Citizens of Big Horn County:
As mayors, we strive to make
our communities a safe and great
place to live, work and play. In our
last letter, we addressed the criti-
cal infrastructure improvements
that can be attained through the
1 percent specific purpose sales
and use excise tax. In addition
to improving critical infrastruc-
ture needs such as water, sewer
and street improvements, this
tax will allow the communities
in Big Horn County to pursue
much needed economic develop-
ment and community enhance-
ment projects that are necessary
to stimulate tourism, strengthen
our communities and make our
towns and neighborhoods more
attractive places to live and work.
With this funding, the follow-
ing projects will be possible:
Lovell will be able to con-
struct a local museum - the
Lovell/Kane Area Museum; con-
struct bathrooms and concessions
at the rodeo grounds; and address
high-priority improvements at
Lovell's community golf course.
Greybull will be able to par-
ticipate in the school district's
construction of a new swimming
pool and create an operations and
maintenance account for the pool.
Basin will be able to refur-
bish the existing Town Hall to
serve as a community center for
senior programs, youth programs
and other community events; add/
upgrade lighting at park facilities
and provide enhanced outdoor
recreational facilities at park lo-
cations; and replace the heating
system, finish kitchen improve-
ments and create an operations
and maintenance account for
Basin City Art Center.
Byron will be able to make
improvements to Memorial Park
including restrooms, a gazebo
with picnic tables, RV and camp-
sites, utilities and landscaping;
and make enhancements to other
town-owned parks.
These economic development
and community enhancement
projects will have a large and
lasting impact on the future of
our communities. Good facilities
and amenities will contribute to
the general quality of life in our
communities. A community with
good parks and other facilities is
a pleasant and sociable place to
live. Residents spend more time
in the community and, therefore,
are more familiar with one an-
other and contribute to a sense of
community.
Further, good facilities can
help attract new residents. Peo-
ple are more likely to move to our
communities if we have well-kept
parks, lively cultural institutions
and good schools. These projects
can also improve the economic cli-
mate and prospects of the commu-
nity by attracting business and
tourism. Businesses want to lo-
cate in communities with good fa-
cilities for the same reasons that
individuals do. It helps them at-
tract and keep the best employ-
ees and also tells them something
about the management and pride
of the community. More business-
es means more jobs, a higher tax
base and a healthier local econo-
my.
Again, we ask you to take the
time to ask questions, understand
the proposed projects and make
an informed decision in Novem-
ber on Election Day.
Lovell Mayor
Bruce Morrison,
Cowley Mayor Joel Peterson
and seven others
Letters policy
The L0vell Chronicle welcomes letters from its readers and will make every effort to print them. Letters longer than 400 words
may not be printed. Letters must be signed and include the address and telephone number of the writer. Unsigned letters will be
discarded. Writers are limited to two letters in any 30 day period.
All letters must conform to the law of libel and be in good taste. They may be mailed to The L0vell Chronicle, Box 787, L0vell,
WY 82431, or delivered to our office at 234 E. Main St., L0vell. A strict 1:00 p.m. Tuesday deadline will be enforced.
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David Peck, Editor and Publisher
Editor ................................................................................. David Peck
Reporter ........................................................................ Patti Carpenter
Office Manager ........................................................... Gladys McNeil
Production Manager ........................................................... Pat Parmer
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Staff ................................................. Dorothy Nelson, Marwyn Layne
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