Volume 52, Issue 7
Friday, March 8, 2013
THE
The voice of Prospect
ROSPECTOR
As the popularity of photography apps like Instagram grows, the art is gaining interest. To read about electives, students’ photos and more, see...
6 Features
801 West Kensington Road, Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056
Softball field upgraded By Erin McGovern Online Editor
Through the gaps in the helmet facemask of junior Michelle Korf ’s batting helmet, she waited for the next ball to come speeding out of the pitching machine, just as she had done at every other softball practice. The only difference was this time, her line drive went sailing over the pitching machine, past her teammate and... just kept going. The gaping holes in the softball team’s batting cages did nothing to stop Korf ’s hit as it went out of the cage and narrowly missed one of her teammates who was using the pitching mound on the other side. Now, a little less than a year later, the players and varsity head coach Jim Adair can breathe a sigh of relief as the new varsity field and press box project that started over the summer will finally be completed, weather permitting, this season. “It was one of those moments when you realize that the batting cages were really that bad,” Korf said. “[Adair] saw it and we both
looked at each other and thought, ‘Wow, we need to fix this or someone is going to seriously get hurt.’” This wasn’t the only close encounter the girls’ softball team has seen, but starting this season it is a problem they won’t face anymore. “It’s just going to overall make us feel more professional as a team,” said Korf. According to Adair, the new renovations were made possible by the installation of the AstroTurf in George Gattas Memorial Stadium this past summer. With no grass requiring fertilizer or yard lines needing to be repainted, the school grounds crew was able to spend more time on other projects around the school like the softball field. Over the course of two weeks, the grounds crew carved out the rising lip between the infield and outfield using a tractor, removed the old grass and covered the new infield with a sand and polymer-based material in preparation for the coming season.
See UPGRADES, page 3
s REPORTING FOR DUTY: Officer Bill Ryan of the Mount Prospect Police Department (MPPD) checks his laptop, gearing up for his daily shift. Ryan has been a MPPD officer for over four years. photo by Ian Magnuson
Behind the badge
Special assignments, car accidents, dealership fraud and patrol are all part of an average day for Officer Mark Bechtold, a 15-year veteran to the Mount Prospect Police Department (MPPD). I decided to learn just what Bechtold and the MPPD do to help serve our community. By Maddy Moloney
Associate Editor-in-Chief
Roll call
s HOME RUN: Softball field construction happens
when the weather permits. A new batting cage and press box were already installed. photo by Ian Magnuson
Senior Ivy Fishman, speech team member, won Illinois High School Association’s Dramatic Interpretation category and is going to speech’s National Tournament. To read about Fishman’s season, check out...
I arrived at roll call at 6:40 a.m. and was greeted by about 12 officers dressed in navy blue, in time to hear Sergeant Joe Belmont start off the day by addressing key issues and concerns in Mount Prospect. Belmont provided the officers with handouts involving information on the latest news about a string of robberies happening near Lions Park Elementary School. He also gave directions not to escort cell mates one and three to receive bond together (they were involved in a domestic dispute involving a love triangle). Belmont then warned of a WOW cable repair man who forced himself into a woman’s home. However, the cable company appeared to have
no record of sending anyone over. After updating the officers on the status of the town, he wished them a safe day and sent us off on our way to serve and protect the citizens of Mount Prospect. After the send-off, I was able to fully introduce myself to my partner for the day. Officer Mark Bechtold, an ‘89 Prospect grad, was raised in Mount Prospect and has been working with the department for 15 years. After he got his Pastoral degree from Christian Life College in Mount Prospect, he became a community service officer. Three months later, he passed the police exam on the first try, a rarity among policemen. “It just felt like, ‘This is right, this is what I’m supposed to do,’” Bechtold said. “...I just feel like there is a higher purpose for me being here and this is really where I’m supposed to be and it’s just been a great fit.”
Going green
State champ
Catch me if you can
Once we checked out the squad car, we started our shift by paroling around Boxwood apartments, an area that often times requires extra attention, according to Bechtold. Little over half an hour later, we got a call about a car accident near Rand and Euclid and drove over to assist the other officer handling the crash. Officers often check up on each other during stops to make sure everything is running smoothly and offer any assistance. Bechtold attributes that to the tight comradery between the officers. Even when he’s off duty, he often stops or hangs around when he sees another officer to make sure they are OK. Once the accident was taken care of, Bechtold decided to radar for speeding cars.
See POLICE, page 8
Unhappily ever after
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3
photo courtesy of Josie Sajbel
6
Opinion
Fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm have been altered to be kid-friendly over the years. To read about the original folktales, go to...
13
Entertainment
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