Neil Burk - The Paper of Montgomery County
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Saturday, August 17, 2019

  • We need answers, accountability from Southmont

    Wednesday, December 6, 2017 4:10 AM
    The Jon Sparks era has come to an end for Southmont boys’ basketball. Problem is, no one seems to be willing to explain why.
    A press release from Southmont athletic director Aaron Charles came out just before 3 p.m. Tuesday saying that Sparks resigned as head coach and that Jake Turner will serve as the interim head coach.
    I asked Aaron, “Did Jon give a reason for his resignation? If so what was it?”
    His response: “Our focus is on this team and moving forward as they continue to work to reach their goals for the season. We will not comment any further than what was released.”
    Our staff called Charles several times Tuesday, called Southmont Principal Mike Tricker multiple times and even called the corporation office trying to speak with Superintendent Dr. Shawn Greiner. Not one call was returned. I’m not a hard guy to get hold of. I’ve printed my cell phone number in this very paper multiple times.
    When we tracked down Sparks, he was only willing to confirm that “a change has been made.” I talked with him later and he sent a statement that started with “The administration at Southmont has determined my coaching to be finished. And so I have resigned effectively immediately.” The full statement can be read at the bottom of this page. 
    So was he fired or did he resign? 
    Did the fact that Sparks made a decision to bench his best player Saturday as Southmont lost a lead and the game at Cloverdale factor in?
    I asked Aaron that, too, in an email. No response yet.
    It’s time that we start acting like adults, don’t you think? Someone made an adult decision that has us in this situation. This situation where a 4-2 Southmont team had a head coaching change part way through the season.
    That’s the situation and fans, supporters, taxpayers and students want to know why. They deserve to know why and what really happened.
    52 comment(s)

  • What kind of millennial are you?

    Monday, November 21, 2016 4:00 AM
    So I’ve been thinking. Scary, right? What exactly does it mean to be a millennial? Does the tag carry a good connotation? A bad one? Here’s where my thoughts are currently. 
    According to the Pew Research center, members of the millennial generation were born after 1980. In my experience there are a few different stereotypes that fit into that age range. Let’s call them “The Workers,” “The Wanters,” and “The Whiners.”
    0 comment(s)

  • Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me

    Monday, October 24, 2016 4:00 AM
    Well, this word didn’t feel good – millennial. 
    Yeah, my boss called me that and I hadn’t even accepted the full-time gig yet!
    OK . . . OK . . . OK . . . I guess millennial isn’t REALLY a bad name to be called. So why does it feel that way? Supposedly, us folks born in the ‘80s and early ‘90s are millennials. 
    I thoroughly dislike these generational tags. Is it because everyone wants everyone else to fit into a perfect label? If so, that seems to be an inward-looking indictment more than anything. Millennials think Baby Boomers caused the recession and housing collapse . . . Boomers think Millennials want to be precious unique flowers, afraid of everything. 
    0 comment(s)

  • Good discussion is happening in city right now

    Wednesday, October 19, 2016 4:00 AM
    I get some odd looks when I show up for a meeting of the Crawfordsville City Council. I always have. They used to be (I think) because of my wide eyes and dumb questions. Now, I think they’re more about my much-too-large beard and overly self-confident approach. 
    I sat down Monday night on the second floor of the Crawfordsville city building with my usual confidence that I could cover the material presented, now-common much-too-large-beard, and my appropriate dress of slacks and a collar. 
    What happened next was one of the most interesting news stories I’ve covered during either of my stints at The Paper. The council wants to have owners of rental properties register their units for a fee of $5 per parcel and they want to inspect those rental units once every five years for $100 per parcel. 
    And landlords are going ballistic. There are concerns over privacy, concerns over when this ‘can of worms’ runs dry and even concerns from the owners of rental properties why the city is ‘picking on us.’ If you can imagine it, concerns were expressed over it Monday at this meeting. 
    I’m not invalidating any of those concerns. What do I know about owning rental property? I don’t like the government sticking its nose in my business any more than the next guy . . . read my other columns if you don’t believe me. Heck, I even got on the city for cleaning up snow on my street too quickly when I rented downtown. 
    0 comment(s)

  • Goodbye Montgomery County, and thank you

    Friday, May 8, 2015 8:43 PM

    All they were, were two simple messages. 

    The first one, came in September 2012 as I was sitting in my parent's home on a Saturday visit. 

    The other came as I was sitting in my office at The Paper’s worldwide headquarters high above Crawfordsville 19 days ago. 

    The first one, from my boss, Tim Timmons, said that he thought I had some talent and would be happy to interview me for a sports writing position. 

    The second, from my soon-to-be boss, said she thought I had some talent and would be happy to interview me to be her executive assistant. 

    For those keeping score, I'm 2-for-2 on the aforementioned interviews. 

    Unfortunately that means I must say goodbye to The Paper and to Montgomery County. 

    I'll be heading east, for the start of a new career in Washington D.C.  I'll be the right-hand-man for a marketing executive for a national company. It's just an unbelievable shot for a high ceiling that I can't pass up. 

    But I will miss it here. 
    0 comment(s)

  • Spring has completely sprung

    Wednesday, April 22, 2015 9:36 PM

    Hello World!

    What a beautiful spring it has been!  A few spots of rain and crummy weather, but for the most part we’ve been able to avoid cancelations and spring sports have been running well.

    A surprise to me has been just how good the Crawfordsville baseball team has been. Everyone knew they were going to be good. But I didn’t know they had this much!

    They’re sitting at 12-0 after beating Western Boone on Tuesday 10-0. The undefeated Athenians are also ranked as No. 1 in Class 3A. Not bad for the boys in blue and gold.

    North Montgomery and Southmont have also been playing some solid baseball early on. The Chargers swept the intra-county series, but the second game was highly competitive.

    Another pleasant thing to see this spring has been the quality of the track and field action. There are certain things that certain schools always seem to be strong in, but all three schools seem especially deep this year in almost all of the events. 
    0 comment(s)

  • You have to do better C'Ville

    Tuesday, March 3, 2015 5:47 PM
    I am a proud resident of downtown Crawfordsville. Today, I am a disappointed resident of downtown Crawfordsville.

    On Monday I received and edited a press release from the City of Crawfordsville regarding snow cleanup on: Main Street, from Water Street to Walnut Street; Washington Street, from Market Street to Wabash Avenue; and Green Street, from Market Street to Main Street.

    It was a day late and a dollar too much. According to the release, the city was paying a private contractor to help remove snow off of sidewalks downtown.
    0 comment(s)

  • Dr. Baird - Some Little Giant

    Sunday, March 30, 2014 8:00 PM
    Dr. M. Keith Baird passed away on Saturday. The list of Dr. Baird's involvements and accomplishments is impressive and lengthy. But to me, he was a neighbor - and the best kind of neighbor you could ask for.

    For my final two years at Wabash College I lived at 13 Harry Freedman Place. Dr. Baird lived right next door. He always had a smile, a laugh and a story to tell.

    The first time I met Dr. Baird in person was actually in the classroom in 2009. Yes, this man, who had earned a degree in 1956, frequently sat in on classes 50 years later just to keep learning. He would show up to several classes I was in, and we would occasionally chat. And then one day we realized we were heading to pretty much the same place on campus. And realized we were neighbors.
    2 comment(s)

  • This time of year is all about helping neighbors

    Saturday, November 23, 2013 9:00 PM
    This week is time to give thanks. And it's an opportunity to give back to those that go without. Whether it's at a church or some other organization, there will be opportunities all week long to lend a hand and make sure that others have a special holiday season.
    0 comment(s)

  • What happened to the U.S. of A., brother?

    Friday, November 15, 2013 9:00 PM
    There I sat. Getting my fix of professional wrestling from the 1980s and '90s and I couldn't help but wonder . . . what happened, brother?

    Yes, the "immortal" Hulk Hogan was on screen. After checking the color on my TV I realized that he really was that orange and that his arms were that pumped up.
    1 comment(s)

  • Veterans Day is time to thank vets for their service

    Friday, November 8, 2013 9:00 PM
    Veterans Day is one of the lasting icons of our national pride. As a nation we take a day to put aside our differences and remember the men and women that fought so that we can have those differences. It is a great day.

    I have the honor of knowing a handful of active duty Marines. Some I graduated college with, some I've developed friendships with and some I've only talked to from a distance through others. I try to thank these individuals throughout the year for their service. But on Monday we stop as a nation to take our time to thank them.
    0 comment(s)
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