FOCUSSATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2013 www.thesheridanpress.com THE SHERIDAN PRESS C1

BY JUSTIN SHEELYTHE SHERIDAN PRESS

SHERIDAN — Every Thursday throughout the summerfrom July to early September Sheridan County residentshave enjoyed picking up fresh produce from local farmersat the Sheridan Farmers Market downtown on GrinnellStreet.

One farmer who contributes to the cause is Tom Varcalliat Box Cross Road Farms, which is located off Highway 87near Big Horn. There is nothing fancy about Varcalli orhis small-scale farm on Box Cross Road. The property is 62acres and primarily leased for cattle grazing.

Before the sun is up Varcalli usually is as well, startingthe new day hard at work. Most of the produce at the farmwas grown from seed in his homemade greenhouse, partsof which are made from sheets of plastic and wood planks.Everything is designed to help Varcalli grow his producequickly, efficiently and with the least amount of nonsense.Every decision the resourceful farmer makes is guided byyears of trial and error.

Many local farmers like Varcalli feel the pressure to pro-vide late-season produce early in the summer; however,farmers are at the mercy of the elements. Only weeks afterplanting this year’s produce the Box Cross Road Farmreceived heavy hail damage. Varcalli usually stakes wood-en roof shingles next to baby tomatoes and other plants toact as a break against the strong Wyoming wind. Deer andlocal wildlife can also be problematic. Despite these chal-lenges Varcalli was able to deliver a bounty at the marketsin Sheridan this year.

Varcalli wants to see more vendors at the farmers mar-ket.

“Things are kind of lopsided right now,” Varcalli said.“There are a lot of consumers out there and too few pro-ducers.”

Varcalli also expressed an interest in seeing more “ama-teur producers” at the farmers market and hopes to see thevenue become more inviting to average people who don’tnecessarily identify themselves as farmers.

Varcalli said he believes that the more producers thefarmers market has, the better the experience will be formarket goers. It is, after all, the local growers that makethe farmers market a unique experience.

A farmer’s life

Clockwise from top left:• Varcalli holds a bunch of fresh-cut tomatoes harvested for the farmersmarket later on Thursday, Aug. 15, atBox Cross Road Farms. He usually har-vests tomatoes that are more on theorange side, but he said they redden intime for market.• Varcalli stands ready with plastic gro-cery sacks during the Third ThursdayStreet Festival and farmers market onGrinnell Street on Aug. 15.• Varcalli plants a set of bell peppers in agarden at Box Cross Road Farms onFriday, June 14. He normally will coverthe young plants with a tarp for protec-tion.• Varcalli searches for firm and maturecabbage heads to harvest Thursday,Aug. 15, at Box Cross Road Farms.• Varcalli helps a customer pick a bellpepper at his booth during the ThirdThursday Street Festival and farmersmarket on Grinnell Street on Aug. 15.• Varcalli carries a cabbage head back tohis cart in preparation for the farmersmarket Thursday.

THE SHERIDAN PRESS | JUSTIN SHEELY

There are officially 22raptor species record-ed in Wyoming. Somelive here year-round

while others visit only dur-ing the summer or winter.

They can be found in allcorners of the state fromforested mountains to openprairies. Raptors areimportant components ofthe natural landscape, anda healthy raptor popula-tion is a good indicator ofa healthy ecosystem. Byfeeding on rodents such asmice and rabbits or insectslike grasshoppers, raptorshelp balance ecosystems.

The red-tailed hawk is a

year-round Wyoming resi-dent and probably themost common raptor inthe state. Red-tailed hawksare found from mountainsto prairies and are one ofthe raptors most tolerantof human activity. Theynest in pines and cotton-woods. Red-tailed hawksprimarily eat rabbits andother small rodents. Thered-tailed hawk is a large,bulky looking hawk. Fromunderneath, most red-tailed hawks show a broadband of brown stripesacross the belly. As thename implies, most adultred-tailed hawks have dis-

tinctiverusty-coloredtails.Juvenilered-tailedhawksdo notget thered tailuntilaftertheirfirst year, but both adultand juveniles have a dis-tinctive black patch ontheir shoulder easily seenin flight. This patch is notfound on any other

Wyoming raptor. Whenperched, both the bellyband and red tail are oftenvisible. The upper wingsand back on the red-tailhawk tend to be more mot-tled with white than otherWyoming raptors.

The American kestrel isNorth America’s smallestfalcon. They are common-ly seen on power lines andfences wherever there isopen space. They huntsmall mammals andinsects, often spottingtheir prey while hovering.Kestrels are cavity nestersand will use old woodpeck-er holes, cavities in creekbanks and crevices in rockoutcrops. Sometimes, theycan even be enticed to nestin specially designed nestboxes. These small raptorsonly spend the summer inWyoming to breed. Theymigrate south during win-ter to grasslands from thesouthern U.S. to CostaRica. Like all falcons, theyhave a sharp-winged sil-houette. Kestrels are dis-tinctive in that they areone of the few dimorphicraptor species; that is, thefemale and male have dif-ferent-colored plumage.The female kestrel sportsbright orange-red wings,while the males are a blue-gray. Both sexes show aboldly patterned face withdark lines below the eyeand an orange-red back.

The Swainson’s hawk isa common raptor of the

open prairie. They arefound in Wyoming only inthe summer and migratemore than 6,000 miles tospend winters on thegrasslands of Argentina.The Swainson’s hawk isone of the larger raptors(average wingspan 50inches) in Wyomingalthough it tends to have aslimmer profile thanmany of the other largehawks. In flight, its wingstend to have a taperedlook, and it often flies withits wings held at a slightupward angle. It is easilyidentified by its reddish-brown bib and whitethroat.

To identify a bird first,look at its overall size andprofile. Next, look at theoverall feather pattern.Since many of the raptorsyou’ll see will be in flight,it’s best to get to knowthem from this angle.When looking at featherpatterns, start at the headand work to the tail, but,remember, you might nothave long. Finally, look forsome distinguishing char-acteristic to help separateit from other species.Learning to identify rap-tors takes some practice.

“Wyoming’s WonderfulRaptors” by Tim LudwickBarnyards & Backyards2012.

SScott Hininger is with the Sheridan CountyExtension office.

C2 THE SHERIDAN PRESS www.thesheridanpress.com SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2013

Raptors in and around Wyoming

Fallgardening

We are coming intowhat for me is one ofthe busiest times ofthe year.

Of course the harvest isupon us and we are busysaving and storing goodiesthat will make us smile aswe pull them out of thefreezer later this year.

Planning fall chores andadding a few new plants is,for me, a perfect way towatch the seasons change.The shorter days and longernights are a relief of sortsbut also a promise of somuchmore tocome.

I’vestarted alist ofthings todo (yes, Iknow, butlistsensure allof thoselittle jobsthat take 5or 10 min-utes get done) come October.I’ve decided to take out theroses. They just don’t dowell when no one is there tofertilizer, dead head andwater. So out they go.

I’m going to expand thecone flowers by about dou-ble and try to think of aplace a large clump of lilieswon’t get eaten by the deerwho have decided to call ourhouse home since we arenot around all the time.

I’ll plant a couple moreRussian Sage out frontunder the trees to help blocksome road views and addmore stone to the environ-ment.

I like working with stoneand have found that if Idon’t make the mistake ofusing it too near plantings,that I like the texture itbrings to a garden plan. Isometimes think that I’vepicked up every stone in thebackyard at least twice; insome areas more. And, I’vethe worn-out glove collec-tion to prove it.

I’d like to add a stonebench in the corner near thedog kennel that I cleanedout last month. I’ll reposi-tion some of the statuarythat I never get to enjoy sothat I’ll see it more oftenwhen looking out the win-dows.

I’d like to add a gas firepiton the lower deck and knowjust where the line is. I’mthinking a gas fire, warmcushions and throws, andcomfy chairs will make for agood start to fall and theinevitable leaf spotting.

Fall is just about the per-fect time of the year. Lifeslows down and we canappreciate those other fallprojects that take placeindoors, the holidays.

Susan Woody has been a home and garden writerfor more than 20 years and is an advanced mastergardener.

SUSANWOODY|

SCOTTHININGER|

Homes that welcome all ages and abilitiesBY BILL LAHAY

UNIVERSAL UCLICK

It seems baby boomers(those born in the U.S.between 1946 and 1964) getthe credit and the blamefor a lot of cultural trends.We are such a huge demo-graphic bubble in thenational population thatthe sheer numbers tend toresult in specific and rec-ognizable shifts in every-thing from consumerspending to health careissues.

One of those trendsinvolves residential archi-tecture that reflects andaccommodates the realitiesof aging, either byboomers or their parents.Often referred to as "uni-versal design," this disci-pline recognizes thatthroughout their lives andespecially in their lateryears, people have differ-ing physical and sensoryabilities that their livingenvironment can andshould accommodate.Through illness, accidentor simply the normalchanges brought on byaging, most of us will dis-cover how things consid-ered "standard" features ina home become barriersand obstacles when abili-ties we once took for grant-ed are gone or compro-mised.

These changes, and theways homes can bedesigned or adapted tothem, are the subject ofDeborah Pierce's "TheAccessible Home." Pierce,an architect, offers a com-prehensive look at designfeatures that removes bar-riers and improves access,and that make for greaterindependence and a betterquality of life. But moreimportant, she uses thebook's introductory sec-tions to provide a broadcontext that is about peo-ple rather than aboutbuildings.

Probably our most iconic

cultural image of "disabili-ty" involves a person in awheelchair trying to copewith unfriendly obstaclessuch as curbs, stairs, nar-row doorways or out-of-reach storage cabinets.While extreme or perma-nent disabilities might berelatively rare, other limi-tations affect 1 out of 4 per-sons at some point in theirlives, and not all the issuesare related to mobility.

Conditions such as par-tial or complete loss ofhearing or eyesight, forexample, are far more com-mon than severe spinalcord injuries or other limi-

tations that prevent walk-ing, and they can presentnumerous difficulties incoping with everydaytasks. Degenerative neuro-logical conditions canaffect balance, space per-ception and muscle con-trol. Joint pain or arthritiscan make it difficult to usedoorknobs, faucet controls,cabinet latches and othercommon hardware. Evenordinary decreases instrength or flexibility canrender an otherwise cher-ished home unfriendly.

With this broader per-spective outlined, the bookturns to the specifics of

design. The best features,she emphasizes, are user-friendly to all persons anddon't give the home aninstitutional look or amakeshift appearance ofimprovised afterthoughtsthat detract from a home'saesthetics or value. Thedetails of the best designsare many and varied, butsome features are commonto nearly all the homes fea-tured:

-- Wider traffic areas:Hallways, door openingsand other "corridor" spacesshould be wide enough(typically 36 inches mini-mum) to accommodate a

wheelchair.-- Open sightlines:

Connections betweenrooms should be as open aspossible, both for trafficissues and to avoid any oneshared space from beingtoo isolated.

-- Introduce contrasts:Especially for sight-impaired persons, colorsand textures can be simpleand reliable indicators of achange in direction, floorlevel or other features.

-- Choose user-friendlyhardware: Manual dexteri-ty and grip strength varywidely in individuals andwill change for one personover time, so plan for thosedifferences. Lever doorhandles (versus roundknobs) are a good exampleof friendlier design.

-- Multilevel storage:Allowing access to storageat many levels ensures thatitems can be placed andretrieved by the personwho uses them most,whether standing or sit-ting.

-- Expand bathrooms:Bathing and grooming rit-uals and toilet use aredaily practices that mayrequire assistance forsome, so spaces shouldallow for both mobilityaids and human helpers.

-- Window placement:Taller windows, with theirsills placed low, helpensure that everyone cantake in the views.

There are dozens ofother smart amenities anddetails built into the book'sfeatured homes, and Piercedevotes entire chapters todifferent room types --approaches and entries,living and dining areas,kitchens, baths, bedroomsand utility spaces.

It turns out there is asmall irony inherent in thepractice of "universal"design; some of the bestsolutions are tailored per-sonally to the needs andabilities of individualusers.

COURTESY PHOTO | UNIVERSAL UCLICK

Pullout work surfaces, convenient placement of built-in appliances and low window heights areamong the accessibility features in this kitchen.

SENIORSSATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2013 www.thesheridanpress.com THE SHERIDAN PRESS C3

FROM SENIOR CENTER STAFF REPORTS

SHERIDAN — Patrick Geary was propelled to localnotoriety when it became public that he was selected asa contestant on the popular syndicated game show,Jeopardy! Geary was the winner the first round he par-ticipated in.

Following his experience on the famous syndicatedgame show, Geary was contacted by Senior Center staffmember Nancy McKenzie who wanted to commendGeary for representing Wyoming on the show.

“At first I thought to send him a congratulatory note,then a congratulatory note signed by everyone at theSenior Center, then including a note with an invitationto lunch at the Center,” McKenzie said. “Eventually theidea of us hosting our version of Jeopardy at theSenior Center with Patrick evolved.”

“I was very surprised,” Geary said. He had been inter-viewed by The Sheridan Press, KOTA television andSheridan Media prior to his competition airing onNBC. “I didn’t expect to be invited to any public speak-ing after the show. This was entirely out of the blue.”

“He was very gracious and found the idea intrigu-ing,” McKenzie said.

“It was kind of different. The way I figure it, if any-body is interested in listening to me, I’m more thanwilling to show up,” Geary said.

Members of the Center’s staff organized a Jeopardygame to be performed before a live audience: diners atthe Senior Center Dining Room. Staff member BarbBlue — who later played the role of Jeopardy gamehost, Alex Trebek — set up five categories and fivequestions in each following the format of the show.

The categories were geography, presidents,Wyoming, what show were they on? and literature.

“My vision was to design the game around cate-gories that Patrick really knew,” staff member andevent co-organizer Jane Perkins said.

Prior to the competition, staff member Lois Bellinterviewed Geary in a talk-show format.

“It was great to have the audience there (at theSenior Center),” Geary said. “It was actually a largeraudience in the Senior Center dining room than itwas in the Jeopardy studio. It surprised me howsmall and intimate the actual Jeopardy audience is.”

“I paid more attention to the audience at theSenior Center than I did on Jeopardy. The SeniorCenter audience was more relaxed and I was able totake in the audience’s reactions,” Geary said.

Following the competition, several guests lined upto speak with Geary.

Arlene Herrboldt came for the competition afterhearing that the Senior Center was hosting a game

with the local celebrity. “It was very, very interesting,” Herrboldt said of the

event. Herrboldt visited with Geary following the mockshow.

“I just wanted to meet him. I told him that I saw himon television and how proud we all are of him,”Herrboldt said.

“I’ve been getting that reaction a lot from people Imeet,” Geary said. “I’m humbled by it. It was an indi-vidual experience as none of my family could go withme. I didn’t have the feeling of community while I wasdoing it but it’s cool to see that connection with peoplehere who were rooting for me. It makes me feel less ofan individual thing I did myself and more of a commu-nity thing.”

What is post-Jeopardy life like for Geary?“I’m working at UPS in the mornings, and took an

online psychology class this summer through SheridanCollege. I’ve also refereed soccer through the YMCAthis spring and summer,” Geary said.

The Center’s onsite game was held on the stage infront of approximately 120 diners in the Center’s diningroom at Smith Street.

Geary will receive his winnings check from the actualJeopardy program this November. The contest rules donot allow competitors to return to the show. At thistime, there are no other game shows on Geary’s list ofthings to do.

However, Trebek is scheduled to retire in 2016.

Isee a parallel between unwanted tele-phone solicitations and an unwantedweed in my garden — the Portulacaoleracea L. known to many as

Purslane. Both are prolific, tenacious,and invasive.

I’ve experienced an alarming trendthis year with telephone and emailsolicitations to the Senior Center: thesolicitor using the name of a reputablecommunity figure or organization topromote their pitch.

Not all these solicitations are scamsbut definitely unethical business prac-tices.

Here’s an incident earlier this year: An organization selling magnetic advertising for home

refrigerators contacted the Senior Center with an opportu-nity to raise funds to benefit a city service provider. Thesolicitor used a well-recognized community name claimingthat this individual was in partnership with their salescampaign.

I responded that I would check with that person. Aphone call confirmed that the salesman did not haveauthorization to use that individual’s name nor were anyproceeds going to support the city service.

The pitch sounded authentic. The name and organizationused by the salesman was real and well-recognized. Whatwasn’t authentic was that the salesman did not have anyagreement to use that service’s name.

Don’t ask me why I thought I needed to do some inves-tigative work, but I’m glad I did and now use this approachto check into unsolicited requests for the Center.

Here’s a second example from an email solicitation: Business Name: SHERIDON SENIOR CENTER (notice

the spelling of Sheridan)NAME OF A SENIOR CENTER STAFF MEMBER HEREVisa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover Card

require all merchants who process, transmit or store pay-ment card information to comply with the Payment CardIndustry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

Our records indicate you have not reported your PCIcompliance to us... These non-compliance fees mayamount to $180.00 to $479.40 per year and may be assessedfor each merchant ID that is not reported as PCI compliant.

Call us at … (etc.).Sound legitimate? The solicitation used the names of

well-recognized credit card services. I forwarded this emailto our finance director who immediately confirmed this isa scam. I marked this email as junk and sent it to myblocked senders list.

Or yet another scam, a community resident admitted todonating to a caller who claimed that his veteran son need-ed surgery that the Veterans Affairs wouldn’t provide. Whodoesn’t want to stand behind our sons and daughtersinjured in the line of duty?

Hold the phone! What?! Why wouldn’t the VA assist?What was unique about this veteran’s situation? In hind-sight, the resident admitted that a call to the VA mighthave clarified the call as a scam.

Here are two signs to tip you that you may be dealingwith a scam or unethical business practice: 1. They needmoney from you, and, 2. You must act NOW or you’ll lose(protection, an opportunity to help someone, the chance ofa lifetime, whatever).

What is especially disconcerting is that solicitors areusing the names of legitimate companies, organizationsand individuals who have no relationship whatsoever withtheir promotion.

Even if a caller (or email sender) uses your grandson’sname, the name of your bank, a legitimate organization’sname, end the call. Call your grandson, bank or the organi-zation if you can and confirm that the call is legitimate. Ifit is, the caller will understand.

Don’t take the caller (or email sender) at face value asbeing the person or organization they say they are. Dosome investigating. Please, spread the word to others whomay not read this column today.

The reality is that unethical people won’t stop askingstrangers for money and will return again and again — asprolific as the Purslane weed. What we can do is be cau-tious and do some investigating before giving money.

LOIS BELL is the Communications Director at the Sheridan Senior Center. “Center Stage is written byfriends of the Senior Center for the Sheridan Community. It is a collection of insights and stories relatedto living well at every age.”

• The Iron Brotherhood is hosting itsSecond Annual Poker Run to benefit theSheridan Senior Center’s meal programAug. 31.

Registration will be from 9:30-10 a.m. atLittle Goose Liquors on Coffeen Avenue.The cost is $10 a hand or $15 for two hands.The route includes Little Goose Liquors,the Mountain Inn in Dayton, Parkman,Kirby and Trails End. The ride ends atLittle Goose Liquors with a barbecue ham-burger lunch for participants.

There will be raffle items: one pairBroncos tickets, a gift certificate for $200tattoo from the Flesh Factory, a $50 pierc-ing from the Flesh Factory, a bottle ofliquor from T&C Liquors, a Bluetoothspeaker and a Craftsman toolbox. For infor-mation, contact Jerry Foster at 752-9392.

• 2013 Walk to End Alzheimers Thursday,Sept, 12, 5-7 p.m. at Whitney Commons.Contact Stella Montano at the SheridanSenior Center for more information at 672-2240.

• 2013 Resource Expo at the Third

Thursday Street Festival. Reservations bySept. 6. For more information, contactStella Montano at the Senior Center at 672-2240.

• Deadline for applications for the taxrefund for the Elderly and Disabled is Aug.30. Free assistance in filling out formsavailable through the Senior Center byappointment only. Call 672-2240.

• Scholarships available for the SeniorCenter’s Day Break day service for elders.Contact Barb Blue at the Senior Center at672-2240 for information.

• The Wyoming Room’s TELLUS OralHistory project is scheduling interviewswith Sheridan County residents on pasteveryday life activities, memorable eventsor history from the individual participants’involvement. If you have a story to tell —or know of someone — call Lois Bell at theSenior Center 672-2240 for more informa-tion. Stories will become part of theWyoming Room’s archives on SheridanCounty history.

Jeopardy contestant competes at Senior Center

COURTESY PHOTO|

Jeopardy contestant Patrick Geary, left, pits wits against Senior Center Executive Director Carmen Rideout and ActivitiesDirector Jane Perkins, right, Aug. 14 in the Center’s version of the popular television game show. Geary was a special guest atthe Center following his appearance on the show.

Scams prolific asPortulaca oleracea L.

LOISBELL|

HAPPENINGS FOR SENIORS |Local news tip?

call The Sheridan

Press at 672-2431.

Sunday — Chicken fried steak with country gravy, mashedpotatoes, garden trio vegetables, dark sweet cherries, pinacolada cakeMonday — Turkey pot pie, marinated cucumber salad,ambrosia fruit cup, almond bark cookieTuesday — Stuffed pepper, pasta primavera, tossed vegetablesalad, pears, black forest cakeWednesday — Chicken salad on lettuce, carrot sticks, wheatroll, watermelon, chocolate marshmallow squareThursday — Beef tips with mushrooms over egg noodles, broc-coli with lemon, cheese and onion roll, sunshine saladFriday — Pork wing, baked squash with brown sugar, bakedbeans, tossed vegetable salad, fruit pizzaSaturday — Spaghetti with meat sauce, French style greenbeans, focaccia, tossed green salad, grapes, peanut buttercookie

YOUTHC4 THE SHERIDAN PRESS www.thesheridanpress.com SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2013

BY CHRISTINA SCHMIDTTHE SHERIDAN PRESS

SHERIDAN — With more than 50young girls signed up, and a newcoach on board, the Little GuyFootball cheerleaders are ready forthe first games of the season.

The cheerleading program hasbeen offered through the SheridanRecreation District since the 1980sand is open to girls in first throughsixth grades. The girls cheer at allthe games for the Little GuyFootball teams.

For the past several years, thegirls have been coached byStephanie Vela. However this yearthey are being led by SheridanHigh School senior cheerleaderKelsey Walton, after Vela took a jobcoaching the SHS cheerleaders.

Walton said she came to thecoaching position after two of heryounger sisters asked to participatein the cheerleading team, wantingto be just like their big sister.

“My mom took them to the dis-trict to sign them up and they saidthey didn’t have a coach since theircoach is now my high schoolcoach,” Walton said. “So my mombrought home the flyer and said, ‘Ithought maybe you would want todo it.’ I said ‘yeah, I want to do it.’ Ihad an interview two days later.”

However, Walton pointed out thatjust because she is the coach, heryounger sisters don’t get a freepass.

“I set some rules with them,” she

said. “Just because your sister isthe coach doesn’t mean you can getoff with being lazy. You are going towork just as hard.”

Brooke Olson, recreation pro-gram supervisor for the SheridanRecreation District, said that par-ticipation is up significantly fromlast year, with 56 girls signed up,compared to around 40 last year.

The cheerleaders are divided intothe blue and gold squads. The goldsquad will be at the flag footballgames for younger players and theblue group will cheer the olderplayers participating in tackle foot-ball games.

Walton said the girls are veryenthusiastic and that the first cou-ple of practices have gone well.

“It went pretty great actually,”Walton said. “I am really excitedhow well they listened to me. Mostof them are girls that have been inthe program since first grade, sothey already know most of them(cheers). They learn really fast.”

Walton acknowledged that shewill have a busy fall, with the LittleGuy Football league games as wellas the high school football games,usually held on Friday nights.

“I am going to make it work,” shesaid. “I am just not sure how yet,but I am going to do it. I am prettypumped.”

Walton is being assisted by SHSsophomore cheerleader HaileyLonghurst and by a mother of oneof the cheerleaders who volun-teered to help as needed.

Cheerleaders ready to rock

Josiln Drog, 7, follows the instructor’s lead while at practice for Little GuyFootball cheerleading Tuesday evening at Thorne-Rider Park.

THE SHERIDAN PRESS | JUSTIN SHEELY

LAS VEGAS (AP) — What’s a hulking vampireto do without moody mortals in distress andwith no more computer-enhanced battles to wagein the forest?

For 28-year-old “Twilight” actor Kellan Lutz —better known as Emmett Cullen, the heartthrobbrother of leading man Edward — it’s still aboutlooking as good as superhumanly possible.

Lutz unveiled his Pre-Spring 2014 collectionwith Abbot + Main this week in Las Vegas dur-ing MAGIC, one of the fashion world’s mostinfluential trade shows.

“It’s great to find something outside of acting,”he said in an interview Monday at a Las VegasStrip hotel suite, resting a chiseled, stubbly chinon a sofa pillow.

Born in North Dakota and raised in Arizonaand the Midwest — places he described as trendi-ness-challenged — he started modeling at 14 anddeveloped an eye for style hanging out with fash-ion and photography greats.

Soon enough, he stopped borrowing clothesfrom some of his six brothers. They were bor-rowing from him.

His brand — which debuted in 2011 and isnamed after an intersection in the beachy-coolVenice Beach, Calif. neighborhood where Lutzonce lived — mainly consists of soft, slim-fittingT-shirts and not-trying-too-hard hoodies.

Initially just for men, two-thirds of the collec-tion is now for women. There’s a peach-colored,long-sleeved sweater of translucent hacci fabric;a draping tank top in matte gray. Meant for layer-ing, prints and logos are nowhere to be found.

Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom carry the line.Pants retail for $91, while hoodies go for $98.

Lutz works with business partners mainly overSkype as he travels around the world filming.He’s starring as the oft-shirtless Hercules in theupcoming “Hercules 3D.” After MAGIC, he’ll beheaded to Bulgaria to shoot “The Expendables3,” an action thriller that’s set to includeSylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Kellan Lutz unveilsnew fashion line

States revisit mandatory sentences for juvenilesSUFFIELD, Conn. (AP) — When Nicholas Aponte recalls

the night in 1995 that sent him to prison, he describes animmature 17-year-old who told himself he was tough but inreality lacked the nerve to say no to a cousin he admired forbeing a troublemaker.

Sitting with a group of boys on a porch, playing cards anddrinking, the cousin said he needed to “do a robbery” andasked if Aponte wanted to tag along.

“I said, ‘OK, we’ll do the robbery or whatever,’” Apontesaid. “It was spur of the moment.”

The plan failed. A 28-year-old sandwich shop assistantmanager was killed during the robbery. Aponte was laterarrested, as was his cousin, younger brother and a friend.Even though Aponte didn’t fire the gun, prosecutors consid-ered him the ringleader. He was treated by the courts as anadult and sentenced to 38 years without parole. That meanshe will be 55 when he’s freed.

“All this time was hard to perceive, for somebody soyoung,” Aponte said in a prison interview this week. Now35, with more than half his life spent in Connecticut prisons,Aponte dreams of finishing his bachelor’s degree, becominga nurse and spending time with his family, including a sonwho was an infant when he was imprisoned.

Aponte is among an estimated 2,100 so-called juvenile lifersacross the country — inmates sentenced to lengthy prisonterms without parole — who hope for a reprieve in the wakeof a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Miller v. Alabama. Thedecision determined such sentences are cruel and unusualpunishment and therefore unconstitutional. The court ruled,5-4, that the proportionality of the sentence must take intoaccount “the mitigating qualities of youth,” such as immatu-rity and the failure of young people to understand the rami-fications of their actions.

In part to head off an avalanche of expected appeals, atleast 10 states have changed laws to comply with the ruling.In June, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell signed a bill eliminat-ing mandatory life sentences without parole for juvenilekillers, who are also ineligible for the death penalty. The newlaw requires juveniles convicted of first-degree murder toserve at least 25 years in prison while still allowing judgesthe discretion to impose a sentence of life without parole.Juvenile offenders convicted of first-degree murder are alsoallowed to petition for a sentence modification after serving30 years.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead signed a bill in February specify-ing that juveniles convicted of murder would be eligible forparole after serving 25 years in prison. Last fall,Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett signed legislation giving

judges options other than life in prison when sentencingjuveniles in murder cases. Other states with new juvenilesentencing laws include Arkansas, California, Montana,Nebraska, North Carolina, South Dakota and Utah, accord-ing to data collected by the National Conference of StateLegislatures this summer.

In Connecticut, where Aponte is among about 200 inmateswho could be affected by the high court’s ruling, a proposalthat would have allowed parole hearings for teen offenderswho’ve served at least 12 years or 60 percent of their sen-tence died this year. There are plans to resurrect the billnext year.

But the prospect of possibly shortening sentences has beenmet with mixed reaction from relatives of crime victims.

“If you can’t believe a judge’s final decision in a court-room, who can you believe?” asked John Cluny, whose wifeand teenage son were shot to death in 1993 by his son’s 15-year-old friend, Michael Bernier. Bernier was sentenced to60 years for the murders. Cluny calls him “a cold-bloodedkiller.”

Despite good behavior in prison and years of reflectionand maturity, Cluny questions giving such killers anotherchance at freedom.

“You’re in prison for what you did, not for what you’vebecome,” he said.

At a recent hearing on Connecticut’s bill, John J. Horan,whose son was killed in the robbery that Aponte was con-victed in, sat silently, listening to Aponte’s mother speakabout how her son has become a man any mother would beproud of. He has matured, sought to improve himself byreading and earned his associate’s degree and certificationas a nurse’s aide to work in the prison infirmary. He’s also ahospice volunteer who tends to dying inmates, she said,adding that Aponte has tried to raise his own son fromprison, sending money and playing a positive role in theboy’s life.

After listening to her, Horan said Aponte’s cousin, gunmanJason Casiano, who was 16 years old at the time of the rob-bery, doesn’t deserve a parole hearing, but he was more will-ing to buy such an argument for Aponte.

“They should loosen up on the nonviolent offenders,” saidHoran, 82. “It was just a terribly bad move by Aponte.”

But Horan is skeptical about some of the reasoning behindthe Supreme Court ruling, in which Justice Elena Kaganwrote that mandatory life without parole for a juvenile “pre-cludes consideration of his chronological age and its hall-mark features — among them, immaturity, impetuosity andfailure to appreciate risks and consequences.”

SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2013 www.thesheridanpress.com THE SHERIDAN PRESS C5

C6 THE SHERIDAN PRESS www.thesheridanpress.com SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2013

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