By: Winter Vera

Staff Writer

His face is the first thing viewers see in the 1978 horror film, “Halloween,” and his carved visage has been synonymous with Halloween, but why is it called a Jack O’ Lantern? Who was this Jack the pumpkin carving gets its name from? The answer to that story lies in Ireland, many hundreds or thousands of years ago.

Jack was an Irish blacksmith who took great delight in deceiving and manipulating others. Because of his lack of compassion or love for others and his disdain for those less fortunate than himself, he came to be called Stingy Jack. His deceit, manipulations and his silver tongue were known throughout the town and came to the attention of Satan, who became jealous and sought to best Stingy Jack.

He sent one of his demons to pose as a dead body and wait for the thieving Stingy Jack. As Jack came upon the body, seeking to raid it, the corpse’s face displayed wide eyes and an evil grin signifying the demon was sent by Satan to collect Jack’s soul. Jack, thinking of a strategy, requested one last stop at the local tavern before being taken to Hell. The demon obliged and they shared drinks late into the night.

When it came time to settle up with the bartender, Stingy Jack told the demon he was short one silver piece. “Have ye powers, Demon?” Jack asked. The demon nodded. “What would they be now?,” asked Stingy Jack. The demon named off their powers before coming to transformation. “Would ye be willin’ to transform into a piece of silver to settle our debt?”

The demon obliged, but Stingy Jack, having more than enough took the demon silver piece and put it in his pocket, where also lay a cross, trapping the demon. “Let me out, please let me out!,” the demon said fearfully. “I’ll let ye out if’n ye make a deal with me,” Jack said, “Ye shall leave me alone, and shall not collect me soul for ten years hence.” The demon agreed and Jack released the demon.

Ten years passed and Stingy Jack satisfied himself by continuing to commit evil deeds across the land when Satan sent the demon a second time. Jack told the demon, “I be ready vile thing, but I’d like some vittles for the long journey, would ye be willin’ to grab me an apple from yonder tree? The juiciest are at the top.” The demon flew to the top of the tree as Stingy Jack carved four crosses into its bark.

The demon was trapped once again and begged to be let down. “Aye, it looks like ye be in a predicament,” Stingy Jack said. “I may be willin’ to save ye, but ye shall spare me from this day forth. Ye shall not be comin to collect my soul for the land of wicked souls now or ever again.” The demon agreed and Jack let the demon down. Little did Stingy Jack know he agreed to his own future misfortune.

Satan kept his word. Jack’s soul was spared, but the time of Stingy Jack’s death still arrived. Free of the land of wicked souls, Jack made his way to the land of righteous souls, but for Stingy Jack’s deceit, manipulation and his taking whatever and whoever he wanted without permission, giving nothing in return, Stingy Jack was refused entrance.

Jack, having no place in the land of righteous souls instead made his way to the land of wicked souls, but it was here that Satan finally bested his hated rival, for because Stingy Jack made a deal that Satan was never to collect his soul, he was refused entry into the land of wicked souls as well. Forced to wander homeless as those he so long disdained.

“Ye would not leave me to wander lost in the darkness for all eternity would ye? Please, at least give me something to light me way,” Jack pled. Satan obliged, taking one coal from his fiery depths for Stingy Jack. Jack took the coal, but he could not hold it without burning his hand. He found a turnip and hollowed it out, carving a face in it to create a makeshift lantern to keep him company.

To this day, Stingy Jack wanders the world. The lantern his only company as he seeks a place where his soul can finally take his rest. Those who take pity on Jack should beware. He is just as deceitful, manipulative and wicked as ever.

To protect their homes from a visit from Stingy Jack Of the Lantern, the Irish created lanterns with grinning faces made of turnips. Stingy Jack, believing himself to come upon a mirror would turn away and continue his search. When the Irish came to the Americas, the pumpkin worked much better for carving their lanterns and many across the country continued the practice.

Today, the story of Stingy Jack of the Lantern is not as well-known as it once was, but the Jack O’ Lantern has become synonymous with Halloween, with real and artificial pumpkins becoming most popular this time of year. It is important the tale is not forgotten, though. Stingy Jack may still be out there and those without the Jack O’ Lantern may lose all to Stingy Jack if he comes to their door.

By James Bartolo

The first Tom Keach Memorial College-AM was held Saturday at the Pueblo Tennis Center.

The event served as a fundraiser for both men’s and women’s tennis scholarships at Colorado State University-Pueblo.

“We were approached with this idea from Louise Keach, Tom’s widow last year and we started to put it together,” CSU-Pueblo men’s and women’s tennis head coach Mark Schleif said.

Keach, a Pueblo citizen and leader among the Colorado tennis community died July at the age of 86.

At the time of his death, Keach requested that tennis scholarship donations for would be made to the CSU-Pueblo foundation in his name.

“We are very grateful that he kept us in mind,” Schleif said.

Keach graduated from Pueblo Central High School in 1947 and played collegiate tennis for Colorado A&M, which is now Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

“In his prime, he was definitely the best player in Pueblo,” Schleif said.

Keach has been inducted into both the Greater Pueblo Sports Hall of Fame and the Colorado Tennis Hall of Fame and was a key player in the development of Pueblo City Park.

The event opened with youth and adult clinics held by members of the CSU-Pueblo tennis team.

“The clinics are here to promote tennis and our team to the community,” CEO and President of the CSU-Pueblo foundation Todd Kelly said.

“It’s great for all our students, not just our student athletes to get to know members in the community,” Kelly said.

Clinics were followed by a reception and later a “College-AM” competition in which doubles teams consisting of one CSU-Pueblo Thunderwolf college player and one amateur community member competed in one of three divisions; Men’s, Women’s and Mixed.

A total of 16 amateur players competed.

The two most successful college players and amateurs were then chosen to play a final match.

In the final, a team of Thunderwolf junior James Ryan and amateur Stacy Gilmore defeated junior Guenter Newman and Randy Anderson.

“Eventually we would like to expand the event and hold a larger tournament, but this is our starting point,” Schleif said.

The Colorado State University- Pueblo women’s soccer team had a pretty good weekend even though one game resulted in a loss.

The pack had a 3-0 shutout against Western State Thursday, November 3. This was the fourth straight game the women’s pack soccer team has won.

The first goal was scored by freshmen Cara Siegel, this was Siegel’s third goal of the season. Mackenzie Bean had her 11th goal of the season by an assist from RMAC Defensive player of the week Jessica Westhoff.

Alexa Eastep made two saves of six shots from Western State. Justine Martinez secured the game win with her first goal of the season in the last few minutes of the game.

On Saturday the team fell short 2-1 in double overtime against UC-Colorado Springs. The pack had an early lead at the beginning of the game when Mackenzie Bean had a rebounded goal. This was Bean’s RMAC 12th goal of the season.

After that goal the team battled it out up and down the field. UC-Colorado Springs didn’t score their first goal until the second period. The pack goalkeeper Alexa Eastep played very well and had four saves.

UC-Colorado Springs scored the winning goal with less than three minutes left in the game.

The pack hosted the first RMAC tournament quarter final game on Halloween night. The girls came out with a 1-0 victory against the No. 5 seed Metropolitan State University.

This win resulted in the team advancing to the semi finals, and the Pack will hit the road and face off against the No. 1 seed, Regis University this Friday at noon.

By James Bartolo

After their first win of the season against league opponent Durango, Pueblo East Eagle head coach Andy Watts made a bold statement.

“Now we’re ready to win league,” Watts said.

Flash forward four weeks and Watts’ promise is a reality.

The Eagles captured the 3A South Central League title with a 40-14 regular season win Friday night against the Pueblo Central Wildcats.

This feat is especially significant considering the Eagles’ slow start to the season.

After losing their first five regular season non league games, the Eagles won five straight league games, including a 46-14 victory on the road against the previously undefeated Harrison Panthers.

“We may have gotten off to a bad start at 0-5, but I couldn’t be more proud of our guys’ ability to turn the season around.” Watts said after the win over the Wildcats.

The Eagles’ triumph over the Wildcats was largely due to exceptional quarterback play from junior Luc Andrada.

Playing just one-half of football, Andrada passed for four touchdowns and also tallied one 22-yard rushing touchdown late in the second quarter to make the score 40-6.

Taking their 40-6 lead into the second half, the Eagles decided to rest their starters and gave sophomore Jack Helzer the quarterbacking duties.

The second half’s only touchdown was scored by Wildcat Vincent Vasquez, who lined up at the fullback position in the fourth quarter.

However the score was too little, too late for the Wildcats as the Eagles secured not only the South Central League title, but also a spot in the Colorado State 3A Playoffs.

In the playoffs, the Eagles will look to win a fourth consecutive 3A State Championship.

By Chianna Schoenthaler

Colorado State University-Pueblo’s alumni Tyree Ceasar graduated in May 2017 with a bachelor’s in social work has spiraled in his career and is playing for Pro Hunt football.

Pro Hunt football is an organization that finds professional athletes. These athletes get to be an ambassador for football teams that play outside of the United States. Athletes throughout these organizations show a variety of leadership and decision making skills. The goal is to give a chance to all athletes and teams within every area throughout the world.

Ceasar grew up in Panama City, Florida and first started playing football when he was 5 years old. As time went on, he attend CSU-Pueblo, where he played for the team for a few years.

He picked to attend the university because he had the opportunity to watch the football team win their national championship. From watching this, he wanted to be a part of the team.

“I think my greatest challenge is being the best person I can be. I am my worst critic. I feel that there is more room for improvement every single day,” said Ceasar.

Besides being part of the football team, he made the dean’s list every semester while attending the college. “CSU-Pueblo taught me to never give up on myself, enjoy life and to face your fears,” said Ceasar.

When looking to ways to play football upon graduating from the university he learned about Pro Hunt through one of his friends.

As time went on Ceasar began to look into the organization more and realized this was a legitimate way for him to continue his football career. He then proceeded to set up a meeting with the CEO of the organization and when he presented the CEO with the information, it turned out he liked what he saw.

For Pro Hunt, Ceasar plays running back, linebacker and special teams. The most recent game he played in was in Belgrade, Serbia against their national team Oct. 29.

Outside of Pro Hunt he currently works within a juvenile facility and coaches football. He plans to get a master’s degree in social work.

Ceasar lives by words said from the movie Rocky Balboa, “You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”

By Wade Walker

Water usage and management on campus has long been an issue. Poor pressure in the dorms and many of the multistory buildings have been the chief complaint. Wasteful practices such as watering during the day seem to show disregard for the environment. Water management is a complicated issue and the saga at Colorado State University-Pueblo is ongoing.

The water here at CSU-Pueblo comes from the Board of Waterworks. The pumps would supply all the water needed but sufficient infrastructure is not in place. Furthermore, the water tower, which is located on the opposite side of I-25, is not high enough in relation to the campus, so there is only so much pressure that can build up. The tower at its current height gives 50-55 psi per square inch compared to the average of 80-90. The towers on campus are augmentation towers for the Belmont neighborhood, which has a lower altitude than campus.

“Because of the great demand we have in the resident halls and the buildings, we have to stagger how much is taken from the piping system,” said John Barnosky, director of planning and construction.

The Department of Facilities is forced to stagger how much water is being turned on at any one time. The multistory buildings have booster pumps to try to achieve a reasonable level of water pressure but there are 24 zones that require watering, each with 40 sprinkler heads. There is no way they can all run at once, according to Rick Deherrera, assistant director of facilities.

“We just don’t have the infrastructure on the irrigation lines to be able to accommodate only watering in the evening hours,” he said.

Changes are in progress, albeit slowly. The initiative started in 2012. In a few areas, Blue grama grass has been installed. It uses 50 percent less water than the Kentucky blue grass that is seen throughout most of campus. It will soon be added to the median strips on Bartley Boulevard if funding is approved from the state. The disadvantage of blue grama is that it goes dormant in the fall. Using different native grasses could counteract that. Seasonal grasses should be installed throughout campus, according to Barnosky.

“Everybody wants to minimize water usage but they call the facilities department if there is a little dry patch,” he said.

He also mentioned xeriscaping as another option they were pursuing. Drought resistant plants are grouped together according to their water consumption. It reduces water usage by up to 39 percent, according to a 2005 study conducted on Las Vegas homes. Its biggest downside is that it requires maintenance and it is more time consuming than cutting a swath of grass.

By Chianna Schoethaler

Veterans Day began as a part of World War I and over the years has gone through a variety of changes to what it is today.

Seven months before World War I officially ending, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostiles between various allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

The war officially ended on June 28, 1919, in Versailles, France, outside of the Palace of Versailles however, Nov. 11, 1918, is often referenced as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

President Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of the U.S, declared in November 1919 on the 11th day of the month as Armistice Day. The original intentions of this designated day was to have a observed celebration where parades and public meetings occurred. Businesses on this day would take a brief postponement at 11 a.m.

By 1938 an act was approved May 5 to make Nov. 11 a legal holiday that occurred yearly as an observance for world peace. This holiday became officially known as Armistice Day.

The act was revised in 1954 to amend the word Armistice to insert the word Veteran, which created Veterans Day instead. Along with the act revision, president Dwight Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day Proclamation. This proclamation created the Veterans Day National Committee.

This committee oversees all the national planning and countless coordination of events that occur on Veterans Day.

Instead of Veterans Day being observed Nov. 11, the Uniform Holiday Bill in 1968 changed the date to be the fourth Monday in October to be similar to Labor Day and Memorial Day. The bill went into effect in 1971.

The Uniform Holiday Bill was short-lived with Veterans Day because in 1975 president Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the U.S. moved the day of observance back to Nov. 11.

According the U.S. Census bureau in 2015, 18.8 million veterans lived within the U.S., while 1.6 million of the 18.8 million are female. Three states, California, Texas and Florida have over 1 million veterans residing in theses states.

In 2016 over 9.2 million veterans were over the age of 65, while 1.6 million were under 35 years-old according to the U.S. Census bureau.

Veterans Day considered to be “a celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of the country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good” according the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.

“Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices,” said president Harry Truman

By Alex Purcell

Transfer from the Air Force to the Army is a rare occurrence among military personnel, but that’s exactly the move that Anthony Clark made.

Clark became an enlisted airman in the Air Force in 2005. He wanted to advance and become and officer, but due to delays in the promotion boards, he soon realized the delays could stall his career.

He decided to transfer to Army as an officer, which was the better choice. He said it turned out better than he originally anticipated. “How the Air Force, how they designate what you do as an officer is based on what your actual degree is,” Clark said.

Clark has a degree in sports medicine and this would limit his opportunities and job positions in the Air Force. “In the Army you can basically do anything you want,” he said.

He served through 2016 as an engineer in the Army. Fall semester of 2017 marked Clark’s first as a full time Colorado State University-Pueblo student. He is currently majoring in Civil Engineering Technology.

“The CET program is similar to what I was to doing in the army,” he said.

He was stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs with his wife of seven years and they decided to stay. “Its one of the places that we decided to live that we both enjoy,” Clark said.

While he enjoys Colorado and going to CSU-Pueblo, he said he misses the comradery that the military life gave. He has since found some of that lifestyle while working for Veteran Upward Bound and being apart of Student Veterans of America. With this being his first semester as part of SVA, he hopes to move up in the ranks throughout his college career.

Clark is a man to look up to as he takes 22 credit hours and commutes from eastern Colorado Springs all while raising a 3-year-old daughter

By Allie Narro

John Palmieri is a student at Colorado State University- Pueblo but he’s not just an ordinary student, he’s a student veteran.

“I decided to join the Army because it seemed like the right fit for me at the time,” said Palmieri.

Palmieri said joining the Army has always been a dream of his. It started because every male on his mother’s side of the family had been in the military and each had served in a war going back to World War II.

Throughout his military career he was deployed three times to Iraq and Afghanistan. This was the worst part of being in the Army, said Palmieri “the living conditions were awful.”

“Gaining leadership qualities and skills to help me think quick on my feet has been one of the best things that came from joining the military,” said Palmieri.

Palmieri was in the military for 11 years but had to leave due to injury. His military instincts managed to stay with him and that showed on Sept. 5, 2013, when he helped emergency response pull two people out of a horrific car accident.

He was awarded the soldier’s medal which is the highest peacetime award someone can get. He was one of the first people on scene and many people believe if it weren’t for him the outcome of that car accident could have been worse than it was.

Palmieri said he remembers that exact day so vividly and when he saw the accident he knew he had to help. “One car was on fire and everything happened so fast,” said Palmieri.

“I recommend the military to anyone because the benefits are endless,” said Palmieri. Joining any branch of the military is a sacrifice but everyone makes sacrifices everyday, John Palmieri just made sacrifices for our entire country.

Editor Note:  In  the November 1, 2017,  Volume ⅩⅩⅣ, No. V, John Palmieri’s photo caption said he works in Veteran’s Upward Bound. Palmieri does not work for VUB, and works in the Military Veteran’s Success Center.

By Katryna Pona

Colorado State University- Pueblo will begin hosting a week of activities for Veterans from Nov. 6-11. These activities will include the Veterans Art Exhibit, resource fair, Stolen Valor Act presentation, Post-traumatic stress disorder training, CSU-Pueblo pride rock painting, and much more.

“During the week of 11/6 to 11/11 faculty, staff and students come together to celebrate those who have dedicated their lives to their country, come help us celebrate,“ Dana Rocha, director of Veteran Affairs, said.

The Veterans Art Exhibit will be an all week event on campus in the Art and Music Building. Kristina Havlat said the art exhibit will display art pieces such as, pottery, paintings and drawings from CSU-Pueblo veteran students and faculty. Veteran artists are currently needed for the event.

The activities will start off with the CSU- Pueblo Pride Rock event Nov. 6 in the afternoon. The Student Veterans of America will paint the University’s Pride Rock in honor of the week.

Also Nov. 6 The military and veteran success center open house is from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. in Administration building 103. This is a great opportunity for students and visitors to meet their fellow veterans, military and dependents while enjoying refreshments. It would be a great way to finish off the day.

The week will end with three events Nov. 11. The first event will be the Pueblo Veterans Day Parade downtown at 10 a.m. and the Thunder Wolf Marching Band will be an attendance there.

Following after will be the Pueblo Veterans Day Ceremony at 11:45 a.m., at Veterans Bridge, Harp. Tim Mottet, CSUPueblo President and the Chamber Choir will be amongst the partakers in the community Pueblo Veterans Day Ceremony.

Ending the day of activities, a second ceremony will be held at the Southeast Asia Memorial at 1:30 p.m. on campus. This memorial will embrace the 623 names of Colorado men and women who served in all branches of the military that were killed in the SE Asia war.

The PTSD training is on Nov.7 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in the General Classroom Building. CSU- Pueblo’s new mental health counselor, John Emmons will do a presentation on PTSD. Emmons has spent the last decade on working with military members and their families as a Military Family Life counselor.

The Veterans resource fair beings Nov. 8 from 11 a.m. – 2p.m., in the Library and Academic Resource Center. This activity consists of a walk through of the annual Veterans Resource Fair for people to learn about the military affiliated organizations.

“The Annual Veterans Resource Fair is held for the entire student body to learn about resources available for Military, Veterans and Non- Military affiliated students,” said Kristina Havlat, a student working in the veteran’s affairs office. The Stolen Valor Act presentation and Student Veteran Hardship panel will be hosted Nov. 9.

The Stolen Valor Act presentation will begin at 3 p.m. in LARC 108. This is an activity that includes a presentation and book signing.

“The fact that the Military and Veterans Success Center recognizes Veterans and their families for the sacrifices they have made is an important aspect of my education; providing me with pride of my service and focus in my studies,” said Larry Doose, a student veteran working in the veteran’s affairs office.

The Student Veteran Hardship panel will start at 4 p.m. in General Classroom Building 211, and this event will present areas that relates to issues and apprehensions from veterans suffering from PostTraumatic Stress disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury coming back to school. Pizza and beverages will be offered along with a wrap up of questions and answers.

‘The Purple Heart announcement will be held at the Visitor Center Parking lot at 4 p.m. This activity consists of Purple Heart recipients, and a reception in the Buell Communications Center lobby with several speakers.

After the week of the events there will also be the Veterans coffee with international students Nov. 15 from 9-11 a.m. This event will be hosted by the Center for International programs for part of International Education week.

“Having almost 400 students using VA benefits it is such an honor to thank those who have served our military and assist them in their new career,” Rocha said.