Commentary by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Five Cueball thoughts for Sunday, March 30, 2014…

1. Worden Park road

Wellington has one of the best multi-sports facilities in south-central Kansas with Worden Park.

Accident at Worden Park

With its combination of youth baseball/softball facilities, a nationally acclaimed go-kart complex, youth football/soccer fields, walking trails, premier playground, and the location for various other events such as demolition derbies and Fourth of July fireworks show, Worden Park has been the go-to facility for special events in Wellington. Worden Park has brought in countless dollars to the community from outside sources.

But Monday night a roll over accident occurred just north of the complex that brings up what could be a ticking time bomb. The roads leading to and from Worden Park are made of dirt. East 20th Ave. North is a busy thoroughfare that serves both the park and Wellington Christian Academy. The number of young inexperienced, and out of town drivers who use the road is tremendous. 

The road needs paved – before someone gets killed. Yes, people have been driving country roads from the advent of automobiles. But you are also talking about a generation of drivers who aren’t used to navigating on loose gravel in an area where there are a lot of young drivers. Being one who grew up in the country, if you don’t know how to navigate loose gravel, it becomes a serious situation.

Plus, as one Sumner Newscow reader said it’s an image thing. Do we really want to force visitors to drive down a dirt road within our city limits?

The city of Wellington has done a great job of redoing Vandenburgh, reconstructing Lincoln Avenue, etc. Now is the time to address the issue of paving East 20th Ave.

2. Nothing to do? 

Well, this Tuesday get yourself out to the election polls, and vote for your favorite city council candidate. Oh, wait a second… There is no election.

For the first time in 50 years, Wellington will not be holding a city council election. That was due to the restructuring of the city council in which the board was reduced from eight to six members, terms were expanded from two to four, and every election will be held on odd number years only. That is until the State of Kansas decides to move everything to November. But that’s a different issue.

In years past, Wellington council members served two year terms with four of them up for election on one year and the other four on the other. A lot of these elections had council members unopposed.

Kudos to the city council and local citizen J.P. Buellesfeld for implementing such a system that is not only cost saving to local taxpayers but saves us a lot of time. Do we really need another election?

3. Blowing a streak

There are streaks, and then there are great big long spectacular streaks. Wichita State’s basketball team had a wonderful 35-game winning streak that ended in heart-breaking fashion when Fred VanVleet’s buzzer beating final shot against Kentucky fell off the side of the rim.

In the pros, another streak came to an end. On Saturday, the NBA Philadelphia 76ers were vying for the longest losing streak of any pro team in any pro sport before suffering a heart-breaking victory over the Detroit Pistons. They had a 26-game losing streak – and hadn’t won since January.

Think about 26 games. High school seasons don’t last that long. Have the Washington Generals lost that many games against the Harlem Globe Trotters? Many wars are fought and won in a two-month time frame.

But now with that unfortunate win, the 76ers will just be a bad team forgotten.

Maybe next year, 76ers.

4. Saying I hate

I always hate it when I’m arguing with someone or want to respond to something I’ve heard from third-party sources and people tell me to “take the high road.”

Translation: “You need to shut up.”

That’s annoying.

5. Shout out of the week 

How can you not give it to the Wellington High School teachers and student body, who spent Wednesday volunteering their services and raising money to help Houston and Dietra Sober visit their mother in Seattle, who is being treated for cancer.

One thing you can say about Wellington. We may fuss and fight amongst ourselves. But when it comes to helping one of our own, no town does it better.

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High schoolers throughout downtown was giving the area a clean look.