Latest news with #Easley
Chicago Tribune
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Despite winding road, Aurora's Will Easley sticks with college weightlifting. And excels. ‘Created this monster.'
Time flies, but Aurora weightlifter Will Easley is still going strong despite an unexpected twist in his career path. Easley is a second-year graduate student at East Tennessee State, working on a master's degree in healthcare administration while on scholarship for weightlifting. Last February, Easley was second in his weight class at the USA National University Championship to earn All-American honors. Two weeks ago, he was fourth at the USA Weightlifting National Championship in Colorado Springs, Colorado. 'As far as goals, I want to get back on the podium at nationals,' said Easley, who took second in 2024 when the meet was held in Pittsburgh. How he got here — to Johnson City, Tennessee — is an interesting story. The last time I used this space to delve into Easley's exploits, the 2020 West Aurora graduate was completing his senior year and revealed his college plans to attend Marian in Indianapolis on an athletic scholarship and compete for its fledgling weightlifting team that had started in 2017. Unfortunately, the full impact of the pandemic began to be felt and Marian's program was cut a week before Easley was scheduled to leave for school. So much for the team setting he looked forward to joining. 'I had also applied to Illinois State as a backup option,' he said. Three older siblings were graduates, giving him access to a legacy scholarship. He also earned other academic aid. Illinois State, like most colleges, does not offer weightlifting as a sport. 'It's never been a NCAA sport,' Easley said. 'It's one of the main reasons for the inconsistency with scholarships.' The move left him pretty much alone in his individual sport. Easley, however, made the best of it. He joined the Bloomington-Normal Barbell Club and found a Bloomington gym — Power and Fitness — that fit his needs. He continued training the next four years while earning a bachelor's degree in exercise science. 'I don't want it to seem like I was competing on my own,' Easley said. 'I had a really great coach.' And more than one, actually. Dan Brown, who had recruited him to Marian, stayed in touch and provided training lessons and tips from 2020 to 2022. 'I'd send him video of my training, too, and he'd give me feedback,' Easley said. 'It worked out well but then got to the point where he got really busy with business.' Easley also connected with Bronson Mintun, the general manager and a coach at his gym with competitive experience in Olympic-style lifting and powerlifting. East Tennessee State's Stoneage Weightlifting Club also is on solid footing, being run in conjunction with the school's sports science research department. It's been around for decades. Dr. Michael Henry Stone, who started the program, is highly regarded for his research. Dr. Satoshi Mizuguchi currently heads a team that numbers 18. 'I like it here,' Easley said. 'It's nice looking out at the horizon and seeing the mountains instead of nothing but flat land. 'With my bachelor in exercise science, the goal was that I go on to become a physical therapist, but I decided I wanted more opportunities when I'm out of school.' The demands of the graduate program took some getting used to, and he has an internship at a local hospital working 33 hours a week. He still finds time to lift twice three days a week, followed by another session on Saturday. 'I feel like I've adjusted well and I'm getting back into the groove,' he said. 'One of the guys on the team took second at nationals and is a bit stronger than me. Working with him and some of the others I can get different perspectives. 'It's more like the atmosphere I'm used to over at West Aurora when I had friends working with me.' Easley stays in touch with Thomas Kraus, the West Aurora teacher and coach who got him started in the sport. 'He just keeps doing what Will does — grinding,' Kraus said. 'Will just has an internal motivation that I'm sure many high-level athletes have, but I've never experienced working with someone with that kind of drive in my 30 years at this. 'He's the epitome of consistency and has all the things you need to be successful.' Easley's mother, Colette Gosselin-Easley, believes Kraus deserves credit, too. 'That guy is amazing,' she said. 'They continue to stay in touch. Kraus created this monster.'
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
2 women shot while trying to break up fight at Koeneman Park
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A University City woman has been charged for shooting two women who attempted to break up a fight at Koeneman Park. According to Mary Schmitt, a spokeswoman, the shooting happened around 6:05 p.m. on Saturday, May 30, in the 2600 block of Shannon Avenue in Jennings. Police said the two victims attempted to break up a fight between two other people. In response, Imani R. Easley, 23, pulled out a Glock pistol and shot one victim in her right arm and the other victim in her chest. Both victims were rushed to the hospital for medical treatment. The woman who was shot in her chest remains listed in critical condition. Body cam video reveals new details in viral North County K-9 incident Police said there were several bystanders and witnesses to the shooting, and the entire incident was captured on Facebook video. After reviewing the video, police arrested Easley. Police said Easley later admitted to shooting both victims. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office charged Easley with two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action, and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. Easley remains jailed on a $500,000 cash-only bond. She has a bond reduction hearing scheduled for June 9, followed by a preliminary hearing on July 2. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cherokee Nation leaders speak in Claremore on state of nation
The Cherokee Nation is committed to continued investment in Rogers County, said the nation's deputy chief during an address last Wednesday in Claremore. Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner and Kevin Easley Jr., who represents Claremore on the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council, delivered remarks at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs for the Claremore Area Chamber of Commerce's first State of the Cherokee Nation event. Warner and Easley discussed topics ranging from the Cherokee Nation's fiscal impact to the changes it hopes to bring to Claremore Indian Hospital. As Rogers County's representative on the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council, Easley said he's sought to bring resources to the community since he was elected in 2023. He said Warner has used his sway as deputy chief to do just that. Warner drove the Cherokee Nation to donate $4 million to Rogers State University's STEM building project, Easley said, and he assembled an emergency meeting just after the May 2024 tornado to coordinate assistance for Claremore. "He never fails to take me aside and ask that question of what's important for this community," Easley said. "He understands that we know what we need best here. ... He listens with his ears and his heart." Easley said that in the wake of the tornado, the Cherokee Nation assembled a task force to study how to improve the nation's disaster response. That culminated in Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.'s signing into law the Cherokee Nation Emergency Management Act, which establishes a fund of up to $5 million reserved for helping communities after disasters. The Cherokee Nation gives more than a third of the revenue it generates from car tag sales to public schools to use for specific purposes, such as teacher salaries or facility upgrades. Rogers County schools received a combined $743,893 this year at a ceremony in March. Warner said nothing is more important to him than public education — he attended Sallisaw Public Schools and taught chemistry before entering tribal government — and he wants the tribe to ensure kids get the education they deserve. "What if you need a new teacher?" Warner said. "What if you are needing to pay for a new cook to come into school and you don't have that opportunity — it's not in the budget, it's not going to be there. That's why the Cherokee Nation does what it does." The Cherokee Nation is in talks with the federal Indian Health Service to purchase Claremore Indian Hospital. Hoskin has said IHS has never adequately delivered health care, and the tribe aims to fully assume the hospital's operations by the end of 2025. The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians passed a resolution in April in opposition to the Cherokee Nation's takeover of the hospital. Warner said the tribe plans to update Claremore Indian Hospital in the image of its sprawling health care campus in Tahlequah. "You see that state-of-the-art building, you go inside, it's like a museum when you walk in there," Warner said. "That's our dream, that's our vision of what we want to do here." The Cherokee Nation recently released its Fiscal Year 2023 Economic Impact Report. Warner said it showed the nation's economic impact — wages, purchases of goods and services, etc. — totals $3.14 billion annually. In Rogers County, the tribe employs 903 people and provided more than $50 million in household income in 2023. Warner said though he is proud of the numbers, he cares more about the heartbeats behind them. "It does not happen alone, folks," Warner said. "I can tell you that happened because of the diligence of the feet and the work of the individuals that came before I, that came before Kevin [Easley], that came before [former Tribal Councilor] Keith [Austin]. We're talking hundreds of years ago. We're talking about our ancestors that made it along the forced removal called the Trail of Tears."
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Easley 8-year-old's quick thinking helps crews fight house fire
EASLEY, S.C. (WSPA) — An eight-year-old in Easley demonstrated bravery and fast thinking earlier this week, after noticing his neighbor's house was on fire. Mason's mother, Juliette Woodberry, said her son saw smoke coming from his neighbor's house off of Powdersville Road at around 6 p.m. on Wednesday. She said Mason ran toward the neighbor's yard after getting home from errands. 'I called out, asking what he was doing, and he shouted back, 'Mom, there's smoke!' I ran over, and sure enough, smoke was coming out of the crawlspace vents of our neighbor's house,' Juliette explained. Juliette said her father helped get the neighbors out of the home while she called 911. She said damage to the home was minimal. The Crosswell and Easley fire departments responded to the scene, the latter commended Mason for his actions. 'His fast reaction and willingness to help made a huge difference,' the fire department said. 'Mason, you're a real hero in our community!' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Indianapolis Star
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Purdue football adds another transfer from Georgia with addition of offensive tackle
WEST LAFAYETTE − Purdue football is bringing a former four-star offensive lineman closer to home. Marques Easley, who was a standout at Kankakee (Illinois) High School, is transferring to the Boilermakers from Georgia, it was announced Saturday. Easley is the seventh player in the past two seasons to transfer to from Georgia to Purdue and third this spring. He joins receivers Nitro Tuggle and Michael Jackson III to make the move since the conclusion of spring camp. Easley was rated a four-star offensive tackle out of high school by 247Sports, ranked No. 161 nationally overall in the 2024 class and as the 14th best tackle. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Easley played in two games last season at Georgia. Easley was arrested on three counts of reckless conduct and one count of reckless driving, the Athens Banner-Herald reported, following a car crash into an apartment complex. Both Easley and Tuggle were suspended at Georgia for separate incidents. Easley becomes Purdue's fifth offensive lineman addition since the conclusion of its spring season and third transferring from a team in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@ and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
