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PENTWATER — Rich Feole has bittersweet feelings about leaving his job as director of Mason-Oceana 911. He has the first dispatcher hired at the facility when it opened in 1995. He has gone through several positions there, spending the last 7 as its director. In late December Feole, 47, announced he had accepted a position as deputy director of Calhoun…
LUDINGTON — Members of the public will have opportunities to give their input into what qualities Ludington Area Schools next superintendent has. During its special board meeting Tuesday, the board of education decided to hold focus group meetings to learn what staff, parents, students and community members want in the qualities of Cal DeKuiper’s replacement. Consultant Dr. Michael Washburn will…
A blog by Stephanie Wagner. I am not one for New Year’s Resolutions. Really, if I haven’t started to lose weight, work out, eat healthier, yell less, or be nicer any other day of the year, what makes January 1 so special? I do, however, regularly set goals for myself and evaluate them periodically. Last year, in honor of my…
LUDINGTON — Ludington native David Killips will serve as Ludington Area Schools’ interim superintendent for the remainder of the school year. Killips, who recently retired as superintendent of Chelsea Public Schools, was hired Tuesday after being interviewed by the board of education. Killips will be paid $550 a day without benefits and is contracted until June 30. Current superintendent Cal…
Barbara Jean Renwick, age 73, of Scottville, MI., passed away January 4, 2013 at Mercy Hospital in Muskegon. Barbara was born in Pontiac, MI., September 30, 1939 to the late Milo and Beulah (Bolchey) Echlin, one of four children they would have together. Mrs. Renwick attended Scottville High School where she was involved in choir, gymnastics, and cheerleading. On October…
HAMLIN TWP. — Nobody was injured in a single car rollover on North Lakeshore Drive tonight. The Ford Taurus was driven by a 63-year-old woman, according to responders on the scene. Her car was northbound when it lost control in the curves south of Sugar Grove Road. It is likely the car slid on black ice. Mason County Sheriff’s Office,…
LUDINGTON — The Ludington City Council appointed Councilor Gary Castonia as its 2013 mayor pro-tem Monday night during its first meeting of the year. Castonia was nominated by Councilor Nick Tykoski. Mayor John Henderson also made committee appointments. See related story and list here. The city also renewed its refuse, yard waste and recycling contract with Republic Services. The five…
SCOTTVILLE — The Scottville City Commission will decide tonight if it will continue the services of Thompson, Thompson & Glanville as its attorneys. City Manager Amy Williams is recommending the city extend its agreement with the Ludington firm. Tracey Thompson, from Thompson, Thompson & Glanville, serves as the regular attorney for the city. The firm is paid a $3,000 per…
LANSING — Property taxes won’t increase when real estate ownership is transferred within a family under legislation recently signed into law, state Rep. Ray Franz said today. Public Act 497 of 2012, formerly House Bill 4753, creates an exemption for property transfers between immediate family members, including by marriage and adoption, from the so-called “pop-up” tax that is applied when property…
VICTORY TWP. – The work of Grand Rapids artist, Brenda Sipe, will open 2013 at the Manierre Dawson Gallery with an exhibit of sculpture and drawing. Sipe works with both traditional and explorative materials and is heavily influenced by nature. Recent sculptures display her background in fiber art and are “woven” from nature. Sipe received her master of fine arts…
A blog by Stephanie Wagner. Eleven years ago, I hung up my sexy dresses, packed away my high heels, and gave up on toxic nail polish. I wore sweats dotted with snot and spit-up, and tennis shoes made for toddler chasing. When I went back to work, I still had very little contact with anyone over the age of 5…
SCOTTVILLE – Recent changes in personal property tax laws will mean an anticipated loss of $6,700 for Scottville, starting in 2014. Gov. Rick Snyder recently signed the Personal Property Tax Elimination bill which means businesses with a taxable value of less than $40,000 will be exempt from paying personal property taxes. The bill also means personal property tax for manufacturing…
LUDINGTON — Mayor John Henderson is expected to make appointments to the city’s standing committees Monday during the city council’s first meeting of the year. Committees are as follow: Finance: Chair Wally Taranko, Wanda Marrison, Gary Castonia. Building and Licenses/Long Range Planning: Chair Kaye Holman, Wally Taranko, Nick Tykowski. Cemetery, Parks and Recreation: Chair Nick Tykowski, Dick Rathsack, Les Johnson.…
FRUITPORT — Ludington Senior D’Erika Varenhorst scored her 1,000th career point tonight, helping the Orioles defeat Fruitport 37-13. She is,shown here with varsity coach Thad Shank. Photo compliments of Tyrone Collins. Ludington’s boys also defeated the Trojans 52-42.
RIVERTON TWP. – Thursday night was a first for Riverton Fire Chief Joe Cooper. He got to help rescue a cat – not from a tree but from a power pole. Cooper, along with Great Lakes Energy linemen Tom Mclouth and Rodney Herrema, saved a kitty that had been trapped on the pole for a couple days at the…
LUDINGTON – The following activity took place over the past week in the 79th District Court at the Mason County Courthouse. Sentences Raymond David Spyker, 29, 503 W. U.S. 10, Amber Twp., was found guilty on Dec. 18 for larceny. He was sentenced to 1 year discretionary jail for 2 years and given a $902.59 fine. An additional charge of…
LUDINGTON — The Ludington & Scottville Area Chamber of Commerce Legislative Relations Committee has scheduled a Business Roundtable with U.S. Representative Bill Huizenga and U.S. Representative Dan Benishek at the request of the office of Representative Huizenga. The Roundtable will take place in the new café room at the Book Mark in downtown Ludington on Friday, January 11th at 7:30am. Book Mark is located at the…
LUDINGTON — Registration for the Michigan Ice Open Kids Day will begin on Monday, Jan. 7, 2013. Registrations will be accepted at the Ludington & Scottville Area Chamber of Commerce or by downloading the registration/waiver and release form from www.michiganiceopen.com and faxing it to 231-845-6857. This is a free event for kids between the ages of 5 and 14. The Michigan Ice Open Kids…
LUDINGTON — Registration for the Michigan Ice Open Fishing Tournament is open. Registrations are being accepted at the Ludington & Scottville Area Chamber of Commerce or by downloading the application from www.michiganiceopen.com and faxing it to 231-845-6857. The registration fee is $120 per two person team. The Michigan Ice Open Tournament is scheduled to take place on Feb. 2, 2013 on Hamlin Lake. …
LUDINGTON – Ludington Area Schools board of education will interview a candidate for interim superintendent next Tuesday. The candidate, David Killips, is a Ludington native and has served most recently as the superintendent of Chelsea Public Schools from 2002 and retirement in 2012. Three Ludington Area Schools administrators have also applied for the interim superintendent position with the goal to…
LUDINGTON — For the first time in memory, Ludington doesn’t have a single New Year’s baby, it has two newborns to celebrate. The first birth of 2013 is twin boys Christian and Arthur Hernandez. The brothers were born at Memorial Medical Center at 12:33 p.m. Thursday, January 3. Twins having the same time of birth is also highly unusual. Christian…
