03/22/2018 Letters & Commentary

Dedication to keeping every school district safe

 The following is a joint communiqué fully endorsed by the Superintendents of all Van Buren County Public School Districts, Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Andrew Hubbard, Van Buren Intermediate School District Superintendent Jeff Mills, Van Buren County Sheriff Dan Abbot, Michigan State Police Paw Paw Post Commander Lieutenant Dale Hinz:

Parents, Students and Community of Van Buren County,

The tragic events of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting are still in the forefront of all our minds.  Our thoughts are with the students, staff, parents, first responders, and all who have been personally touched by this incident.   This heartbreaking event has all school districts around the nation reflecting on the safety and security of our students and staff.

As school superintendents and law enforcement officials of Van Buren County, we want to assure you of our dedication in keeping every school district safe for students and staff.  School safety is our first and foremost priority.  School districts and law enforcement have collaborated, as partners, to put into place overlapping layers of security for schools.  The layers of security include:

Law enforcement officers and school district staff going through the Active Shooter Incident Response, (ASIR) training; law enforcement officers training in school buildings on tactics used to deal with active shooters; county wide school emergency management resource; local school administrators access to threat assessment resources; OK to SAY program in our school buildings for confidential reporting of school threats; Van Buren Countywide Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Team.

As school superintendents and law enforcement officials, we have loved ones attending our schools. We share your concern for school safety and pledge to keep our schools safe and secure.  To accomplish our vow, we will:

Quickly investigate any/all threats made to school and student safety; involve county resources to assure school district needs are met; continue to go above required safety drills to train school staff on ASIR; continue to train with law enforcement in active shooter response training.

We commit to working together for the safety and benefit of our most treasured assets: STUDENTS.

Kim LaSata absent from scheduled “Office Hours” in Watervliet

Dear Editor,

I would very much like to “thank” representative Kim LaSata for not showing up at Mill Creek Charlie’s on Saturday, March l0 between 12:00-1:00 for the open forum that was advertised in the Tri-City Record. I did have better things to do with my time than sit around waiting for nothing.

I am not surprised, however, that true to Republican form she “chickened” out. The repukelicans, as I call them, are very brave and bold when they’re screwing the American people over behind closed doors, but when it comes to facing us – who they’re supposed to be representing – face to face, they’re too afraid to take the criticism and derision that is due them for continually selling us out.

Were you afraid you’d be booed and chased out of the restaurant? You’re probably right. I was there to let you know what I think of you and the rest of your treasonous party. I wouldn’t have expected anything more from an anti-women’s choice forced birther zealot and gun nut such as you.

Lastly, for any right wing nutjobs, conservatives and Trump supporters seeing this, kindly keep your opinions to yourself for a change. I have much better things to do with my time than waste it debating with mindless inbreds who are stupid enough to be duped into voting against their own best interests and fall for any bill of “goods” that that two-bit conman Trump wants to sell you.

Name withheld by request

The rise and fall of Michigan largest hobby shop

Dear Editor,

We started in Hartford, MI in 1966 and moved to Watervliet, MI in 1987. My first problem with the City of Watervliet was that my awning was three inches too low. Moved down the street to another building and the City found my step was an inch and half too low. In 1992, we moved to our last location. There the City said the numbers on the building were too small.

Things went well for a while. We started looking around on the internet and came across Anysoldier.com. We picked five soldiers a week and had a list of all sorts of things they wanted. We made five care packages to send them. Some packages went to Iraq and some packages went to Afghanistan. In just a few years our care package count was seven hundred-sixty. I’ve got a book filled with thank you letters from these soldiers and military and it weighs about ten pounds. We received awards from the Army, Marines and a thank you from the President of the United States.

Then Chemical Bank introduced me to First Data, a credit card company out of California. First Data took about $30,000 from us and put us on a crooks list so we couldn’t accept credit cards. We had radio stations, television stations, newspapers and senators try to help us but this company is too big and wouldn’t answer anyone.

The Attorney General of Michigan was no help at all and we even sent letters to the Attorney General of California but they wouldn’t answer us. We had to stop sending packages to our soldiers. First Data has done a lot of people in and a lot of banks still use them.

I then received a letter from the State of Michigan telling me that the underground gas tanks from the station next door leaked under my building. I talked to the Attorney General of Ohio since the headquarters for this gas station is located there. He told me in his state he would have this taken care of immediately. He said that he called the Michigan Attorney General and said that he would most likely not help me. He was right.

The next problem was a couple of leaks in my roof. I learned that the City of Watervliet received money to help local businesses. I applied but was turned down. I hired a local contractor to work on it and $1,200 later, it leaked worse than when they started.

I decided to sell the building and get out. I couldn’t find a real estate agent to help sell it. They told me with the contaminated ground, no one would buy it. I contacted my bank and told them I don’t want to pay for a building I can’t use or sell. Some customers would walk in and then they would walk right back out stating how bad the musty smell was. We had a model railroad club with forty-one members upstairs but with the roof leaking they moved out.

I’ve a little warehouse in Hartford and moved there to do some mail order and let the bank take back the building in Watervliet. The bank agreed but they had to have environmental inspectors look around and have pictures taken before they could take it back. This takes a long while.

I then got a summons from the City of Watervliet because I have a leaky roof. This is the same roof I asked them for help fixing. I told them it was out of my hands but they needed proof. Chemical Bank said that they would get me a letter explaining that they were responsible but they never did. I had to go to court three times and ended up paying a $400 fine. Now I got another summons to go to court on the 29th because my building is empty. There are eight other buildings on Main Street that are empty but mine must be special. If I don’t get that letter from Chemical Bank I will probably have to pay another fine. If the City of Watervliet had their way, it would be a capital offence.

The thirty years in town, we had people visit us from five different countries and every state in the Union.

From this day on, if anyone asks me about doing business in Watervliet, I will tell them that the first thing that they need to do is have their head examined. If the city was fair, they would take down their welcome sign for perjury is against the law.

I don’t vote in Watervliet but the ones who do should make big changes at the top or they’ll end up with a ghost town. This is just an opinion but we are allowed this.

Bob’s Hobby & Collector’s Shop

Coloma extends appreciation for participation in St. Patrick’s Day events

Thank you to all that participated in the St. Patrick’s Day Evening Lighted Parade held on Saturday, March 17 in downtown Coloma and all the other fun events during the day.  It was a jam packed weekend with something for all ages and interests.

The weather was great for the 38 entries that paraded through the downtown and the countless spectators that lined the streets.  Prizes were awarded in categories of Float, Costumed Individual, Marching Unit, Municipal and Decorated Vehicle in adult and youth, as well as an “Over All” winner.  We distributed $1,400 in coins between all the winners, as well as generous gift certificates donated by area merchants.

The deserving winner of our window display contest this year was Chemical Bank and they received $150 of advertising courtesy of the Tri-City Record.

The 3rd Annual St. Pat Run/Walk held that morning was a success and we appreciate the Leo Club and their hard work in helping to organize the event. The proceeds will go toward HOPE Resource Center, Paws for a Cause, and the Leo Club.

Thank you to the Coloma Public Library that did an Irish Story Time, craft and cookies for the children on Saturday and also held their popular Book Sale.  The North Berrien Historical Museum had a very well attended Irish Scavenger Hunt with interesting historical facts and delicious refreshments and treats.

Thank you to the Coloma United Methodist Church for their delicious Irish Stew Dinner they organized and to Gemini Fun and Games who hosted our live radio remote this year with Paul Layendecker from 103.7 Cosy.

Each year none of the activities could be done without the support of the merchants and businesses in the community and the help of volunteers.  Thank you to the following:  Best Way Disposal, Centsible Heating and Air, Chemical Bank, Coloma City, Coloma Lionesses Club, Coloma Lions, Coloma Public Works, Coloma Charter Township, Coloma Township Police Department, Coloma Watervliet Area Chamber of Commerce, DiMaggio’s Pizza, Don Young Insurance, Easy Street, Edgewater Bank, Four Season’s Spa and Pool, The Friendly Tavern, Getz Dentistry, H&R Block, Honor Credit Union, Lane Automotive, Lifestyle Chiropractic, Linda and Sieg Freitag, Lisa Streu, Marsha Hammond,  North Berrien Community Development,  Postelli and Postelli PLC, R&B Stelter Farms LLC, Sharon Yoder State Farm Insurance,   St. Pat Committee members: Fire Chief Mattix, Ross Streu, Jim and Sherry Polashak, Sandy Kraemer, Kristen DeHaan, Kandyce Hays, Susie Moser and Tony Bertuca. A special thank you to North Berrien Fire Rescue, for hosting the parade registration line-up and awards ceremony, and the Ladies Auxiliary for coordinating refreshments after the parade and to our wonderful Leprechaun who gave out candy during the parade!   Thank you to the volunteers that judged the parade and the window decorating contest.

If you would like to be a part of the committee next year please contact the Coloma Watervliet Area Chamber of Commerce office at 468-4430 for more information. We look forward to the 2019 parade on Saturday, March 16.

Sincerely,

Chana Kniebes

Coloma St. Patrick’s Day Committee

DON’T BE STUPID, HANG UP IMMEDIATELY… a caller Tuesday said she had recently got two phone calls from the IRS. “I knew it was a scam and I hung up both times. The IRS doesn’t ever call (for money). Please tell your readers to hang up immediately.” As the deadline to pay our income taxes approaches crooks worldwide line up on the phone seeking folks dumb enough to give out a credit card number or a bank routing number to pay their taxes. Don’t be stupid, never give out any personal information over the phone for any reason. Don’t pay a bill, donate or pay your taxes on the phone, ever.

LIBRARIES STEP UP TO KEEP LOCAL NEWS… An interesting phenomena that has recently blossomed is that some local libraries are getting into local news distribution. I read an article recently, that some libraries in towns that no longer have a local newspaper are gathering and distributing local news through their websites and newsletters. The library stepped in to fill the need for local news sharing in their hometowns. I reached out to Watervliet Librarian Sharon Croster-Toy and told her about the “news.” I said that, although the Tri-City Record is providing local news coverage to the Coloma, Hartford, and Watervliet areas, there is always room for improvement. I suggested local libraries could join in the information and news gathering by partnering with the Record to distribute the news to its readers and to the library patrons as well. I realize most library patrons are also newspaper readers, and most newspaper readers are library patron. It is logical to me that both demographic groups are the same. While there are no plans in the near future for any changes with the Record, or the local libraries, only time will tell what is around the corner. I’m hoping the local libraries and the local paper will work together to keep all viable and current.

TV GIVING IN TO INTERNET… Is it just me or are there more commercials on television than ever. TV must have adopted the post office model of doing business… when the internet changed information distribution and most folks dropped using the mail (snail mail) the post office raised prices and cut services. Judging from the poor quality and lack of programming, TV is going the same… most stations don’t even change programming for a day at a time. Others endlessly replay reruns. They must be making their money on selling the programs to the cable company. Who by the way are doing the same thing… many dedicated cable stations don’t even broadcast their programs instead run infomercials and medical ads. SiFi channels run cooking shows, history channels run fishing shows and so on. Anne and I had rediscovered PBS and thoroughly enjoyed the BBC programs beginning with the phenomenal Downtown Abbey right on through Victoria, with Father Brown and Granchester spaced in between. Now it appears WNIT has gone back to running reruns of aged concerts. Surprisingly there have been some great documentaries this past winter on CNN and the Weather Channel. Perhaps cable will go the way of the post office and become a follower instead of a leader. We viewers will pick a handful of quality programs to watch on our smartphones and quit watching the boob tube entirely, bad shows and tasteless commercials included.

FINALLY HERE… Spring “officially” arrived in mid-afternoon this past Tuesday, March 20. It was more spring like over the weekend. While I’ve been anxiously awaiting the momentous day for some time, reader Roberta Cowgill reminded me, it comes in due time. She wrote, ‘when I was young (I’m now 83) I was griping that it was still cold when it was supposed to be getting warm. My grandfather told me, “Child, why are you griping? When the time is right, it will be the right time. Now the frogs are asleep. So, until we have thunder to wake them up, they will sleep quietly. As long as there’s ice on the windows there won’t be spring, but when it’s gone, spring will be here.” I waited and watched and sure enough, just as he said, it happened. And every year after, the same way. I’m always happy to hear the frogs singing and double glad to have spring after a long Michigan winter.’ I too am happy to hear the frogs singing. Speaking of spring weather… the TV forecast for St. Patrick’s Day was dismal. Rain and slushy snow was to take up a goodly portion of the day. Happily, the forecast on the front page of the Record was as the Irish would say, “spot on.” Saturday was mostly sunny with no precipitation. It was chilly when the sun went down. It was a perfect evening for a parade.

Connecting with Social Security Every day thousands use it to do business with Social Security. We strive to offer the kind of services that meet people’s needs. You can call us toll free at 1-800-772-1213. Social Security offers some automated services that allow people to receive service without waiting to speak to a representative. The automated services are available 24 hours a day and include some of the most popular services that people need. With automated services, you can request a benefit verification (proof of income) letter, replace a lost SSA-1099 (tax summary needed for taxes), request a replacement Medicare card, ask for form SSA-1020 to apply for help with Medicare prescription drug costs, or request an SS-5 application for a Social Security card. When our automated services ask such things as, “How can I help you?” Just say, “Get a proof of income letter” or “Replace Medicare card.” Next, you will be asked for some personal information to identify yourself and then we will respond to your request. We will mail you the document or form you requested. It takes less time to use automated services than to reach a representative by phone on a busy day. Sometimes, you just need Social Security information such as, “What date will my check arrive?” or “What is the SSI program?” Automated services feature some informational messages about these popular topics. If payment delivery date is the type of info you need, when asked “How can I help you?” just reply “Payment delivery date.” You will hear a recorded message stating the current month and the future month’s payment dates. Other topics include direct deposit, SSI messages, the cost-of-living adjustment, Medicare prescription drug program, tax information, representative payee, and fraud. Dial, and listen — what a simple way to stay informed. Whether you use our automated services, speak to a representative by phone, use our website, or visit an office, Social Security wants to connect with you. Connection is a vital part of helping you secure your today and tomorrow. To connect with us through our automated services, visit http://www.socialsecurity.gov/agency/contact/phone.html. Vonda VanTil is the Public Affairs Specialist for West Michigan. You can write her c/o Social Security Administration, 3045 Knapp NE, Grand Rapids MI 49525 or via email at vonda.vantil@ssa.gov.

More palms to come! Like Easter is not just about jelly beans, Palm Sunday is not just about palm branches. Jesus was beginning His last week prior to His crucifixion. He entered Jerusalem in the midst of a cheering crowd (Matthew 20:1-9). They expected Jesus to deliver Israel from Roman military and political dominance. Their view of “Messiah” did not include the “suffering servant” of Isaiah 53. They didn’t yet understand the bigger picture. Jesus’ offer of redemption went way beyond political national or military boundaries. It went way beyond just Israel. The redemption He offered was forgiveness, healed relationship with God and redemption from sin’s dominance. And that redemption would cost His blood. But why the palm branches? Palm branches celebrated a victorious conqueror’s success. The praise palms and the donkey Jesus rode on were fulfillments of age-old prophecies – one in Zechariah 9:9, another in Psalm 118:26. There will be another time for waving palm branches. In Revelation 7:9-12 another crowd is mentioned. But this crowd will represent the entire world community commemorating the ultimate victory of the Lord Jesus Christ as they too praise God, accompanied by the angels of heaven. “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ And all the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, to our God forever and ever. Amen.” (NASB) No more cross… now the crown.