08-08-2019 Letters and Commentary

G-P participation from Legion family

Dear Editor, I want to thank my entire Legion family who participated in the Glad-Peach parade on Saturday, August 3, especially the group from South Haven Post 49 who boosted our numbers and helped make us look good. They are welcome to join us anytime. See what great things can be done when we all work together. Kelly Disbrow, Commander Coloma American Legion Post 362

Thank You

Dear Editor, The Coloma Public Library would like to thank the following local businesses who supported the summer reading program with generous donations: McDonald’s of South Haven, Bangor, Coloma, and Benton Harbor; Dairy Queen of Coloma; Michigan Pizza Hut, Inc.; Moore Theatres (Loma); Soulard’s; and Chili’s. Mary Harrison, Director

Acknowledging favorites of the TCR

Dear Karl, I’d hoped to write this as a letter to the editor but somehow it assumed a life of its own. Reminds me of Jack’s beanstalk… It just kept growing and growing! Simply wanted to recognize some of my favorites in your paper: John Martin – I’m so sorry he stopped drawing his poignant cartoon, which I’d cut out and hang on the fridge. The twin towers in Manhattan; Mother’s Day as the mom knelt to receive the gifts from her little boy. John always captured the essence of the local or national news and then just nailed it. Rep. Pauline Wendzel and Senator Kim LaSata – Enjoy news from the State House, especially when it affects Southwestern Michigan. Editor Karl Bayer – Never miss reading your weekly editorials, even agreeing with you the majority of the time. My personal favorite is your Bayer Family Christmas. Every year I read it, cut it out, and send it to a loved one in their Christmas card. I keep a list of those people and wish I’d saved all their comments to share with you. Amy Loshbough – Congratulations on your managing editor promotion (hope dad gave you a nice raise to match your new responsibilities). Really enjoying the changes: Lacey Krohn’s position as social media editor, the online edition, and just love the Press Box Player of the Week – outstanding recognition to our local athletes. Kristy Noack – Speaking of the athlete of the week, I’d like to give a shout out to Kristy Noack who is not only a talented sports writer but an incredible photographer. Never have I seen so many amazing action shots of our local athletes and your idea to create a Hall of Fame for Watervliet that not only acknowledges past players but their coaches as well. I know that Gene Bednarowski would have been thrilled and I am positive that Ron Farac and Gerry Barchett are feeling so honored with this recognition. All three of these men gave so much of themselves to coaching the kids at Watervliet, that they were definitely each a super hero of their eras. Speaking of super heroes, I’d like to add one more, so my next shout out goes to Roy M. Davis. Roy left for WWII shortly before I was born, but his memories are also my memories. His nostalgic stories resonate with my own childhood remembrances. It demonstrates how little life changed from 1900-1950, yet we thought that our lifestyles were altered dramatically. Today’s technology finds us reinventing ourselves not by decades but almost annually. Each week Roy writes another new story which often stirs up an episode from the past that I’d forgotten, so my mind revisits that time period as well. A recent article entitled “Manley White Civil War Hero”, recounted the experiences of a sixteen year old teen from Hartford who enlisted in the 8th Michigan Cavalry. In Tennessee, he was wounded and ended up in a hospital which he left before he was healed. As a result, he contracted small pox and was left behind to recover, then walked 150 miles to rejoin his regiment. Then in Tennessee he was captured and sent to a confederate prison in Alabama where he nearly died of starvation but was released and paroled in 1865. Manley boarded a steamer ship in Mississippi. But near Memphis the ship’s boiler exploded killing one thousand union soldiers. Manley dove into the water, swam six miles before he was rescued and taken to Memphis where it took him two months to walk home to Hartford. Roy Davis just lost his lovely wife, Marion, whom he called his “Chief Accountant”. They’d been married for 72 years! Joan Polaskey, Coloma (Editor’s Note: Lacey Krohn is no longer Social Media Editor. Teresa Smithers has efficiently taken over the position. Likewise, Kristy Noack is no longer reporting Press Box news for the Record. Sports’ reporting is being effectively covered individually for each town by Dave Vollrath for Coloma, Jerrod Birmele for Hartford and John Oliphant for Watervliet.)

Michigan health providers must enroll in system by Oct. 1 for

Medicaid patients to be able to fill prescriptions

Health care providers are facing an important upcoming enrollment deadline that is necessary for their Medicaid beneficiaries to be able to continue to fill prescriptions. To meet federal requirements, providers who prescribe medications to Medicaid beneficiaries must enroll by Oct. 1, 2019, in the Community Health Automated Medicaid Processing System (CHAMPS) – the state’s online Medicaid enrollment system. Under federal requirements, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) will prohibit payment for prescription drug claims written by any provider who is not enrolled in CHAMPS. “At MDHHS we want to make sure that Michigan’s Medicaid beneficiaries are able to continue to fill the prescriptions they need to be healthy,” said Kate Massey, MDHHS deputy director for Medical Services Administration and Medicaid director. “We encourage providers to register in CHAMPS as soon as possible to avoid any interruptions in patients’ drug therapy.” The federal Affordable Care Act and the 21st Century Cures Act require prescribers to enroll. The purpose of this requirement is to protect beneficiaries by strengthening program integrity and care quality. The requirement applies to all providers who prescribe drugs – including medical residents. Providers who want information about the enrollment process and how to get started can visit Michigan.gov/MedicaidProviders and click on the “Provider Enrollment” box. Providers who have questions on the process can call MDHHS Provider Support at 800-292-2550.

Gas prices down 10 cents; Michigan state

average has steadily declined since July 27

Gas prices in Michigan slipped 10 cents compared to a week ago. Michigan drivers are now paying an average of $2.75 per gallon for regular unleaded. This price is 14 cents less than this time last month and about 17 cents less than this time last year. Motorists are paying an average of $41 for a full 15-gallon tank of gasoline; a discount of $6 from when prices were their highest last May. New data from the Energy Information Administration revealed that demand dropped last week, landing at 9.55 million b/d. The rate is approximately 100,000 b/d less than the previous week and 300,000 b/d less than last year at this time. Total domestic stocks of gasoline also fell last week. They hit 230.7 million bbl after the total refinery utilization rate fell slightly to 93 percent, which is 2 percent lower than last summer at this time. “If demand remains low, pump prices will likely continue to see modest decreases moving into this week,” said Adrienne Woodland, spokesperson, AAA – The Auto Club Group. AAA’s state and metro gas averages show most expensive gas prices in: Ann Arbor ($2.85), Metro Detroit ($2.85), and Benton Harbor ($2.71); least expensive gas prices in: Traverse City ($2.62), Saginaw ($2.64), and Lansing ($2.65). Daily national, state, and metro gas price averages can be found at Gasprices.aaa.com. Motorists can find the lowest gas prices on their smartphone or tablet with the free AAA Mobile app. Victims of former CMU student govt. president have their day in court Rachel Wilson and Landrea Blackmore read their victim statements in Isabella County Court as defendant Ian Elliott pleaded no contest to one felony count of Third Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct. Elliott, who was charged with three counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct (3rd degree) and one count of assault with intent to commit penetration, was sentenced to a minimum of 366 days in prison up to a maximum of 180 months by Isabella County Chief Judge Eric Janes. Elliott was Central Michigan University’s student government association president and a member of Phi Kappa Tau when he assaulted Wilson and Blackmore. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, whose office led the prosecution of Elliott, thanked Wilson and Blackmore for their courage. “It is never easy for victims of sexual assault to speak out, report their crimes and face their attacker,” said Nessel. “Ian Elliott used his position to take advantage of these young women and continued to rally his supporters in an effort to shame his victims. They stood strong and I am grateful for their persistence.”

Agriculture History Day celebrated at N.B. Historical Museum Aug. 17

Do you recall the days when wood produce containers dominated orchards and markets in Berrien County? On Saturday, August 17 the North Berrien Historical Museum will honor the legacy of these containers and the market that was in high demand, the Benton Harbor Fruit Market. From 12 to 4 p.m., guests of all ages will have the opportunity to make their own basket, share memories and have a special guided tour of the machines that made the Benton Harbor Fruit Market possible. Tours of the machinery collection with Sam Monte, of Monte Package Co., will begin at 12 & 2 p.m. For kids, the Harvesting History: Picking and Packing the Fruit Belt will be offered at 1 p.m. and again at 3 p.m. At 2 p.m., 12 preregistered guests ages 12 and up will make their own woven baskets to take home. Please call the Museum to reserve a seat to make a woven basket. North Berrien Historical Museum is located at 300 Coloma Ave. in Coloma.

You are what you eat

There are clever sayings that have become a part of our vernacular. They are “cultural truisms” (a term I just made up) that express how we understand and deal with the world around us. Look before you ______. Run it up the flagpole and see who ______. Things aren’t always what they ______. Seeing is _______. We all know them. And the title line, “You are what you ____”. For example, donuts. Like “Long Johns”. They line up around your middle so you get to look like a donut. Then your long johns get tight. If we eat the wrong thing we can become unhealthy. Fat replaces good, toned muscle. A way muscle mass is measured in cows is called a “whole cow counter”. It’s a radiological measurement of the Potassium-40 (K-40) in a cow’s lean meat. It usually uses plastic scintillator detection arrays in which the cow stands for long enough to get a good reading. (That I didn’t make up). Is this a 200-steak cow or a 500-steak cow? The whole cow counter will give indication. The same technique, modified, can be used to medically evaluate the effectiveness of anorexia nervosa patients’ treatments that are designed to help them grow lean muscle mass. But how can we measure our “spiritual body mass”, reflecting our spiritual health? Jesus reveals the answer in John 6:22-56, where He explains that He Himself is the true living bread that has come down from heaven. As we consume (eat) Him, personally appropriating His life into ours, we abide in Him and He abides in us. That is spiritual health. So how much of Jesus Christ is seen in you and me? It depends on our spiritual diet. If we feast on Jesus, who He really is, what He’s really done, and on His teaching, it will reflect. Get filled up with Him, because you are what you eat.

Social Security is here for you

Social Security turns 84 this year. With more than eight decades of service, we’ve provided benefits to one of the most diverse populations in history. Regardless of background, we cover retirees, wounded warriors, chronically ill children, and people who have lost loved ones. Knowing that we cover so many different people, we’ve created People Like Me webpages that speak to specific audiences. Sharing these pages could make a positive impact on someone’s life. Here are a few that might speak to you. Do you know someone who needs to start saving for retirement? No matter where they are in their careers, Social Security can help. It’s never too late to start planning. We offer two pages, one for people early in their career at www.socialsecurity.gov/people/earlycareer and one for people who have been working for a while, www.socialsecurity.gov/people/midcareer. Social Security plays an important role in providing economic security for women. Nearly 55 percent of the people receiving Social Security benefits are women. Women face greater economic challenges in retirement. First, women tend to live longer than men do, so they are more likely to exhaust their retirement savings. A woman who is 65 years old today can expect to live, on average, until about 87, while a 65-year-old man can expect to live, on average, until about 84. Second, women often have lower lifetime earnings than men, which usually mean they receive lower benefits. And, third, women may reach retirement with smaller pensions and other assets than men. Share this page with someone who needs this information and may need help planning. www.socialsecurity.gov/people/ women. We proudly serve wounded warriors and veterans. They endure sacrifices to preserve the freedoms Americans treasure. Many of them do not know they might be entitled to benefits. Share our resources with them to make sure they are getting the benefits they deserve. www.socialsecurity.gov/ people/veterans. If you didn’t see a page that is important to you here, check out our general People Like Me page at www.socialsecurity.gov/people. 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.

HAPPY “STAYCATION”… Anne and I are happily enjoying a two-week vacation on Paw Paw Lake, compliments of our son Justin and his wife Kris. I treasure Paw Paw Lake as a jewel in the crown of Southwest Michigan as I spend many happy hours on it mostly fishing. Then when the “kids” come home it is our home on the lake for a couple weeks, among family and friends. This week it is a reunion of sorts as Gillian and her family, and Amy and her family are enjoying the lake and all the fun it offers, as well.

PRESIDENTIAL CALL FOR ACTION… Each time I hear of a mass shooting I think “is this going to be the one that mobilizes the whole country behind the president to declare these random murders of citizens an assault on our country and treat it as a national crisis”. I was reading through national news commentary on the internet and came across a report on National Public Radio (NPR) of comments by President Trump that I think is significant. He is calling for bipartisan support of Congress to take action to protect all from the violence of criminals.

According to NPR… President Trump, responding Monday to the deadly weekend shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, that killed 29 people, condemned white supremacy and called for the death penalty for mass murderers and domestic terrorists. Speaking at the White House, Trump said the nation is “overcome with shock, horror and sorrow.” On Sunday, the El Paso police chief said it appeared increasingly likely that the shooter posted a white nationalist, anti-Hispanic screed online ahead of the attack. “In one voice,” Trump said on Monday, “Our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy.” Trump called for laws to ensure that those “judged a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms” and declared “mental illness pulls the trigger, not the gun.” But he stopped short of addressing other measures that gun control advocates argue are urgently needed, including closing loopholes in required background checks for gun buyers and banning large ammunition magazines. However, in a tweet earlier in the day, Trump seemed to open the door to such measures, but tied them to immigration overhaul. “Republicans and Democrats must come together and get strong background checks, perhaps marrying… this legislation with desperately needed immigration reform,” Trump tweeted.