HANDYMAN SERVICES

G&S Handyman Services… includes general repair- switches, fixtures, minor plumbing, painting, cleaning, roofing, and general cleanup. 30 years experience. Call 269-332-4741 (11-12, 11-19, 11-26, 12-3-20 TCR)

HELP WANTED

STYLIST WANTED… Full Service Stylist station available for weekly rent. High traffic area, new face-lift. Set your own hours, build a great clientele. Call 269-326-0542 (10-29, 11-5, 11-12, 11-19-20 TCR)

STATE OF MICHIGAN PROBATE COURT COUNTY OF BERRIEN NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Decedent’s Estate File No. 2020-0619-DE-D Estate of MICHAEL LEE CRIDER, deceased. Date of birth: 08/01/1969 TO ALL CREDITORS: NOTICE TO CREDITORS: The decedent, MICHAEL LEE CRIDER, died 06/05/2020. Creditors of the decedent are notified that all claims against the estate will be forever barred unless presented to Samantha Louise Patel, personal representative, or to both the probate court at Berrien County Courthouse, 811 Port Street, St. Joseph, MI 49085 and the personal representative within 4 months after the date of publication of this notice. 11/11/2020 Samantha Louise Patel PO BOX 309 Sawyer, Michigan 49125

Jeffery R. Holmstrom P29405 830 Pleasant Street suite 100 St. Joseph, Michigan 49085 (269) 983-0755 (11-19-2020 TCR)

TOWNSHIP OF KEELER VAN BUREN COUNTY, MICHIGAN ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE TO: THE RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS OF THE TOWNSHIP OF KEELER, VAN BUREN COUNTY, MICHIGAN AND ANY OTHER INTERESTED PERSONS:

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Keeler Township Zoning Board of Appeals will conduct a public hearing and meeting on December 15, 2020 commencing at 7:30 p.m. at the Keeler Township Hall, 64121 Territorial Road W. within the Township, to consider the following: Variance requests by 93967 Madison Avenue, LLC, from Section 3.33 C of the Township Zoning Ordinance pertaining to Nonconforming Lots, Uses and Buildings, Keeler Township Zoning. The property is located at 93967 Madison Avenue, Benton Harbor, MI 49022, in the Township. The tax parcel number is 80-12-145-085-00. The property is zoned Lakeshore Residential 401.

Such other and further matters as may be properly before the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Anyone interested in reviewing the application or the Township Zoning Ordinance may make inquiry of the undersigned up until the time of said hearing and may further examine the same at said public hearing. The Township Zoning Ordinance can also be accessed at www.keelertownship.org.

Written comments will be received from any interested person concerning the foregoing by the Keeler Township Clerk at the address below up to the date of the hearing and may also be received by the Zoning Board of Appeals at the hearing.

All interested persons are invited to be present at the aforesaid time and place.

Keeler Township will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals with disabilities at the hearing upon seven (7) days’ notice to the Keeler Township Clerk. The Clerk may be contacted at the address or telephone number listed below.

KEELER TOWNSHIP ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS By: Carl F. Davis, Keeler Township Clerk 64121 Territorial Road W. Hartford, MI 49057 269-621-6481 www.keelertownship.org (11-19-2020 TCR)

Library board thankful for continued support with passage of millage

To the voters of Watervliet: The Library Board thanks you for your continued support of the Watervliet District Library. The chief source of our operating funds is the millage you voted to renew in both the City and Township on November 3. Because of the public’s ongoing support, the Library has been able to add and improve our collection and services over recent years. During this pandemic the director and staff are striving to offer excellent service to patrons, with safety protocols in place, whether the Library is open or must be closed. Services include: Safe, curbside service for any items in the collection; phone reference service at 463-6382; safe curbside service for faxing, copying documents or printing; WiFi extension into the library’s parking lot; weekly packet projects for every age; Story Hour in a Bag kits; Children’s Book Bundles, packets of books and activity sheets on a given subject; online book clubs for adults; special events shared virtually; and increased funding for Overdrive, e-books, and audio books. Thank you again, and we hope you will continue to take advantage of your Library’s services.

Patricia Geisler Watervliet District Library Board of Directors

Reasons for honoring our flag

Dear Editor, I would like to share this article with as many as I can so others can learn new reasons for honoring our flag. It was copied from the internet with no author listed. “It is the SOLDIER OR VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion. It is the SOLDIER OR VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of press. It is the SOLDIER OR VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the SOLDIER OR VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble. It is the SOLDIER OR VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the SOLDIER OR VETERAN, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote. It is the SOLDIER OR VETERAN, who salutes the Flag. It is the SOLDIER OR VETERAN, who serves under the Flag.” Frances Wooley Daughter of a veteran Wife of a veteran Mother of a veteran

Permanent injunction granted in litigation over CARES Act funding for public schools

(Press Release) The lawsuit co-led by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra against U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her attempt to divert millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funding from public schools is officially over. Judge James Donato – of the U.S. District Court Northern District of California – on Nov. 9 approved a permanent injunction, formally closing the case on DeVos’ efforts to rewrite a section of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act that would have diverted more than $16 million in funding away from public schools in Michigan. Following his order to grant the permanent injunction, Judge Donato entered a judgment in favor of all plaintiffs. “This pandemic has greatly impacted students across the country. The CARES Act is imperative as it provides critical funding for our public schools and the resources teachers need to continue safely teaching our youth,” Nessel said. “This permanent injunction sends a clear message that the publicly funded CARES Act dollars should be used as Congress intended – to educate our public students, and not to serve the political agendas of a select few.” Donato in August issued a preliminary injunction in the lawsuit that joined two similar orders by courts in the District of Columbia and Washington State, which also challenged DeVos’ effort. In response, Secretary DeVos penned a letter in late September in which she acknowledged defeat, stating her Department would not appeal the court’s rulings. Under the order, the district court will retain jurisdiction to enforce the injunction, and the Department of Education waives any right to request reconsideration or to appeal the permanent injunction. The injunction prohibits the U.S. Department of Education from: Requiring states and local education agencies (LEAs) to calculate the share of CARES Act funds for private schools in a manner inconsistent with Title I’s calculation for equitable services to private schools; requiring that CARES Act funds supplement, rather than supplant, other fund sources; restricting the distribution of CARES Act funds to only those public schools that participate in or are eligible for Title I; and taking any adverse action against districts or schools that relied on the original guidance or interim final rule before the preliminary injunction entered. Nessel and Becerra led a coalition of states that filed suit on July 7 against DeVos and her Department for issuing the rule that would have unfairly limited the ability of public schools to use federal funds provided under the CARES Act. In their litigation, Nessel and Becerra were joined by the attorneys general of Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia, as well as the City School District for the City of New York, Chicago Board of Education, Cleveland Municipal School District Board of Education and the San Francisco Unified School District.

DIFS urges consumers to be vigilant against fraud

(Press Release) This week is International Fraud Awareness Week and the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) is reminding consumers to protect themselves against fraud and to report suspected fraud to the recently established Fraud Investigation Unit (FIU). “Consumers must be vigilant to avoid falling victim to fraud, especially in the insurance and financial services industries,” said DIFS Director Anita Fox. “DIFS Fraud Investigation Unit is committed to bringing criminals to justice in order to protect consumers and ensure safe access to the industries we regulate.” Codified into state law as part of Michigan’s historic, bipartisan auto insurance law in 2019, the FIU investigates criminal and fraudulent activity related to the insurance and financial industries. Its investigators work with the Attorney General and other law enforcement agencies to prosecute these crimes. “DIFS is first and foremost a consumer protection agency and we are here to help protect people from bad actors in the insurance and financial services industries,” said Fox. “Consumers can arm themselves against fraud with resources available from DIFS, including our website and publications, our call center, and the fraud reporting tool on our website.” Insurance and financial fraud can include a wide range of acts such as selling fake auto insurance certificates, staging fake claims, loan fraud, and taking advantage of cash apps to take money from unwary people. Suspected fraud in the insurance and financial sectors can be reported to DIFS safely, easily and, in most cases, anonymously by calling 877-999-6442 or by visiting Michigan.gov/ReportFraud2DIFS.