11 minute read
Councilmembers discuss sign ordinance enforcement in Grand Beach
The New Buffalo Area Schools Board of Education is seeking qualified candidates to fill the vacancy of Frank Magro, who resigned effective Nov. 18, 2022. An individual will be appointed on Dec. 12, 2022, to fulfill the two years left on the term.
Advertisement
Interested persons must submit a letter expressing interest in the Board position and their qualifications for the position to the Office of the Superintendent, P. O. Box 280, 1112 E. Clay Street, New Buffalo, MI 49117 no later than noon on Dec. 7, 2022.
Depending on the number of interested candidates, it is possible not all candidates will be interviewed. If you have any questions concerning the role of the Board of Education and the responsibilities of a Board Member contact, Dr. Michael R. Lindley, Superintendent of Schools at 269-460-6013 or email mlindley@
nbas.org. — STAFF REPORTS
Tweet
Streaming
Selfie
Search Results
Connected
FIND A PARK OR FOREST NEAR YOU AT
Councilmembers discuss sign ordinance enforcement in Grand Beach
Members of the Grand Beach Village Council discussed the enforcement of the sign ordinance – as well as its lack of specification as to how long signs should be up – at their Wednesday, Nov. 16, meeting.
Council president James Bracewell said that there’s currently no “date limitations” on signs inside the ordinance.
Throughout the election period, signs were up for about seven and a half weeks, he said. Other signs, such as ones stating when someone’s child has graduated, have been up seven to nine months.
Size has also been an issue, as Bracewell said relator signs “are growing in size” and “must be measured according to our provisions.”
Diameter and square footage that’s allowed is in the ordinance and the village “has pursued that in the past and it’s been effective.”
He added that signs are growing and “becoming like they’re permanent.”
“If the populace wants it, fine – but there is a structure to control that situation,” he said.
How close the signs are to the street was also an issue this past election period, as Bracewell said that candidates weren’t aware as to how close signs could be according to the ordinance and those who’d placed theirs too close to the street were asked to move them back.
Clerk Mary Robertson said that the village currently doesn’t have anything in the ordinance pertaining to candidate signs, so the village follows the rules of the state.
BY FRANCESCA SAGALA
Resident Angela Trainor said that when the political season began, candidates “didn’t put signs out any earlier than they were out in New Buffalo or other communities.
She added that all the candidates were provided the state sign law “so they did not abuse the political season, they just started earlier than some.”
Trainor said that other candidates, such as ones for school boards, had their signs on the outsides of fences. “Nobody went around and made them put them back, but it was according to the state sign that they should have been following - and they did follow,” she said.
Councilmember Paul Leonard said that the next council could put out an outline of guidelines, such as what they can do in terms of signage, how soon they can put them up and after election how soon they must take the signs down, during the next election cycle.
Regarding purchasing CDs at Horizon Bank, Bracewell said that the interest rates on available funds are escalating and will possibly continue to escalate over the next six months. He said he recommended to Robertson to switch some of the village’s available funds that are at Fifth Third Bank that are earning .01% to Horizon Bank for six months.
Councilmembers approved renewing Priority Health Insurance that the village has in place for its employees.
Bracewell said the village “took a gamble” two years ago when it changed its supplier. The village will have an increase of 10.92% in premiums with the 2023 renewal.
Leonard said the 10% increase is “well within what’s going on in the industry” and that some policies out there have 15% to 17% increases.
“For what we provide our employees and the additional cost I feel that we’ve done well,” he said.
Superintendent Bob Dabbs said that he has two bids with regards to replacing the roofs on the village hall and the maintenance building. He said he’ll present the bids at the December meeting to the new council, adding that they can go through another year or possibly two with the current roofs. Recently, the village hall’s entire chimney as well as all the spouts were caulked and sealed.
“The building down there is worse than this one,” he said.
Leonard said if they can make it through two years, the village should be able to cover it and by that point in time, there should be additional tax revenue from the 21 new homes that are under construction in the village.
“Our council will have to keep an eye on it, certainly next spring and probably during the budget meetings and make some projections - how much money we have, how much money we need,” he said.
Bracewell said there’s sufficient funds to put a new roof on the village hall.
Councilmembers approved end of year salary adjustments.
Councilmembers approved the Medicare Advantage Copay for 17 months for the benefit of Robertson and her spouse, with an additional $2,000 stipend.
SPORTS
From the Bleachers
COLUMN BY KURT MARGGRAF IN CHICAGO
Thanksgiving is rapidly
approaching, and even with all of the things that aren’t perfect in the world, most of us have so much to be thankful for.
If nothing else, we have a roof over our heads and food on our tables. Many of us have people that we love, and people who love us. We live in a country and at a time that allows us to be ourselves, no matter what some may think. It’s certainly understandable that everyone doesn’t share my positivity about this time of year. Life does go on, and good and bad things happen every day. So, for those of you that can’t celebrate the holidays because sad or bad memories are overwhelming, I feel your pain. My wife passed away twenty six years ago on December 1st, so feeling sad at this time of year is no stranger to me.
Time has a way of changing our perspective. For many years, sadness overwhelmed happiness during the holidays. At some point, my children convinced me to celebrate Sue’s birthday rather than the day she passed. She was a wonderful wife, mother, teacher, and all around human being. When we made the decision to celebrate her life rather than mourn her death, the holidays started to become joyful again.
Sue wasn’t much of a sports fan when I met her, but over the years she changed. You might think that I had something to do with that, but the reality is her children were much more responsible. When the kids started playing baseball and softball, Sue began going to all of their games, and when somebody who was supposed to be the scorekeeper failed to show up one day, she happily took over and never relinquished the job. She grew up on the Northside of Chicago, so she basically had to be a Cub fan, thus avoiding many an argument. By the time she passed away, she understood my love of sports, and shared a portion of my passion. However, she was never able to come to grips with my preference for Bears games over beautiful Harbor Country sunsets.
November 22nd is Sue’s birthday, and this year she would have turned 73. She is still missed by many, and I’m so glad the decision was made to celebrate her life. Because we are so spread out geographically, we will gather on her birthday telephonically and share some happy stories of the years we were blessed with her presence. To all who have tough times around the holidays, I understand. We all heal differently, and at our own pace. My hope for everyone is to have a Thanksgiving that brings you peace and joy.
A couple of quotes that resonated with me in tougher times. Edna St. Vincent Millay said, “The presence of her absence is everywhere,” and Henry Scott Holland wrote, “Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped into the next room…whatever we were to each other that we still are.”
Be kind to one another. Make good choices. Keep smiling. Talk to you next week. Happy Thanksgiving. Peace, love, and happiness.
Personally what’s more important then feeling good
and being undisturbed? — Dino N. Fatouros Rare loss at home for La Lumiere
BY STAN MADDUX
La Lumiere lost its first game of the young high school basketball season in a Nov. 18 game featuring two teams ranked in the top 20 nationwide.
The Lakers (4-1) were defeated at home 75 to 71 by The Skill Factory, a college prep school from Atlanta, Georgia.
La Lumiere with the game tied in the second quarter reclaimed the lead on back-to-back three-point shots from Trenton Walters and Gus Yaldron.
A two-handed slam dunk by Kaleb Glenn made the score 30-23 with 50 seconds left in the second quarter.
La Lumiere took a five-point lead into halftime.
TSF (7-0) opened the third quarter with a three-point shot and dunk to quickly even the score.
It wasn’t long before the Lakers took a nine-point lead with help from a driving lay-up by Walters, a three-point shot from Zaiden Lowery and dunk from Yaldron.
The lead soon evaporated, though, from the three-point shooting of TSF and their ability to score close to the rim.
Another three-point shot from the baseline gave TSF its first lead with just over six minutes left in the final period.
Both teams exchanged leads until TSF went ahead for good with about two minutes to play in the game.
TSF extended their to five points with less than 30 seconds on the game clock, forcing the Lakers on defense to foul.
However, TSF locked up the victory by sinking all but one of their free throws.
Walters hit a desperation three point shot from near half court to cut the lead to two points with just two seconds left in the game.
Yaldron, a 6’9” center from Appleton, Wisconsin, led the Lakers on offense with 20 points.
Lowery, a 6’4” guard from Springfield, Missouri, scored 18 points while Kalen Glenn, a 6’7” forward out of Louisville, Kentucky, added 12 points.
Head Coach Pat Holmes said he was disappointed but not surprised at the outcome considering TSF has eight players already committed to Division 1 college basketball programs.
Holmes also said seven players were lost from last year’s squad due to graduation but still likes the chances of this year’s squad returning to the Geico National Finals given the quality of the replacements.
La Lumiere has received a bid to the national finals almost every year for the past decade and won the championship in 2017.
The current Lakers team has several players already signed to play at big time college programs like Louisville, Wisconsin and Marquette.
“We have a bunch of new faces, but we got a really good group that’s coming to together, learning to play together and playing the right way,” Holmes said.
SADD members pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child
BY FRANCESCA SAGALA
Members of the SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) chapter at New Buffalo High School got into the Thanksgiving spirit when they packed shoeboxes that will make a profound difference in a child’s life Thursday, Nov. 17.
Students packed the boxes with the items that students, teachers and parents had been bringing in for the past few weeks for Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse International Disaster Relief that invites people to pack shoeboxes with school supplies, fun toys, clothes and hygiene items to be distributed to children around the world.
Students have partnered with Calvary Chapel Outreach New Buffalo, which has been involved with Operation Christmas Child for several years. Shoeboxes were scheduled to be dropped off at Calvary Chapel by Monday, Nov. 21. Members of the public were invited to bring their shoeboxes to the church during National Collection Week, which took place Nov. 14-21.
According to Tammy Ohl, a member of Calvary Chapel, last year, the church packed 1,021 boxes.
The crates of shoeboxes at Calvary Chapel will go to South Bend, where they go to the regional collection center in Chicago. There, they’re sorted by workers before being repackaged and going to Boone, North Carolina. From there, they travel across the world, from Mexico to Ukraine to refugee camps in Poland, as well as across the country.
Senior Carys Gallas said that Nicole Bowen, the advisor for SADD, suggested the partnership.
“I think it’s something different - we haven’t done it yet, so we were really excited about it when she brought it to us,” she said.
Gallas said SADD is focused on community service and “pushing out messages to the student body.” Members have done different initiatives on the dangers of drunk driving, such as a districted driving simulator. Last year, they brought in a parent from New Carlisle, whose son had died in a drunk driving accident, to talk to the student body.
Last fall, members got the school involved in another initiative when they collected water bottles to donate to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Southwest Michigan during the Benton Harbor water crisis, when residents experienced elevated levels of lead in their municipality supplied drinking water.
