The Oceana Echo - Volume 2, Issue 50, May 9, 2025 by theoceanaecho

We need your help!

Please nominate Echo Publishing Inc. for a GLE

HEROES EVERYDAY

Community Grant

HEROES

Echo Publishing Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is only able to provide The Oceana Echo/White Lake Mirror on a weekly basis to our community through the generous contributions of our readers and supporters. Whether through advertising, regular or one-time donations or grant funds, each dollar goes to producing the newspaper many enjoy and have come to rely on for their local news. In the next two weeks, Oceana Echo/White Lake Mirror readers (who are also Great Lake Energy customers) have the unique opportunity to help fund EPI operations without spending a dime. EPI readers, who are Great Lakes Energy (GLE) members, are invited to nominate our nonprofit for GLE’s annual Community Grant Giveaway program from now until 5 p.m. on May 23, 2025. See simple nomination instructions below.

Following the nomination period, GLE staff will review all submissions from across the cooperative’s northern, central and southern regions and select a list of finalists.

If EPI is fortunate to be selected as a finalist, GLE members will have from June 9-20 to vote on which organization, from among the finalists, should receive one of three $10,000 grant awards. One vote will be allowed per member.

The GLE Community Grant Giveaway program (different from the People Fund Grants many are familiar with) has generously awarded $78,000 in grants over the past four years. The program is made possible through a partnership between GLE and CoBank.

To see a list of 2024 finalists and winners, grant guidelines and to nominate EPI please go to gtlakes.com/community-grantgiveaway and nominate us today!

Simple nomination instructions:

• Visit gtlakes.com/community-grant-giveway

• Use “Echo Publishing Inc.” as the name of the nonprofit.

• Write a short, heartfelt message why you feel EPI is a good candidate and should receive this donation more than any other of the several hundred applicants.

• Use “Paul Erickson” as the nonprofit contact name.

• Use “theoceanaecho.com” as the nonprofit website name.

• Use “231-301-8149” as the nonprofit contact phone number.

• Use “P.O. Box 192, Mears, MI 49436” as nonprofit address.

• Enter your name and email address and “Submit.”

Everyone at EPI once again extends its thanks to ALL of our readers and financial contributors for their generous support these past two years. On June 2 we will celebrate our second anniversary! Thank you for believing in us and celebrating with us! We invite all GLE customers to add their support and nominate us for this exciting funding opportunity!

Ballot items pass in May 6 Special Election

Both the Hart Public Schools Bond Proposal and the Weare Township Millage Renewal were approved by voters in the Tuesday, May 6 Special Election.

The Oceana County Clerk’s unofficial election results, which were posted the morning of May 7, showed that the 2.0 mill millage renewal for road improvement purposes passed 11858, and the bond proposal passed 632408.

According to the ballot language, Hart Public Schools can now “borrow the sum of not to exceed Thirteen Million Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars ($13,900,000) and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds therefor, in one or more series, for the purpose of: remodeling, equipping and re-equipping, and furnishing and refurnishing school buildings and structures; erecting, equipping, and furnishing an athletic facility; and preparing, developing, equipping and improving the site.”

Part 1 HEROES HEROES

EVERYDAY HEROES

CELEBRATING NATIONAL CORRECTIONAL

By AnnaMae Bush The Oceana Echo Community Correspondent

This is the first of three articles focusing on members of our community who, although they are not celebrated as traditional superheroes, nevertheless, every day that goes by, they are heroes in someone’s life. They deserve a place in the spotlight of our minds and a grateful round of applause. Maybe even a gesture of support.

For May 4-10, we focus on National Correctional Officers Week. Working in jails, prisons, and penitentiaries, their responsibilities for prisoners also play a role in public safety for everyone outside of prison walls. Their tasks and training have expanded over the years. The historical information in the following four paragraphs was found online in an explanation of National Correctional Officer’s Week.

In the latter decades of the 19th century, prisons were staffed by a warden and several guards. The guards were called “turnkeys” because their primary responsibility was to lock and unlock the cells. The job had no educational, physical skills, or training requirements, and it paid poorly. With so little demanded of them, the guards shunned uniforms and did not take their work seriously.

In the early 20th century, when the inmate population decreased and the prison budget increased, prison administrators expanded the responsibilities of the guards. The guards could specialize, and they responded with a more professional attitude.

“In the 1950s, prison institutions became less intense, and inmate programs reoriented with a rehabilitative philosophy. Penitentiaries came to be called correctional institutions, and prison guards became correctional officers.” The pay improved, the training advanced, and the environment became more professional.

The positive direction was challenged in the 1990s when the prison population increased, rehabilitation was neglected, and prisoner treatment was extreme. The public charged some facilities with disregard of civil rights and criticized correctional officers for their inability to handle the overcrowded conditions. In response, there was a renewed emphasis on training and professionalism for the officers.

Shifting the focus from history to today, some common questions about correction officers include: what training or qualifications are required, what might disqualify someone from the job, how does their job differ from police patrol officers, and do they carry guns? Requirements include a minimum of a high school diploma and training at an academy to learn about prison policies, operations, and security procedures. Having a criminal record would disqualify an applicant. The police academy training is different from the correctional officer training because police carry out their work in the field and correctional officers work inside a building, dictating different behaviors. Normally, correctional officers carry guns only when they work at federal medium- and maximum-security facilities.

Bringing this week’s national focus to a local level, Oceana County has a correctional facility on Lincoln Street in Hart. On the website for the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office, one reads:

The primary goal of the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division (County Jail) is to ensure the safety of inmates, corrections personnel and residents of Oceana County. This is accomplished by detaining inmates in a secure manner, in the least restrictive setting possible, given inmate classification.

The …Corrections Division strives to provide all inmates with humane living conditions and to protect inmate rights consistent with the United States Constitution, the Michigan Constitution, the laws of the State of Michigan and Department of Corrections guidelines.

The Corrections Division is led by Lt. Mark Schneider. A West Shore Community College graduate and former Montague Wildcat, Lt. Schneider started his career at the Oceana County Sheriff’s office in 1997 as a road patrol deputy. Lt. Schneider has also served as a detective, tactical team member, and hostage negotiator. Schneider has seen the role of the corrections deputy develop over the last decade because maintaining security and safety now includes “recognizing and dealing with mental health, health care and drug addiction.” Like road patrol deputies, corrections deputies have annual requirements for continuing education and training.

The Oceana County Jail has a maximum capacity of 66. But inmates must be housed by gender, by health risks and by crimes for which they are booked, which limits the jail capacity. According to Schneider, the inmate population averages 45-55 over the year. Schneider’s department has 13 staff members: three sergeants and 10 correctional officer deputies. He shared, “I have only four deputies with more than (three) years of experience serving in the Oceana County Jail. The retention of deputies is a great concern and challenge each year.” He has hired female deputies to ensure there is at least one female deputy per shift to handle the rising number of female inmates. He recounted statistics from the past three years. “In 2022, Corrections booked 1287 inmates with an average stay of 24 days. In 2023 we booked 1420 inmates with an average stay of 17 days. In 2024 we booked 1737 inmates with an average stay of 14 days.” Although most inmates come from Oceana County, at times they come from other counties. An increasing number are Michigan Department of Corrections inmates. Highlighting the significance of these numbers he said, “Our numbers are equal to or above many jails across the state that are twice our size and staffing.”

Anyone who has had a loved one serve time in a corrections facility knows the pitfalls of overcrowding and the challenges it presents to both inmates and deputies. It limits the opportunities for inmates to participate in programs and to safely spend time outdoors. Deputies accompany inmates to classes (Oceana Corrections Facility offers ministry, GED and substance abuse programs) and to limited outdoor time. The Oceana facility has a small outdoor area between the courthouse and the jail. Illness is another issue for both inmates and deputies. Schneider reports, “The condition of our jail is extremely clean. We simply don’t have enough space to house today’s inmates.”

Correctional officers are important to the safety of inmates, of facility personnel, and of the public. Beyond safety, they are crucial to the morale in the facility environment where they work. Seeing inmates as individuals, correctly assessing the needs of inmates, and treating inmates with respect can help to create an environment of respect…and maybe even hope.

A kind word can be life-giving to inmates and to officers. This writer challenges readers to say a prayer for corrections officers everywhere and to find a way to express appreciation for those who work in Oceana this week.

This page is brought to you by:

114 Dryden St. in Hart, Mich. 49420 (231) 873-2600

Visit us! The Oceana County Historical & Genealogical Society is open Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Private tours are available by appointment. oceanahistory.org

The Boynton Cottage offers a peek into the past

By Claire Marshall

The Oceana Echo Community Columnist

Thank you to the many readers who’ve already forwarded their positive feedback on my first column - it is greatly appreciated! I hope you are all still in the mood for more vacation communities. This week we are narrowing our scope to a singular family, the Boyntons.

The patriarch who first brought his family to Little Point Sable was Melbourne Boynton. He was born in 1867 in Lynn, Massachusetts, to a family of carpenters and cabinetmakers, a trade in which he worked four years before turning his attention to another calling: ministry. He attended Divinity School at the University of Chicago and was ordained in 1892 as a Baptist minister.

It was also in 1892 that he married Hattie Wells at his first church in San Jose, California. She excelled academically and creatively as a pianist and poet and was described as a “well prepared... minister’s helpmate.” They had three children: Parker, who died in infancy; Melbourne Wells Boynton, born in 1905; and Ben Lynn Boynton, born in 1909.

Melbourne Boynton returned to Chicago several years after his graduation in 1897 to be the pastor of the Lexington Avenue Baptist Church (later Woodlawn) near Jackson Park in South Chicago, where he served for the next 40 years. He was, likewise, known throughout the community as an organizer and politician.

It was Boynton’s ministry that led him to the Little Point Sable Association in 1902, when founder John H. Hill invited him and his family to spend the

summer in Michigan and serve as a guest pastor for the Tabernacle. For the first two years, they were housed at the Point’s Old Orchard Lodge, purchasing two lots in 1904 to build their cabins. Lexington Avenue Baptist Church assisted in funding the purchase of land, donating $100 to cover half of the lots’ $200 price tag. Theirs was the first property built on the shoreline of South Glen.

If this date for the purchase of land is true, it was apparently prior to Hill’s official acquisition of the land. If this timeline confuses you, then you and I are in the same boat! That’s just the magic of studying history; what we know for certain is that we are uncertain of everything. We will just go ahead with the assumption that by 1911, the Little Point Sable Association was officially platted and recorded.

I hinted last week that reaching the Point was not an easy trek. The Boyntons’ path started with a trip on the Pere Marquette railway from Chicago to a West Michigan station, possibly Muskegon or Whitehall due to their harbor access. From the station, they took a wagon to the boat launch, where a ferry would deliver them to the pier on the Point, which was located a mile’s walk from the lots.

The first summer on the Boynton’s property was without a cabin. A large tent was pitched over the foundation laid for the eventual cabin, and by the next summer the first building was completed. This building, finished around 1906, was a one-room cabin constructed with rough-hewn millends of cedar and hemlock. It was furnished with beds on both the lower floor and loft area, and a dressing area where a chamber pot was kept.

Throughout the years, more and

more additions were built on the property, depending on the minister’s budget. Eventually the first cabin was joined by a larger cottage, which was outfitted every year with new additions. By the late 1930s, the new main building was every bit a livable cottage, even by today’s standards. There were multiple rooms, cabinets and storage, a water tank, plumbing and electricity. Reverend Boynton and his fatherin-law, whose family trade was also in carpentry, completed most of the construction of the cabins and the cupboards inside. The original one-room cabin was repurposed as an off-season storeroom - thanks to its construction of mouse-proof lumber - and an extra bedroom for the summertime, sometimes referred to as a honeymoon cottage.

By 1910, the Boynton family was well-established in the Association, close friends with several neighboring families and had two sons of their own. Melbourne Wells Boynton was born the summer following the establishment of the Boynton plots, and it was he who unintentionally created the moniker “Lexy-Byte.”

Reverend Boynton had started to refer to the lots as “Lexington Heights,” “Lexington” for his church and “Heights” for their perch on the dunes. Struggling, as any toddler would, with the name “Lexington Heights,” he would mispronounce it as “Lexy-Byte.” The name had remained the same for the family property, up until the current owners renamed it a few years ago.

Melbourne Wells was married to Mary Smalley in 1930 at the Little Point Sable Association’s church, known colloquially as the Stone Church.

Ben Lynn Boynton took after his mother with regard to his interests,

The1306

playing piano, and also developed an interest in medicine after encouragement from another Point family patriarch. He frequently brought his sweetheart and later wife, Elizabeth Katterjohn, to visit Lexy-Byte in the early 1930s. Following his brother’s death in the war and his father’s death two years prior, Ben Lynn and his family became the caretakers of the Boynton family cottages.

In last week’s article, I’d touched briefly on the fate of many original Association cottages following high-water years in the 1950s. Such was the case for the Boynton cottages. While the main cottage weathered the high water, the eroding shoreline led to the collapse of much of the structure in 1953. The remaining portion of the structure, known as the study, was moved from the wreckage before finally being dismantled about a decade later.

The storeroom, however, was donated to the Oceana County Historical & Genealogical Society in 1984 and can be visited at their Museum and Historical Park in Mears, carefully preserved and with much of the old family furniture still inside. It’s a wonderful relic of vacation cabins from the last century!

Oceana Center Grange Agricultural Report for May 2025

By Phil Carter

The Oceana Echo Agricultural Consultant

Spring finally seems to be “Ripe in the Land of Oceana.” Recent rain events have freshened up the soil, making for more optimal working and planting conditions.

Nationally, some areas are far ahead of crop planting, while floods have prevented some from getting started. The NASS (National Agriculture Statistics Service) has pegged Michigan behind the 5-year average for row crop planting progress. More favorable weather forecasts should help us catch up. Limited corn and

soybeans have gone in the ground along with spring alfalfa seeding being established.

On the fruit front, apricots are in petal fall, sweet cherries and some peaches are in full bloom, with tart cherries’ flowers beginning to open. Apple spraying began 7-10 days later than last year’s earlier start, but favorable conditions are moving that timeframe forward. Pink in the emerging buds is showing in earlier apple varieties, with the first insecticide materials being applied this week. Nature has a way of catching up, thus keeping things normal. A general rule of thumb is sour cherry harvest begins 60 days following bloom, so this would be normal.

Asparagus is peeking out of the ground, and pick-

ing has started in Southwest and Eastern Michigan. Pricing contracts have been signed with processors, and a 3-cent increase was negotiated. A government contract for processed asparagus has heightened grower optimism this year.

It’s that time of year again, when farm equipment will be traveling the roads. Many have noticed increased vehicles lately, and drivers need to be retrained to share the roads with farmers. My fellow producers are reminded to try to limit travel during peak traffic times and to keep slow-moving emblems visible. Flashing lights should give motorists another signal to slow down when approaching farm equipment. Remember we feed you three times a day.

in any

by scanning the QR code at right or by sending

to P.O. Box

Ongoing

MWF: Chair Yoga, Pentwater Township Library, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

TUES: Tech Time, Hesperia Comm. Library, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

TUES: TOPS, Hart Wesleyan Church, 5 p.m.

1st & 3rd TUES: Tech help,Pentwater Twp. Library, 1-2 p.m.

3rd TUES: Pentwater Jr. Women’s Club - Feeding America

W. Mich. mobile food pantry, Pentwater Fire Dept., 11 a.m.

WED: Love INC and TrueNorth Housing Assistance satelliteplease call 231-861-4880 to make an appointment.

1st & 3rd WED: Free community dinner, 5-6 p.m., Hart Wesleyan.

1st & 3rd WED: Hart VFW Post 1329 Burger/Chicken/Brat/ Ribs Night, 5-7 p.m., dine-in or carry out.

Every other WED: Optimist meetings, Stony Lake Inn, 7-8 p.m.

FRI: Story Time, Hesperia Comm. Library, 10-11 a.m.

FRI: Preschool Story Hour, HAPL, 11 a.m.

2nd & 4th FRI: Knights of Columbus Bingo, 6 p.m., St. Gregory Parish Center, 214 S. Peach Ave., Hart, doors open at 4 p.m.

1st SAT: Baby Pantry, Trinity Lutheran Church, 8:30-10 a.m.

The Ladder Community Center:

M-F: The Ladder is open for adults (18+) 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

M-F: “The Huddle” for 6th-12th grade youth, 3-5 p.m.

TUES: Knitting Group, 10 a.m. to noon SAT: “Celebrate” Worship Service, 6:30 p.m.

May 20 - Share Our Stories: “Show & Tell,” 6:30-7:30 p.m.

May 23 - Live Music by the Jammers, 10 a.m. to noon

June 24 - Father’s Day Celebration for adults & youth ages 12 & up, 12-1 p.m. (buy tickets by 6/18)

Complete schedule at: theladdercommunitycenter.com

Show & Tell at The Ladder set for May 20

The Ladder Community Center in Shelby invites all adults 18 and up to join them on Tuesday, May 20 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. for Share Our Stories (SOS). This month’s SOS theme will be “Show & Tell.” Do you have a keepsake, something you have created or a collectible item you’d like to share? Bring it to The Ladder and tell us all about it! SOS is a monthly event held at The Ladder, where people gather and share memories, photos, and other memorabilia from Oceana County. There is no cost for this evening event, though donations to The Ladder are welcome. Events are subject to change. To inquire about an event, or if you have ideas for future topics of interest for SOS, call The Ladder at 231-259-0211. Visit theladdercommunitycenter.com to view all our upcoming events.

May

May 7-11 - Shelby Wesleyan Church Revival Services, 6 p.m.

May 9 - Feeding America Food Pantry, Spitler Elementary, 5 p.m.

May 9 - Spitler Elementary Daddy Daughter Dance, 5-7 p.m.

May 9 - Hesperia Elementary Daddy Daughter Dance, 6-8 p.m.

May 10 - Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, Mailboxes, USPS pick up.

May 10 - Annabelle Acres Winery Grand Opening, Hart, 11 a.m.

May 10 - Hart Hills Gravel Road Race, starts in Hart.

May 10 - Walkerville Adult Prom, Hightower Bar & Grill, 8 p.m.

May 12 - Hesperia Spring Choir Concert, 6 p.m.

May 13 - Book Club Movie Showing, Hesp. Comm. Lib., 2-4:30 p.m.

May 13 - Brochure Swap, Up North Farm Market, 5-7:30 p.m.

May 14 - Pentwater Seniors Honors Dessert, 6 p.m.

May 14 - Hesperia Top 10 Honors & Scholarship Night, 6 & 7 p.m.

May 15 - “ROAR” Day, Shelby High School.

May 15 - HCS Art Mural Unveiling, Vida Weaver Park, 9 a.m.

May 15 - Embroidery Group, Pent. Twp. Lib., 10:30 a.m. to noon

May 15 - Matinee movie showing, Hesp. Comm. Lib., 1-3:30 p.m.

May 15 - Spitler Elementary Superhero Walkathon, 5-7 p.m.

May 15 - Hesperia Middle School Spring Concerts, 6 p.m.

May 15 - Pentwater Family Fun & Information Night, 5:30 - 7 p.m.

May 15 - Shelby High School Graduation, SHS Gym, 7 p.m.

May 16 - Pentwater Community Pride Day, various locations.

May 16 - Hesperia High School Awards Ceremony, Gym, 9 a.m.

May 16 - “Senior Swing Out” HCS Recognition Assembly, 12:30-3 p.m.

May 16, 17 - Thrift & Gift Crawl, Hart

May 16 & 17 - Gordon Bates Post American Legion Yard Sale, 122 Ferry St., Shelby, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

May 16 - Walkerville High School Graduation, 6 p.m.

May 16 - 2nd Annual “A Night of Jazz”, SHS Auditorium, 7 p.m.

May 16 - “Midtown” Barbershop Quartet, Hart, 7:30 p.m.

May 17 - Pentwater Varsity Golf Fundraiser, Golden Sands

May 17 - Family Fun Time Tea Party, Hesp. Comm. Lib., 11-12 p.m.

Hart Performing Arts Series season closes with barbershop quartet

The Hart Community Performing Arts Series will close its 2024-2025 season on Friday, May 16, with a performance by the barbershop quartet, Midtown. Midtown is a dynamic, international award-winning vocal quartet that provides an entertainment experience capable of catering to multiple venues, audiences, and ages. This award-winning quartet, based in New York, formed in the spring of 2018 and quickly gained attention from the barbershop and a cappella world.

In their first year together, they won the Mid-Atlantic District Quartet contest, a fifth place Bronze Medal at the Barbershop Harmony Society’s International Quartet Contest, and the Dealer’s Choice Award for the highestscoring first-time quartet. After a three-year Covid hiatus, they returned to the international competition and brought home a second place Silver Medal. In July of 2023, they were crowned the Barbershop Harmony Society’s International Quartet Champion. The members of the quartet are all outstanding vocalists with a wide variety of experiences and accomplishments.

Jordan Guyton is a professional session singer, live vocalist, and worship leader based out of Nashville, Tennessee. He has a rich foundation in a cappella music, learning the barbershop style at a young age and singing in the viral contemporary collegiate a cappella choir the “Voices of Lee.” He has sung all over the world, including on stages like Carnegie Hall, The Beacon Theatre on Broadway, The Grand Ole Opry, the Shanghai International Music Festival, America’s Got Talent and more. He currently spends the majority of his time recording studio vocals for a wide variety of clients ranging from secular to Christian artists, along with choral projects. When not in the studio, he also travels and leads worship in a variety of churches and conferences across the country, including traveling with Dove Awardwinning contemporary Christian artist Travis Cottrell. He is married to his wife, Kyleigh, and is the father to their new baby daughter, Lawson Eloise. Jordan’s passion is to inspire and unify people through song and faith while

building community through the love of music.

Anthony Fortino is a native of Overland Park, Kansas and holds degrees in Theatre, Accounting, and a Master’s of Accounting from Texas Christian University (TCU). He lives and works in New York City, having recently returned from the Broadway National Tour of the Tony Award-winning musical “Fun Home.” Besides working as a professional actor, Anthony owns his own accounting company, Fortino Tax. He is also the Finance Director for The Classic Theatre Project, based in Dallas, Texas. Anthony joined the Barbershop Harmony Society at age 7 with the Heart of America Chorus in Kansas City and has been “barbershopping” ever since. He is still undecided about karaoke.

KJ McAleesejergins is a well-known vocalist, vocal instructor, and ensemble coach throughout the United States and Europe. He served for over 20 years in the United States Army; four years as an active duty paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division and 16 years as an Army Vocalist with the Army National Guard. KJ is also known as a multi-instrumentalist and performs in several ensembles while also running a recording/ production studio in NY called “Live Loud Studios.” KJ has toured with dozens of vocal groups in the military and as a civilian and has served as the musical director for two international tours with the United States Army Soldier Show.

Christian Diaz was born and raised in Miami, Florida where he attended New World School of the Arts for voice. He later received a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies from Western Michigan University. Currently, Christian is based out of Orlando, Florida, where he performs at Walt

Disney World with the world-renowned Voices of Liberty and Dapper Dans. He loves karaoke.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 16, in the Hart Public Schools Auditorium, located in the Hart Middle School in Hart. Tickets are $20 and available online at hartseries.org and at the door. For further information, visit hartseries.org or contact series Artistic Director Tom Kirk at tomkirk@hartseries.org.

JOB OPENING

SHELBY TOWNSHIP ZONING ADMINISTRATOR

Shelby Township is currently looking for a part-time Zoning Administrator.

Applicants should have the following qualifications:

• Knowledge of Michigan statutes pertaining to township zoning, planning and land division.

• Excellent communication and technology skills.

• Good organizational skills including the ability to prioritize, schedule workload, and meet deadlines.

• Ability to work independently with little supervision.

• Have a valid Michigan driver’s license and provide their own transportation. Submit to a background check.

Send a cover letter, credentials and resume to: info@shelbytownshipoceana.com

For a complete list of qualifications and responsibilities please email: info@shelbytownshipoceana.com

Christian Diaz

Jordan Guyton KJ McAleesejergins Anthony Fortino

FROM KING FEATURES WEEKLY SERVICE, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803

CUSTOMER SERVICE: (800) 708-7311 EXT.

257

STRANGE BUT TRUE #12345_20250428

STRANGE BUT TRUE #12345_20250421

FOR RELEASE APRIL 28, 2025

FOR RELEASE APRIL 21, 2025

By Lucie Winborne

Oceana County

ANIMAL SHELTER

Isn’t Cinnamon the perfect name for this 5-yearold spayed female? Cinnamon is a solid 37-pound Bully mix. She is very friendly with people and loves to cuddle. Cinnamon would love to be an only dog and your personal couch potato. Please call 231-861-5395 with all questions.

Cinnamon is available for adoption from the Oceana County Animal Shelter. If interested, please call the shelter at 231-861-5395. The adoption fee for cats is $35, and you receive certificates for $25 towards spay/neuter and $10 towards rabies if not already done. The adoption fee for dogs is $95 and you will receive a $50 certificate good for spay/ neuter, if needed. Every dog should have an ID tag.

Meet Cinnamon

• On May 12, 1896, New York City passed America’s first anti-spitting law in an effort to combat tuberculosis, imposing fines and even jail time on unruly protesters who demonstrated their discontent by expectorating on anti-spitting signs. By 1910, more than 2,500 arrests had been made.

• On May 5, 1945, Elsie Mitchell and five neighborhood children were killed while attempting to drag a Japanese balloon out of the woods. The balloon was armed and exploded soon after they began tinkering with it. They were the only known American civilians to be killed in the continental United States during World War II.

• On May 13, 1846, in response to a request by President James Polk, the U.S. Congress declared war on Mexico. The conflict, which ended two years later with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, eventually cost the lives of 11,300 American soldiers and resulted in the annexation of lands that became parts of Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah and Colorado.

• On May 6, 2013, Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus were rescued from a Cleveland, Ohio, house where they’d been held captive for years by their abductor, Ariel Castro. Also rescued from the house was Berry’s 6-year-old daughter, who was fathered by Castro.

L.A.S.S.I. provides free dog ID tags to all Oceana County residents. To request tags, send a text to 231-730-3906. Free tags are also available at the Oceana County Animal Shelter.

By Lucie Winborne

• In 2010, a group of 15 monkeys escaped from a Japanese research institute by using trees to catapult themselves over a 17-foot-high electrical fence.

Pentwater Public School to host Parent Cafe Family Fun Night

• Over the course of her 63-year reign, Britain’s Queen Victoria survived no fewer than eight assassination attempts.

• Like humans, male kangaroos flex their biceps to impress females.

• Potato aphids will not mate if they detect a drop in air pressure.

• The word “sock” comes from the Latin word “soccus” — a loose-fitting slipper worn by Roman comic actors.

• In Europe, nickel is banned in all alloys for widespread allergy reasons.

• Casting for Quentin Tarantino’s “Jackie Brown” was partly done by Jaki Brown, and Lee Daniels’ “The Butler” was cast by Leah Daniels-Butler.

• It would only cost you in the neighborhood of $140 per year to eat ramen for every meal.

• France is the most visited country in the world.

• Studies have suggested that gifted people often have bad handwriting because their brains work faster than their hands.

• On May 14, 1998, legendary crooner, actor and show business icon Frank Sinatra died of a heart attack in Los Angeles at the age of 82. A heartthrob who married four times and divorced three, Sinatra’s career spanned more than five decades, including a notable comeback in the 1950s.

• On May 7, 1824, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony premiered in Vienna even as the composer was suffering from severe hearing loss. The performance earned him five standing ovations and also caused a stir with its use of voices during “Ode to Joy” in its final movement.

• On May 8, 1886, the first-ever serving of Coca-Cola, created by Dr. John Pemberton, advertised as a health tonic and originally including coca leaf extract, made its debut at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia. While it originally sold at the rate of about nine glasses per day, by its 50th anniversary it had become an American icon.

• On May 15, 1948, 3-year-old June Devaney of Blackburn, England, was abducted from the hospital where she was recuperating from pneumonia. After her body was found two hours later, the detective inspector assigned to the case ordered the fingerprinting of the more than 40,000 men residing in Blackburn, which took nearly three months but eventually led to the killer, who was convicted and executed later that year.

• On May 16, 1975, Junko Tabei of Japan became the first woman to summit Mount Everest. She later gained further fame as the first woman to scale all Seven Summits, the tallest mountains on each continent.

• On May 17, 2000, the final episode of “Beverly Hills, 90210” aired after 10 seasons.

• On May 9, 1671, Thomas “Colonel” Blood, disguised as a priest, was captured while attempting to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. Remarkably, King Charles II was impressed enough by Blood’s nerve that he restored the would-be thief’s Irish estates and even made him a member of the royal court, with an annual pension.

• On May 18, 2012, Facebook held its initial public offering (IPO) and raised $16 billion. It was the largest technology IPO in American history at the time and third-largest IPO in the United States, after those of Visa and General Motors. When it went public, the social network was valued at $104 billion and boasted some 900 million registered users around the world.

• On May 10, 1970, Boston Bruins star Bobby Orr slipped the winning goal past St. Louis Blues goaltender Glenn Hall during Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final, then leaped into the air before landing flat and sliding into the embrace of his teammates — a moment immortalized by photographer Ray Lussier, whose image remains one of the most famous sports photographs in history.

• On May 11, 1987, Klaus Barbie, former Nazi Gestapo chief of Germanoccupied Lyon, France, went on trial in Lyon and was charged with 177 crimes against humanity. Convicted two months later, he died of cancer in a prison hospital in 1991.

• The New York Times predicted that humans wouldn’t be able to fly for at least a million years … in 1903, the same year as the Wright brothers’ first manned flight.

• Neurologists claim that every time you resist acting on your anger, you are actually rewiring your brain to be calmer and more loving.

• Leonardo da Vinci was the first person to observe the curvature of the human spine.

• During WWII, Winston Churchill wore a specially designed onesie that he called his “siren suit.”

• Alexandre Dumas used a particular shade of blue paper on which to write his fiction. For poetry, he used yellow paper, and his articles were penned on pink paper. Once, he ran out of blue paper and had to use a cream-colored pad instead, which he believed had a negative impact on that work of fiction.

• Don Gorske earned a spot in the Guinness World Records in 2016 for the gastric feat of consuming his 28,788th Big Mac.

• The first American alarm clock was invented in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1787 by Levi Hutchins. It was never patented and rang only at one time, 4 a.m., to rouse him for work.

Families of Pentwater Public School students are invited to a “Parent Cafe Family Fun Night” Thursday, May 15, from 5:30-7 p.m. for an evening full of food, fun, important information and family. There is no cost to attend and dinner is included, so parents are encouraged to register the number in their family attending. After dinner, students will have the opportunity to explore the night sky in the StarLab with MiSTEM, play fun math and reading games, enjoy an interactive book walk presented by Great Start Collaborative and receive a free book!

• While most parents do what they can to prevent or stop their babies from crying, in Japan a 400-year-old tradition holds that if a sumo wrestler can make your baby cry, it will live a healthy life. During a special ceremony, parents hand over their infants to wrestlers who bounce the tots and sometimes even roar in their faces to get the tears going.

• Raspberries are a member of the rose family.

• Despite creating some of the most legendary guitars in the world, Leo Fender, the founder of Fender, Music Man and G&L Guitars, couldn’t actually play the instrument.

• In 1923, a jockey suffered a fatal heart attack but his horse finished and won the race, making him the first and only jockey to win a race after death.

• The pressure in a champagne bottle is three times higher than that of a car tire.

• Mike Tyson would KO sparring partners quickly so he could get home in time to watch “Tom & Jerry.”

• When in danger, a hairy frog will break its own bones in order to create claws that it pushes through its skin to scratch a predator.

***

Thought for the Day: “Not all paths offer a vista. But every path offers a lesson.” — Toni Sorenson

***

Thought for the Day: “The service you do for others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” — Muhammad Ali

While kids are being chaperoned for their fun activities, parents will be able to engage in a kid-free session where they will learn how to manage age-appropriate use of technology at home, explore insights from the book “The Parent Handbook”, gain tools to support balanced and mindful media habits at home, and connect with other parents about screen-time challenges. Attendees will be able to enter for a chance to win the grand prize of a Lego Education STEAM set, as well as other fun giveaways. The materials for next Thursday’s “Parent Cafe” event were developed under a grant awarded by the MiLEAP (Michigan Department of Lifelong Learning Education Advancement and Potential) and collaboration with Pentwater Schools, West Shore ESD, inspiREading, Oceana LEADS, Mason Lake Oceana Great Start Collaborative, MISTEM Network West Central Region, Pentwater Preschool, and Title I. Parents, please use the following QR code to register for this free event!

Rivalry Sweep Girls Soccer

hits through three innings and striking out four Shelby batters.

The nightcap was a bit more competitive, but still leaned heavily in favor of the Pirates as they took a 10-2 victory.

Hart was once again a nightmare at the plate, getting it going immediately in the top of the first. After a Bateson single, Copenhaver smashed one over the fence to put the Pirates on top 2-0. Smith also notched a triple in the same inning as Hart walked out with a 4-0 lead, similar to game one.

Both teams went a bit cold on offense after that point, jockeying for position with neither coming up with anything substantial.

Shelby cracked into the Hart lead in the bottom of the third inning. A string of fielding errors for Hart, mixed with a single from Wolting, allowed the Tigers to cut it to 4-2. The Pirates were quick to respond, putting the score at

8-2 in their favor.

Smith ended the game with an emphatic swing of the bat, powering a home run over the fence to make it two on the day for Hart.

Wolting took her second loss of the day in the pitching circle for Shelby, throwing a complete game but allowing six earned runs on 14 hits with two strikeouts. Copenhaver was efficient for Hart, allowing just two hits with no earned runs and 11 strikeouts.

Hart’s bats were led by Smith who went 6-for-7 on the night with five runs batted in (RBIs). Copenhaver went 5-for-8 with six RBIs while Bateson hit 4-for-6.

Shelby was led at the plate by Wolting who went 2-for-5 with one RBI while Stovall was 1-for-3.

The Pirates now stand at 15-5 overall with a 7-3 record in the WMC Rivers. Shelby fell to 11-5 overall and are now 6-4 in the WMC Rivers.

Hart softball defeats MCC, falls to Ludington in B.C. Pizza Tournament

By: Brendan Samuels

HART – A shortened field of competitors made for less theatrics at the B.C. Pizza Softball Tournament in Hart Saturday, May 3. The Pirates made the best of it, coming away with second place on their home field.

First place fell just out of reach for Hart, as an inaugural 8-7 loss to Ludington proved to be the difference. With the fourth team that was expected to play having dropped out, a round-robin style of play meant less room for error.

In that game with Ludington, the Pirates had to claw their way from behind in the game’s closing frames.

After three scoreless innings for both teams, Hart got on the board first with a trio of runs to start the fourth. Reese Smith and Nora Chickering each drove one in on singles, before Emma Thomas used base running savvy to score on a dropped third strike.

Ludington followed suit in the bottom of the fourth, piling up the runs after loading the bases on their first three at-bats. Before the fifth inning began, the Orioles had jumped in front 4-3.

Hart’s offense reverted to their early game form in the fifth inning, sitting down in order to give Ludington the chance to extend its lead. The Orioles happily took advantage,

scoring two more runs to push the deficit to 6-3 for Hart.

With one inning left, Hart found a way to get the bats going again. Thomas knocked in a pair of runs, Chickering stole home for another and Mackenna Carrier gave the Pirates a 7-6 lead on a line drive double to right field.

Needing just three outs to end the day with a win, Hart’s defense struggled mightily. An error by Kelsey Copenhaver to start the bottom of the sixth got Ludington on base. A single by the next Orioles batter advanced the runner to third, leaving the goahead run on first base.

Hart opted for an intentional walk on Ludington’s three-hole hitter, loading the bases with no outs. That didn’t stave off the Orioles’ attack, as they walked it off on the very next at-bat on a fly ball single to left field.

Smith was given the loss after pitching for the majority of the game, allowing six earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts. Chickering

the left sideline and cut back to the inside. A jumble of players fought for the ball in front of the net, but Barefoot kept control and swept it past Freidman to take a 2-1 lead.

“(Bradley and Barefoot) were tremendously technically sound,” Gilbert said. “Both of them see the field very well and they play a chess game. They’re always a couple of moves ahead and when they combine, it’s dangerous.”

Hart maintained control of the game from that point forward, walking away with a win that has eluded them for seven years. Since their last win over Shelby in 2018, the Pirates had gone a total of 0-5-1 against the Tigers.

The Pirates improved to 8-4-3 overall with a 5-2-1 mark in the West Michigan Conference (WMC). Hart now sits in fourth in the conference standings

behind Ludington (12-5, 8-0 WMC), North Muskegon (10-3, 7-1 WMC) and Fremont (12-2-1, 6-2 WMC). Shelby fell to 2-11-2 (1-7-1 WMC).

Hart girls emerge victorious at annual home tournament

By: Brendan Samuels

The Oceana Echo Sports Editor

HART – In a field of four teams, it was a goal differential that placed a trophy in the hands of Hart’s girls soccer team at their home tournament Saturday, May 3.

came in in relief, allowing one run on two hits.

Ludington cemented itself in first place with a game two win over MCC, leaving the Spartans and Pirates to duke it out for second in the final action of the afternoon.

Hart rode the back of Cali Eisenlohr to a 12-0 victory, relying on her bat to give the team consistent offense. Eisenlohr went 3-for-3 against MCC, with three runs batted in (RBIs) collected in the process.

Copenhaver had a shutdown performance in the pitching circle, throwing a no-hitter and striking out nine Spartans at the plate.

Leading the Pirates at the plate between the two games were Copenhaver, Eisenlohr and Leah Walker who all went 3-for-5. Carrier led the team in RBIs with four on the day.

Hart’s overall record moved to 13-5. The Pirates will prepare for an in-conference rivalry battle, as they host Shelby for a doubleheader Tuesday, May 6 at 4 p.m.

The Pirates went 2-01 on the day, knotting them at the top of the leaderboard with Wyoming Potter’s House Christian. Fortunately for them, Hart scored 10 goals through three games, earning them victory via tiebreaker.

Starting the morning off, Hart faced Potter’s House in a competitive match that had the Pirates in control. Unfortunately, a pair of mistakes on defense kept the Pumas in the match.

On two separate occasions, Hart was called on a handball violation with Potter’s House attacking near the net. That set up penalty kicks, putting freshman keeper Baleigh Klotz –who was standing in for typical starter Emma Jeffries – in one-on-one situations. The Pumas scored on both opportunities, leaving them behind 3-2 late in the game.

That deficit nearly lasted until the game’s final horn, but Potter’s House made a fierce run at the net in the final minute. Pushing toward the right post, a Puma striker put a ball past Klotz to leave the game in a 3-3 tie – marking the fifth time a game has ended in a tie in the two teams’ last six meetings.

In Hart’s second game of the day, the Pirates faced WMC opponent

Ravenna. The Pirates and the Bulldogs had just faced off five days earlier on the same field, with Hart taking a 3-1 victory. Saturday’s rematch ended in an identical score, with the Pirates on top once again.

The ‘Addison Connection’ was in full effect to get the Pirates out in front. Freshman midfielder Addison Barefoot got it started when she sent a through ball to senior Addison Kokx for a goal. Kokx repaid the favor later, assisting Barefoot on a goal. Zoily Sarabia ended the game with a goal on an assist from Natalie Rosema.

The day’s final matches featured Hart and Comstock Park on one field, with Potter’s House and Ravenna playing on the other. With both Hart and Potter’s House owning a 1-0-1 record heading into their final contests, a win for one and a loss for the other would spell

an overall victory. Hart got to work immediately, focusing on what they could control. Taking a 4-0 victory over the Panthers, the Pirates dominated from start to finish. Rilynn Porter scored two goals in the game with Devyn Adams and Brooklyn Storms each tallying one of their own.

Potter’s House also won over Ravenna in their second match of the day, making a tiebreaker necessary. Every goal mattered for Hart (10 total goals), as they beat the Pumas (nine total goals) in goal differential.

In total, the Pirates were led by Barefoot, Storms and Porter with two goals each. Sarabia, Adams, Kokx and Olivia Bradley each scored one goal.

The weekend action pushed Hart’s overall record to 6-4-3 on the season.

Shelby keeper Brylee Friedman goes full extension to save a goal. • Brendan Samuels/ ECHO

Hart’s girls soccer team poses with their trophy after winning their home tournament. • Contributed

Addi Barefoot celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against Ravenna. • Brendan Samuels/ECHO

Hart’s Kelsey Copenhaver puts barrel to ball during a win over MCC. • Brendan Samuels/ECHO

The Oceana Echo Sports Editor

Reflections of our community

White Lake Mirror White Lake Mirror

YOUR LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NONPROFIT NEWS SOURCE

Residents share feedback on city-owned land

By Andy Roberts White Lake Mirror Editor

MONTAGUE — About three dozen local residents turned out for an informal town hall-style meeting Monday evening to share feedback and get information on possible uses of land the City of Montague owns on Ferry Street.

The city has fielded interest from developers regarding the land, but as it has not formally enacted any standards for what it is looking for from the space, no one has yet advanced beyond that point. The city is hoping to soon make a decision it can present to interested developers.

Montague city manager Jeff Auch shared this diagram of what the Montague Farmer's Market area might look like if Ferry Street is made one-way as part of Monday's presentation.

• Andy Roberts/Mirror

• Andy Roberts/Mirror

Montague is permitted to enact its own standards for what it wants from the land, above and beyond those in place by city ordinance, provided an interested developer agrees to the terms as well. As an example, the city council has recently discussed potential architectural standards it would like to see implemented in any new building during work sessions.

The meeting was not a formal city council meeting - though several council members were in attendance - but city manager Jeff Auch presented possible options for the space, which spans from the Dowling Street intersection to the Ferguson dental office.

After some introductory comments

from residents, several of which focused on the possibility of leaving the undeveloped area as green space, Auch shared what he called the "fly in the ointment" of that possibility - the city's master plan was recently updated, and that land is zoned as mixed-use, either residential or commercial. He said due to the zoning, fully leaving the land as green space would be complicated from a procedural perspective. Residential use on either the first floor of a building

or below road level would be possible via special use permits.

Upon the master plan discussion, a majority - by show of hands - were in favor of a mixed-use development that could include some sort of green space.

The group also seemed to agree on which part of the land the green space could be - closer to the Dowling/Fer-

Upon the master plan discussion, a majority - by show of hands - were in favor of a mixed-use development that could include some sort of green space. The group also seemed to agree on which part of the land the green space could be - closer to the Dowling/Fer-

Town hall continued on page 2

Common Ground hosts discussion event at library

By Claire Marshall

White Lake Mirror Writer

By Claire Marshall White Lake Mirror Writer

WHITEHALL — The group Common Ground Community hosted an event at the White Lake Community Library Tuesday evening, inviting five directors of various area services who receive public funding to come and share what they know about possible federal spending cuts, and what of their services may or may not be impacted should that funding be removed.

Common Ground Community is a recent creation in the area. The mission statement, summarized, is “to foster an inclusive and understanding community in the White Lake area through education, dialogue, and mutual support.” The group’s goal is to foster community across various differences and divisions, and their intention is to start with open communication.

Each speaker had 10 minutes to present their organizations, inform the attendees about what portion of

their funding is backed by the federal government, and explain information they have about potential impacts, if available. With widespread confusion circulating through both mainstream and social media, community members hoped to present the facts to their neighbors.

Though the library as an entity did not support or endorse the group and its event, the library’s director, Virginia DeMumbrum, was one of the featured speakers. She explained the vast majority of the library’s funding, like many other district libraries throughout the country, is local. Federal funding is applied through the Institution of Museum and Library Services, which goes directly to state libraries across the country.

In turn, the Library of Michigan grants district libraries $250,000 for subscriptions to databases and catalogs, digitization services, and training programs. These are the sorts of services that could be lost should that federal funding not continue. However, DeMumbrum tried

to assuage patrons' fears, saying the library and its collection are not going anywhere.

Will Wilson is the CEO of the Disability Network, a local organization which provides services to citizens of Newago, Muskegon, Oceana, Lake, and Mason counties who, whether through advanced age or disability, cannot live fully independently. In Muskegon

County, 15.6% of the population fit that description.

Primarily, the Disability Network helps to provide transportation, especially in rural areas where public transportation is not available. One-third of its funding comes from the federal gov-

continued on page 2

Community gives feedback to pocket park muralist

By Madison Lajewski White Lake Mirror Writer

WHITEHALL — The Arts Council of White Lake hosted a community feedback and information session last Thursday on the new 120 feet by 12 feet mural set to be painted in the new downtown Whitehall pocket park this summer. Frankenmuth-based artist Stephen Hargash, who was commissioned to paint the mural, has done similar work for 30 years, in New York and all over Michigan.

Hargash was told about the mural position by a friend and was drawn to apply because he thought it would be a great opportunity to do something unique and visit the White Lake area.

“After I was selected, I needed to visit the area and just take it in,” Hargash said. “When I submitted my application, they mainly just looked at my previ-

ous work. I hadn’t submitted any design ideas yet. It was a great first experience. I really liked what I was seeing and talking to people, the places I went to and ate at. I got a grasp on the area. I’ve been here a few times since then, but I’m excited to be here during the summer. I’m thrilled to have been chosen and given the opportunity to not only do the piece, but experience the area for that period of time.”

After accepting the project offer, Hargash visited in December to check out important local landmarks, to get to know community members and to get a feel for what makes White Lake so special.

“The Arts Council didn’t tell me anything that I needed to do. I had total creative freedom,” said Hargash. “They provided some books to look at for reference and when I came here, they gave me specific local landmarks they thought I should look at.”

Part of the mural, a map of Michigan highlighting

City of Montague-owned land on Ferry Street was the subject of a town hall meeting that took place at city hall headquarters Monday evening. • Andy Roberts/Mirror

Dan Gorman, food service director for both Whitehall and Montague's school districts, was among the presenters at Tuesday's Common Ground Community meeting at White Lake Community Library. • Claire Marshall/Mirror

Whitehall, drew the most feedback. Many community members said the map should either highlight

This rendering of a Michigan map is part of a preliminary design muralist Stephen Hargash presented to the community Thursday, May 1 at the ACWL-Nuveen Center. • Madison Lajewski/Mirror

City of Montague-owned land on Ferry Street was the subject of a town hall meeting that took place at city hall headquarters Monday evening. • Andy Roberts/Mirror

Whitehall, drew the most feedback. Many community members said the map should either highlight

This rendering of a Michigan map is part of a preliminary design muralist Stephen Hargash presented to the community Thursday, May 1 at the ACWL-Nuveen Center.

Madison Lajewski/Mirror

City of Montague-owned land on Ferry Street was the subject of a town hall meeting that took place at city hall headquarters Monday evening. • Andy Roberts/Mirror

Whitehall, drew the most feedback. Many community members said the map should either highlight

This rendering of a Michigan map is part of a preliminary design muralist Stephen Hargash presented to the community Thursday, May 1 at the ACWL-Nuveen Center. • Madison Lajewski/Mirror

Voters approve Whitehall schools' operation millage

By Andy Roberts White Lake Mirror Editor

Whitehall District Schools voters approved the school's operating millage renewal Tuesday in a special election, enabling the district to collect its full state per-pupil funding.

Voters gave their approval to the millage, which will comprise budget years 2026-35, with 58.5 percent of the vote, with 3,019 voters casting their ballots. The millage renewal previously was voted down in November, and the district made efforts to improve its messaging on the millage this time, emphasizing its necessity to the school's budget.

By state law, school districts must collect 18 mills ($18 per $1,000 of tax-

able value) on non-homestead property to receive its full allotment of state funding. Had the millage failed, the district would've had to consider cuts of about 10% of its budget to account for the $4 million-plus in funding it receives via the millage.

The ballot language stated up to 20 mills could be collected, though the district said this was to account for potential Headlee amendment rollbacks; it said the district missed out on some funding in the past due to rollbacks knocking the millage collected below the 18 required by law.

"Thank you to the WDS community for your support in passing the renewal of our operating millage yesterday,"

Common Ground

ernment, and while Wilson informed the audience there are no funding cuts to date, there is the concern that potential cuts to Medicare and Medicaid may make people more reliant on the Disability Network's services, which may see services scaled back to accommodate such an influx.

The other three speakers - CJ Van Wieren, Jeff Johnson, and Dan Gorman - are connected with the Whitehall and Montague school districts. Van Wieren and Johnson are the superintendents of the respective districts, and Gorman oversees the food services which provide much of Muskegon County’s schools’ free breakfasts and lunches.

Van Wieren and Johnson broke down the different

Town hall

ry intersection, near the Dog n Suds. Auch said the city council also approved of that layout.

It's unknown what form an outdoor or green space area would take if one were included as part of the development. Council member Susan Newhof shared feedback from Joseph Ferguson, who owns the dental practice on Ferry and would be next door to any new business development. She said Ferguson wanted to pass along his endorsement of some sort of children's park in that area, and Newhof agreed, sharing her pride in the city's availability of parks and calling it a "beautiful" and "rare" quality she'd like to see enhanced further.

Another discussion point was the still-pending decision on whether Ferry Street will become a one-way street. This could, of course, affect a prospective business owner who desires to move into the space. Auch presented a few different possibilities for what a one-way Ferry Street could mean to the downtown area.

One was a rendering of the Montague Farmer's Market, which could, Auch said, be moved across the street from its current location without too much trouble to ac-

commodate the one-way change. Such a move would open up the space the Farmer's Market currently occupies for more parking spots, something the city is aware would likely need to be addressed should a new development be built on the site.

"If we need new parking, where does that happen? How does that happen?" Auch said to introduce the possibilities available.

He said the east side of Ferry currently has 11 general parking spaces, plus a handicapped spot. A one-way Ferry could, he added, allow for 13 more public spaces and

the district said in a statement on Facebook. "We are grateful for the support and look forward to working together to create the best possible educational experience for our students."

Elsewhere in Muskegon County, voters narrowly turned down a proposal from the county museum, which would have levied 0.31 mills for the next 20 years to fund museum upgrades, renovations and updates. Of 27,077 voters, 54 percent rejected the millage request.

In Muskegon Charter Township, voters narrowly turned down a 10-year millage increase from 2.6802 to 5.25 mills with 52.6 percent of 2,355 voters saying no. The millage was intended to fund the operation and maintenance of

continued from page 1

avenues of funding - from taxes, milages, bonds, state, and federal funding - and what each of the different avenues contribute to the operation of the schools. In regards to federal funding, the two “prongs” of funding come from Title I, which supports low-income students and districts, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which supports special education programs nationwide.

As of yet, Van Wieren and Johnson are in the position of many school districts, which are in a “wait and see” period in regards to how federal funding may change. They said districts might not see any impacts until the 2025-2026 school year.

Gorman explained how 70% of the county's food

one or two more handicapped spots. However, that could create turning difficulties for traffic that travels down Ferry to Church Street. Harbor Pointe residents have expressed approval of the idea of making the entire area one-way traffic. However, at the Farmer's Market's current location, this could create its own issues on days the market is open, because Church Street is closed to traffic during market hours.

More traffic discussion came up as Auch and attendees considered possible improvements to the Ferry/Dowling intersection. A mention of a four-way stop produced

some chuckles and good-natured groans; the grade of Dowling's hill and the viewing angles would likely make such a move impractical without significant changes to Dowling itself. It was also noted that if the full Ferry-to-Church route was made one-way, it would leave no outlet for cars other than the intersection of Dowling and Water streets. Auch allowed that everyone seemed to have a story about being on Water and stuck at that stoplight for multiple turns and said the matter has been discussed with the state department of transportation.

police, fire and other public safety services.

"The majority of the funding for both the police and fire departments came from the public safety millage that has expired," Muskegon Township Firefighters Local 4132 stated in a Facebook post. "We will continue to respond to your calls for service to the best of our abilities, and regroup for another attempt to secure the necessary funding to continue to respond."

Voters in that township did, though, narrowly approve a smaller 0.7-mill request to fund upgrades and operation of street lighting. Of 2,353 voters, 52.2 percent approved the request.

service funding comes from the state and 30% from the federal government. That being said, $30 million has already been cut from federal programs which provide schools and pantries with locally sourced food.

For Dan Gorman’s services, this reflects about $31,000 in his budget, judging by what he received from these programs last year. While this does not mean free public school meals will go away, the food provided may not be locally sourced and fresh. Gorman assured the audience the growing teenage connoisseur can tell the difference between freshly cut pineapple and Dole’s fruit cups.

The final intention of the evening was for community members to ask their service providers what they can do to help. Requests included building relationships, being kind to your neighbors, being a good influence on children in your community, volunteering, contacting your representatives and legislatures and sharing stories. One thing that every speaker had in common at the forum was that almost everything is uncertain, contradictory news comes in every week, and they are working with the best information available, They all agreed the best and surest thing the community can do is come together, stay positive, and support those who support local people.

R-P denied finals bid in tough loss to Norsemen

By Andy Roberts White Lake Mirror Editor

Reeths-Puffer nearly reached the GMAA finals Saturday, but a pair of key errors late in the semifinals against North Muskegon sent two runs across the plate and provided the decisive margin in a 5-3 defeat.

The Rockets earlier advanced to the semis with a 4-2 quarterfinal win over Oakridge.

After two walks, an error and a wild pitch led to R-P's 3-1 lead over the Norsemen being cut in half and two runners on base, North Muskegon's Chase Mieler laid down a bunt to move both runners ahead. Instead, they both scored after two errors on the play. North Muskegon added another run in the next atbat on an RBI single.

It was a tough way to go for the Rockets (4-6), who scratched out three runs on their only two hits of

the game in the second inning to take an early lead. Brayden Mitchelson and Cade Paugh each had an RBI single, and Brendan Guikema reached on an error and later scored a run on a wild pitch.

Mitchelson pitched the semifinals and allowed only two earned runs and two hits in five innings. He struck out seven.

The Rockets bounced back from a two-run deficit and broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning to beat the Eagles earlier in the day.

R-P scored the go-ahead run on an error, and Jack Yonkman drove in an insurance run with a single.

Connor McManus tied the game with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly.

Drew Brooks got the win, allowing no earned runs in 6 1/3 innings and striking out five.

Montague falls in quarterfinals

Montague lost a tough game

GMAA softball

the-park home run in the secondrunning through Bayle's stop signs at third base each time. Critchett capped her outstanding offensive day by blasting a home run over the left field fence in the fourth. Her teammates placed a crown on top of her helmet after her second home run when they greeted her at the plate.

Critchett also went 3-for-4 against Mona Shores in the team's first game of the day, including a line-drive triple.

"She's been a big stick (all season) for sure, but she's been even more consistent within the last week, especially all day today," Bayle said of Critchett. "Almost every single at-bat, she had a hit."

Critchett is the leadoff hitter, but the Rockets' top four in the lineup stands as one of the most effective groups in the state. Lainey McDaniel hits second, Tessa Ross third and Mady Snyder fourth, and all are imposing bats; McDaniel and Snyder each bashed a couple of hits and had one RBI in the Ravenna game.

"Lainey's awesome," Critchett smiled. "Knowing that she's batting after me, I know I'm going to get around, and I know I have a very high chance of scoring."

McDaniel, an excellent slap hitter, is best known for her work in the circle, and there she was terrific against Ravenna as well. She allowed only four hits, and neither run against her was earned due to five Rocket errors. She also struck out five in two spotless innings of relief against Fruitport.

The five errors were uncharacteristic of the Rockets, but Bayle said she was pleased with her team's response to them.

"Obviously, we had some errors in that game, but (they) had all the confidence in the world that their teammates were going to have each other's backs, and I think that has made all the difference," Bayle said.

Olivia Ambler also had a big game for the Rockets against Ravenna, collecting three hits, one of them a double.

Critchett, McDaniel and Snyder each got three hits in the first

to Mona Shores Saturday in the GMAA quarterfinals.

The Wildcats (12-5) fell behind early, 4-1, and were slowly battling back into the game, but got time-limited out when tournament rules forced the game to end after six innings.

Two Montague errors led to three unearned runs in the second inning. At the plate, Bryton Belinger and Eli Petersen each got two hits and drove in a run. Belinger and Ryver Jarka split the game on the mound.

Whitehall loses to WMC in play-in

Whitehall's late rally fell short against Western Michigan Christian Friday in a GMAA play-in game Friday, and the Vikings lost 6-5.

Whitehall scored three times in the final inning to bring the tying run to the plate, but an Evan Thomas lineout ended the game.

Brock Morningstar helped spearhead the threerun rally with an RBI double in the seventh inning. Eli Winters then hit a sacrifice fly, and a second runner came across to score on an error by the Warriors.

Morningstar and Winters each had two hits in the game, as did Justin Jensen.

Sports in Brief

Baseball

Montague 11-8 Ludington 1-2

The Wildcats stayed unbeaten in the league behind dominant pitching. Eli Petersen had 11 strikeouts and allowed just 2 hits in game one, and Bryton Belinger permitted only 3 hits and also fanned 11. Fletcher Thommen got 2 hits in each game. Belinger, Cole Moss and Cole Herremans had 2 hits in game one, and Ryver Jarka got 2 in game two.

Byron Center 1-7 Reeths-Puffer 0-3

The Rockets lost game one in eight innings to the No. 5 Bulldogs, spoiling a splendid day for Lainey McDaniel, who struck out 17 and had her team's only hit. In game two, Tessa Ross had 2 hits and an RBI.

W.M. Christian 16-10 Whitehall 9-5

The visiting Warriors got out to early leads in both games, scoring 4 times in the 2nd inning of game one and 7 times in that inning in game two. Brock Morningstar had 2 hits in the opener. Nate Betz got 3 hits in game two and allowed 1 earned run in 4 innings in the nightcap.

Softball

Ludington 8-21 Montague 6-13

continued from page 4

•

game of the day against Mona Shores, and McDaniel drove in four runs. Kyleigh Bilek added two hits and drove in a pair of runs. Snyder picked up the win in the circle, allowing only four hits and striking out six.

R-P then rode a seven-run second-inning explosion to the win over Fruitport. Ross' two-run single was the big hit in the inning. Bilek and Ambler each got two hits, and Snyder again earned the win, allowing just one hit and an unearned run in three innings, with four strikeouts.

The Rockets made it 10 consecutive wins with their GMAA title heading into a big-time showdown with No. 5-ranked Byron Center Tuesday; the only loss was in a doubleheader split with Grand Haven, which like R-P is honorable mention in Division 1.

The Byron Center games will go a long way to determining the O-K Green Conference champion. The Bulldogs will surely be seeking revenge after R-P's regional win last June, but the Rockets just hope to keep getting better with every test they face.

"I think that seeing big competition is awesome," Critchett said. "I like it. It's more exciting. It gets everyone going. It shows everyone's true potential."

Whitehall wins

Tier 2 championship

Bella Fogus' seventh-inning tri-

ple drove in Lianne Fagan and gave Whitehall the GMAA Tier 2 championship Saturday with a thrilling 5-4 victory over North Muskegon in the title game at Muskegon Community College.

The Vikings earlier routed Orchard View 15-0 in a pool-play contest.

Whitehall's rally started with a two-out single by Fagan, and Fogus followed with the winning hit. It capped a remarkable comeback by the Vikings, who got a game-tying two-run double by Annabel Kevwitch in the sixth inning.

Kevwitch got three hits in all for Whitehall, and Fagan and Fogus each got two hits. Megan LeaTrea pitched the game, allowing four hits and three earned runs and striking out nine.

Against OV, Whitehall ripped off 11 second-inning runs and won in three due to the mercy rule. Fagan and LeaTrea each had three hits and Kevwitch got two. Kevwitch, Lianne Fagan and Janie Fagan each scored three times. Beth LeaTrea pitched a three-inning no-hitter, allowing just a walk and striking out four.

Montague, meanwhile, lost a 10-0 decision to North Muskegon Saturday in GMAA Tier 2 pool play.

The Wildcats were held to four hits in the game. Hayden Boutell pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief, allowing three hits and no earned runs.

Errors cost the Wildcats a shot at the game two win, as 8 miscues led to 10 unearned runs. Reagan Cederquist and Greta Auch each had 2 hits in the game. In game one, Kayden Johnson and Hayden Boutell had 2 hits apiece and Cederquist allowed only 2 earned runs on 9 hits.

Byron Center 5-12 Reeths-Puffer 0-0

The Rocket bats were stifled in the doubleheader, getting 5 hits in the 2 games. Colton Bessinget allowed 4 earned runs on 7 hits in the gameone defeat and struck out 4.

Whitehall 2-9 Fremont 0-4

Brock Morningstar pitched a 5-hit shutout and struck out 5 in game one.

Cody Manzo had an RBI double. Eli Winters had 3 hits in the second game, and Evan Thomas got the win, striking out 11

Girls Soccer

Caledonia 5 Reeths-Puffer 0

Statistics had not been reported at press time. Montague 12 Muskegon 0

The Wildcats piled up goals in the win, with 10 different players getting on the board. Allyson Balder and Emily Earnest each scored twice.

Whitehall 8 Orchard View 0

Reese Hesse led the Viking onslaught with 3 goals, and Izzy Causie added 2. Bayleigh Bays, Maggie Derby and Clare Westerlund each had 1.

Montague 6 Oakridge 2 Montague won its 4th straight game by ripping off the last 4 goals of the game. Ava Pelton scored 4 goals, and Adilynn Peterson and Allyson Balder each got on the board as well.

Montague 5 Ravenna 1

The Wildcats celebrated senior night by getting 4 goals from their seniors. Braylyn Bultema scored twice, and Ava Pelton and Allyson Balder each scored a goal. Lilly Rice got on the board too.

Whitehall 3 Oakridge 1

Izzy Causie scored 2 goals for the Vikings and Reese Hesse added one. Kaylyn Blaske made 9 saves as Whitehall won its 2nd straight.

Girls Tennis

Reeths-Puffer 8 Grant 0

The Rockets romped, with 8 straight-set wins. Hope Latsch, Miley Neel and Kaitlyn Darow each won singles matches by scoes of 6-1, 6-0, and Lauren Matz/Elana Weiden won their doubles match by that margin. Whitehall 2nd at conference tourney

The Vikings won 10 matches and placed only behind Ludington. Top doubles pair Brianna Bentz/Avarie Bentz won the flight championship, and No. 3 singles player Izzy Gould also won her flight.

Whitehall 13th at Spring Lake Invitational Whitehall shot a team total of 360, led by Brady Tate's 85. He had 3 birdies in his round. Jones McDowell was close behind him, with an 88.

Reeths-Puffer 4th at home jamboree

R-P had a strong performance and came in only 6 strokes behind firstplace Caledonia. Kristian Brown led the team with a 39, tying for 5th individually, and Aiden Waggoner shot a 40. Kaeden Benner had a 42 and made an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole.

Boys Golf Track

Montague teams split home tri Both Wildcat squads beat Orchard View, but lost to Ludington. Addison Smith, Reagan Cederquist and Annelyse Schneider each won 2 events for the girls, and Riley Mulder and Brock Hunter each earned PRs in wins for the Wilcat boys. Smith had a PR in pole vault.

Whitehall tops Manistee in home dual

The Viking boys won all but 1 event, highlighted by 3 individual wins by Corde Anderson - both hurdles events and the shot put. Mason Mulnix won both sprints. In the girls' meet, Cami Kraai won the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters and had a relay win. Lexi Poulin set a PR in high jump.

Lacrosse

Spring Lake 16 Reeths-Puffer 7 Braeden Monette,

Holland Christian 16 Reeths-Puffer 5 Statistics were not reported from this game at press time.

Mona Shores

Mona Shores scored a goal late in

half to beat the Rockets, who outshot the Sailors

in the defeat.

Reeths-Puffer's Abbie Critchett (12) races past Ravenna catcher Emily Postema to score a run during Saturday's GMAA Tier 1 finals at R-P. Critchett had three hits, two of them home runs, in the Rockets' 8-2 win.

Andy Roberts/Mirror

Whitehall 9-2 Fremont 8-12

Megan LeaTrea had the game-winning RBI single in the 6th inning of game one. She and Janie Fagan had 2 hits each and combined for 7 RBI. Fagan had a double in game two.

batters.

Rockets' offense comes alive in win at Whitehall

By Andy Roberts White Lake Mirror Editor

WHITEHALL — Reeths-Puffer has been looking for that game where it all comes together, and Saturday afternoon, the Rockets got one with an 8-0 win over Whitehall.

R-P has struggled all season with putting away scoring opportunities, only twice finding the net multiple times in a game. But you'd never have known it watching the Rockets' Mallorie Messer come alive for four goals, including a natural hat trick late in the first half to push R-P's lead from 2-0 to 5-0.

Two of Messer's four scores were pure hustle plays, coming up with loose balls that had been deflected by Whitehall keeper Kaylyn Blaske and scoring. The other two were longer-range goals.

Her outburst was all the more impressive because Messer, said R-P coach Kody Harrell, is usually a defender.

"You want to train and develop good athletes, but you're also making

GMAA title

Lauterberg works the soccer games and noted his impressive sprint speed on the field.

"He told me, 'We've got to get this kid out,'" Mikkelson said of Lauterberg. "He just flies up and down the field. All his buddies run track, and they talked to him about it. His quickness and acceleration is really special."

Mulnix said he's been pleased all season with his decision to switch sports. He originally expected to only run the shorter sprints, but has also excelled in the 400 and has enjoyed branching out.

"I've definitely exceeded what I expected I was going to do, especially with the early qualifications to state in the 200 and 400," Mulnix said; he achieved 200-meter qualification in April.

Mulnix wasn't the only big-time boys performer on the track Friday, though. Waters, already part of the distance relay win, earned the top spot in the 3,200-meter run in a time of 10:04.7 and finished second in the 1,600 (4:35.1). Thompson set personal bests in both hurdles events (15.38 in the 110 and 40.75 in the 300) to finish third in each.

Reeths-Puffer finished fourth in the boys' meet, and Montague took eighth. Mason Darke starred for the Rockets,

everyone a piece to this puzzle where we can go compete," Harrell said. "Depending on the opponent and the situation, she's going to play defense or she's going to play on the attack. Having her on the attack today definitely added another variable...You know what she brings as an individual. Now that tenaciousness, that aggressiveness, that grit she gives on defense was displayed on the attack, and it generated goals."

R-P (3-10) controlled possession and had many scoring chances, but Harrell said the same was true in the Rockets' tournament games in Holland the previous Saturday, and the team was blanked both times anyway - so to see those opportunities turned into goals was a big mental lift.

"We've had a lot of opportunities like that," Messer said. "It's just we can't finish. Knowing today that we could finish those, it really helped boost our confidence."

Jaslynn Kops bookended the scoring with two goals, and Abby Hill and Ashley Bradley each scored a goal.

Reeths-Puffer's Mallorie Messer (right) retrieves the ball after Whitehall keeper Kaylyn Blaske knocked it away from her during Saturday's game at Whitehall. Messer ultimately scored one of her 4 goals on the play as the Rockets won 8-0. • Andy Roberts/Mirror

Whitehall coach Laicey Chamberlain praised Blaske's play in goal; in addition to Messer's two hustle-play goals that Blaske could do very little to avert, she was also victimized by a rebound shot after making a save on Hill's goal.

taking second in both hurdles events. He set a personal best of 14.52 seconds in the 110 - this earned him an early qualification to state - and finished the 300 in 39.25 seconds.

"We're waiting on him to find a meet where he can put both hurdle races together, because it seems to be one or the other right now," R-P girls coach Parker Aerts said of Darke. "He's still a junior, so we have time, and we still have a few big meets left in the season, so I think he's going to do it when it comes to the regional meet, especially so...It's been really cool to see him grow as an athlete over the last school year, so I'm super excited for him."

Darke also contributed to the boys' win in the 800 relay; he, London Carpenter, Marvin Moore and Cole Piper finished in a time of 1:30.1. He also joined Moore, Piper and Callahan Millis to finish second in the 1,600 relay (3:32.8). The 400 relay team of Emcee McLaurin, Carpenter, Piper and Sage Secrest finished third (44.62).

Montague's best finishes were two third-places. Isaac French took third in shot put with a mark of 44-5, and the 3,200 relay team of Alix Draves, Gibson Sholes, Nolan Kessler and Noah Raeth was also third (8:38.5).

R-P a close 2nd at GMAA tournament

By Andy Roberts White Lake Mirror Editor

Reeths-Puffer narrowly missed out on repeating as GMAA champions Saturday, finishing second to rival Mona Shores. Whitehall finished in third place.

The Rockets won three flight championships on the day. Hope Latsch won a pair of matches in straight sets before edging out Ella St. Martin of Shores in the No. 2 singles final, 5-7, 6-4, 10-3. R-P also earned the top spot at No. 3 doubles and No. 4 doubles. Ava Dietz/ Kaitlyn Durow earned the No. 3 championship, winning twice in straight sets

before fighting off Shores' Leah Mills/ Sophie Sisco in the finals, 6-3, 3-6, 107. At the No. 4 flight, Makayla Smith/ Jayla Brink rolled through the bracket with three straight-set wins.

R-P's Molly Matz and Mylie Neel were runners-up at No. 3 and No. 4 singles respectively.

The Vikings' Izzy Gould earned her team's lone flight championship, winning at No. 3 singles. She won two of her three matches in straight sets.

Whitehall's top two doubles flights each earned second place. Avarie Bentz/Brianna Bentz and Alivia DeWildt/Addie Broton were runners-up in those flights.

The freshman has been under siege much of the year due to the Vikings' offensive struggles, but has displayed the makings of a strong varsity keeper.

Girls track

the long jump with a leap of 16-10.5, and joined fellow freshman Addison Mitchelson, Amani Starr and Melana Johnson for the win in the 400 relay, posting a time of 50.78 seconds.

Aerts said Mitchelson, who's had a strong year in her own right, has had to take on some extra responsibilities when Walker is away, so she did not run the 200 at the GMAA, though her times would've given her a shot at a top-3 finish. She did finish third in the 100 and set a new personal best (13.03).

"We've asked a lot from her," Aerts said of Mitchelson. "We decided as a coaching staff that it was best for her to not run the 200 today and save a little bit for the next couple weeks. Going into the conference meet next week and then regionals the week after that, we need to be mindful of those things."

The Rockets also won the 3,200 relay with the team of Jersi Bilek, Sophia McCollum, Darcy Keefe and Adrienne Fluette, with a time of 10:38.8.

Bilek finished second in the 800 with a season-best time of 2:23.7. She was also part of two third-place relay teams. The 1,600 relay team - with Ivanna Kass, Keefe and Ma'Kaia Riley-McGuffeyhad a time of 4:32.9, and her 800 relay team - with Kass, Mitchelson, and John-

"Those players not being marked, that's not on her," Chamberlain said. "That's our defense needing to step up or other players needing to drop back. The blessing and the curse of soccer is that it's a full team sport."

Whitehall's Cami Kraai (center) and Adalyn Britton take off from the starting line of the 1,600-meter run during Friday's GMAA meet at Reeths-Puffer. Mona Shores' Ellery Horness joins the two Vikings. Kraai finished third and Britton fifth in the race. • Andy Roberts/Mirror

son - was third as well (1:50.7).

Whitehall edged Montague by 4.67 points to finish sixth. Evelyn Darke had the Vikings' top performance, taking second in shot put (32-7). Teammate Aaliyah Jamison was third (31-0.5), and Cami Kraai finished third in the 1,600 (5:26.99). Kraai also joined Adalyn Britton, Kassidy Parmley and Ella Nicholson to take third in the 3,200 relay (11:14.2). For the Wildcats, Amanda Cederquist set two personal bests to take second in the 100 hurdles (16.52) and third in the discus (83-9). Addison Smith was second in pole vault (8-0) and Annelyse Schneider finished third in high jump, setting a new personal best of 5-0.

Brady Tate wins Montague

Invite for 4th time in a row

By Andy Roberts White Lake Mirror Editor

Whitehall senior Brady Tate made it a perfect 4-for-4 in winning the Montague Invitational Friday, tying for first place in the event with a score of 76.

The Vikings finished a close second to North Muskegon as a team, shooting a 338, just three strokes behind the Norsemen. Montague scored a 366 and finished fourth.

Tate made four birdies in his round and did not shoot worse than a bogey on any hole. He and North Muskegon's Luke Jones shared medalist honors.

Whitehall's Jones McDowell and the Wildcats' Brayden Bultema also reached the individual top 10. Mc-

Dowell tied for seventh place with an 84 and Bultema tied for ninth with an 85.

Finn Novy posted an 87 for the Vikings, and Braedon Bond and Royce Freed each shot a 94 to tie for the fourth scoring position for the team. Freed made a birdie during his round.

Montague's Bucky Aney shot an 88, making a birdie along the way, and Maxwell Welch shot a 95. Tanner Devries knocked in two birdies and had a 98. Tate