Shelby church collecting water for Flint area residents
Hart’s Goeff Hansen receives ‘shout out’ during the governor’s State of the State address Page 6a
Donations to be accepted through Feb. 8 Page 6a
Thursday, January 28, 2016
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For her fifth and final time, Shelby native, Jodi Beckman, is on her way to compete for the title of Miss Michigan this coming June. Beckman was crowned Miss Greater Kalamazoo 2016 Saturday evening, Jan. 23. “Saturday was an incredible day. With this being my last year of eligibility in the Miss America Organization,
BECKMAN CROWNED continued on 3a
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Oceana’s Herald JOurnal | January 28, 2016 | sectiOn c
Be NICE tool now available to local schools
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Jodi Beckman is crowned Miss Greater Kalamazoo Saturday, Jan. 23.
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Elhart/Davidson family to partially fund suicide prevention program for area students
By Kevin Braciszeski Shoreline Media Writer
Local students in grades K-12 may soon receive lessons in mental illness awareness and suicide prevention through a new partially funded program launched last week. The Elhart family of Holland and Barb Davidson of Pentwater worked to form a fund to provide the Be NICE program to students in Western Michigan following the March 2015 suicide of Wayne Elhart — Davidson’s son.
The new fund will be called the Wayne Elhart Be NICE Memorial Fund and will be administered locally by the Community Foundation for Oceana County Wayne Elhart and available to all the schools in Oceana, Mason and Lake counties. NICE is an acronym for Notice change in behavior, Invite yourself
Shelby to take a gander at MOCAP building
in conversation with someone, Challenge someone’s change in their behavior and Empower yourself to get yourself or somebody else professional help. Jeff Elhart, Wayne’s brother, said Pentwater Public Schools, Hart Public Schools, Walkerville Public Schools and the First Baptist Church of Pentwater have all committed to
AREA FAMILY HELPS FUND SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM continued on 3a
Jeff Kiessel • Shoreline Media
Jeff Elhart discusses the creation of the Wayne Elhart Be NICE Memorial Fund that he and his family hope will help area students learn to notice the different signs of depression and how to help those they suspect are in need of help.
Freeze frame
By John Cavanagh
Herald-Journal Writer
SHELBY — As the Oceana County Board of Commissioners continues to eye the Muskegon-Oceana Community Action Partnership (MOCAP) building on the south end of Shelby for a new ambulance facility, the Village of Shelby might also become a player. Following an informal poll, the Shelby Village Council agreed it should explore purchasing the building on South Oceana Drive at its regular meeting Monday night. Even as village President Paul Inglis pointed out the county could go elsewhere, the idea behind the purchase would be to lease it to the county for a minimum of 10 years, and if a lease wasn’t renewed, the property could be converted into another use, such as a new department of public works facility. “I’m willing to take a look at it,” Councilwoman Sharita Prowant said. “I think we should.” In the meantime, the village planning commission will go forward with a 7 p.m. Feb. 16 public hearing to consider a special use permit to allow for the property to be used as an ambulance facility. The idea to explore the build-
Andrew Skinner • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
MOCAP BUILDING INTEREST
The south pierhead along the Pentwater Channel is viewed through an opening in a sheet of ice attached to the channel walkway railing.
continued on 3a
Custer woman killed in Crystal Twp. crash
Slick road conditions are suspected to have played a part in a two-vehicle accident that killed a Custer woman Jan. 20. According to an Oceana County Sheriff’s Office press release, Lucinda Patterson, 57, of Custer, died shortly Patterson after the approximately 4 p.m. accident at the intersection of North 120th Avenue and East
Jefferson Road in Crystal Township. The press release indicates when deputies arrived they found Patterson trapped in her vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later. The investigation revealed that Patterson’s vehicle, a 1999 Chevrolet Suburban, was traveling around a curve to head north and slid into the path of an oncoming 2009 Kenworth T800 semi truck hauling corn which was driven by a 32-year-old Trufant man. The semi truck driver was not injured. The accident remained under investigation.
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Hart adopts 5-year parks and rec plan
Eyes creation of new Hydroelectric Park near Hart dam featuring disc golf course, play area, pavilions and fishing platforms Expansion of Veterans Memorial Park envisioned By Anne Pawli OHJ Contributing Writer
Hart City Council adopted an ambitious Parks and Recreation Master Plan during the tail end of 2015 which includes improvement goals for John Gurney Park, Veterans’ Memorial Park, Peachy Park, Hydroelectric Park, Hart Commons and Pointe Park. Many of the proposed upgrades in the five-year-plan aim to enhance accessibility and provide ADA compliant, barrier-free access to the city’s parks and
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recreation facilities. Councilman Chuck Collard said he was “incredibly impressed” with the master plan. “To the people who put this together,” he said, “my hat is off to you. May I live to see a fifth of it completed.” The plan calls for a network of welldefined pathways and trails throughout the city to provide non-motorized connectivity to parks, the Historic District, downtown, school campus, fairgrounds and other important venues. Throughout the planning process, participants
HART REC PLAN continued on 6a
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