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Daily News • Saturday, February 28, 2015
Area News Danish grand marshal selection sought
Briefly From staff and wire reports
Richland board briefly meets RICHLAND TOWNSHIP — The Richland Township Board had a brief meeting Jan. 22. Supervisor Dennis Wright, Clerk Laurie Darmody and trustees Tom Dwyer and Scott Marshall were present. Treasurer Tom Wright was absent. The board approved minutes of the Nov. 20 meeting, fire reports for November and December, using federal guidelines and an asset test for the poverty level, checks and paying bills for November and December. The Richland Township Board will next meet at 6:30 p.m. March 19.
n Danish Festival wants nominations Special to The Daily News
Moolenaar hosts office hours STANTON — A representative for 4th District Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, will be available to meet with constituents from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday at the Montcalm County Administrative Building (old courthouse) in Stanton. For more information, visit Moolenaar.house.gov or Facebook.com/RepMoolenaar online.
Daily News/Mike Taylor
Montcalm County Animal Control Officer Autumn DeVries, kneeling, was at Central Montcalm Middle School on Thursday to accept a donation of $600 in cash and supplies from the the Student Council. Students raised the money through a series of fundraisers.
Central Montcalm Middle School students help out animal shelter By Mike Taylor
Daily News features writer
TRAVERSE CITY — The manager who oversees city government in Traverse City has resigned, more than a week after police were called to his house during an alcoholrelated incident. Jered Ottenwess quit Friday, the same day he pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of domestic violence and attempting to resist police. Police reports released to news media show Ottenwess was very drunk when officers arrived on Feb. 16. Police say his mother indicated that he had been drinking for four days and “ripping up our house.” Officer Mark Witczak says he was poised to fire his Taser after Ottenwess clenched his fists. He says Ottenwess then “fell to his knees and started to cry.” Ottenwess didn’t speak in court. Judge Michael Stepka told him the charges are serious.
Another round of bitterly cold weather ROMULUS — Another round of bitterly cold weather is weighing on Michigan. The National Weather Service says the temperature dropped to 4 degrees below zero on Friday morning at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, matching the previous record low for the date for Detroit from 1934. The high wasn’t expected to get out of the teens. Meteorologist Dan Thompson tells the Detroit Free Press that more cold weather is expected through next week. Snow is in the forecast for the weekend in parts of Michigan. The weather service says 1 to 3 inches could fall starting Sunday in the Detroit area. The forecast for parts of western Michigan includes up to 1 to 4 inches.
Police Reports BELDING — Police reports for Thursday from the Belding Police Department were not available. GREENVILLE — Police responded to 6 complaints Thursday. Incidents included: • Assist other agency, 10:40 a.m., S. Greenville. • Suspicious situation, 2:59 p.m., W. High. • Domestic situation, 10:23 p.m., W. Washington. STANTON — Montcalm County sheriff’s deputies responded to 19 complaints Thursday. Incidents included: • Three car-deer accidents. • Domestic dispute, 9:45 a.m., Greenville. • Traffic hazard, 3:40 p.m., Stanton. • Suspicious situation, 4 p.m., Howard City Edmore and N. Caris.
Montcalm County Animal Control kennel attendant John Davis and Animal Control Officer Autumn DeVries load up supplies donated to the Montcalm County Animal Shelter by students from Central Montcalm Middle School.
full of supplies. The entire student body really came up with the cash. This was much more than I expected. In the three years I’ve been student council advisor, this is the most successful fundraiser we’ve ever had.” Ruthruff added that, based on the success of this year’s effort, the student council would very likely hold a similar fundraiser again next year. The council is comprised of only 15 students, five from each grade — sixth, seventh and eighth. On Thursday, the students presented Montcalm County Animal Control Officer Autumn DeVries and kennel attendant John Davis with the money, supplies and a gift card to Tractor Supply Company, which was on the shelter’s “wish list.” According to DeVries, the shelter has
mtaylor@staffordgroup.com (616) 548-8273
U of M frat punished for ski resort damage By The Associated Press
ANN ARBOR — Calling the incident “reprehensible,” the University of Michigan cut ties Friday with a fraternity involved in vandalism at a northern Michigan ski resort during a wild, alcohol-fueled weekend in January. Sigma Alpha Mu won’t be recognized as a campus organization for at least four years. The fraternity’s national office is being asked to revoke the local charter and add more penalties. “Being away from campus is not a license to act irresponsibly,” the university said. Doors, furniture, fixtures and carpet were badly damaged at Treetops Resort in Gaylord and Boyne Highlands near Petoskey on the weekend of Jan. 16. The cost has been estimated at $125,000, most of it at Treetops. “This is the most severe sanction the university can
Mark Schoenfelder
levy on a Greek organization or any student organization on our campus. This means they cannot participate in any Greek Life activities and cannot recruit new members during the period of separation,” the university said. The university also is restricting the activities of Sigma Delta Tau sorority for two years. Two more fraternities, Pi Kappa Alpha and Chi Psi, and two more sororities, Delta Gamma and Alpha Phi, were reprimanded for what happened at Boyne. “We are extremely disappointed by the reprehensible behavior and failure of groups to come forward with information regarding the individuals who are responsible for the (Treetops) incident,” Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones said of Sigma Alpha Mu. “We strongly believe that individuals should accept responsibility for their actions.”
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STANTON — Montcalm County Central Dispatch reported the following fire calls Thursday: • Hazardous materials, 8:40 a.m., Collard, Lakeview District Fire Department. • Mutual aid, 6:16 p.m., Eisenhower, Howard City Fire Department. • Vehicle fire, 9:40 p.m., N. Masters and W. Church, Maple Valley Township Fire Department.
STANTON — Proceeds from a fundraiser held recently at Central Montcalm Middle School are going to the dogs. And the cats. And whatever other animals may be in need at the Montcalm County Animal Shelter. Sponsored by the Student Council, the effort has in recent weeks raised more than $600, a personal best of the school’s annual fundraising program. According to the student council adviser Sue Ruthruff, who helps coordinate the program, council members choose a different charity for which to raise funds each year. Last year’s proceeds went to Pennies for Patients, a national campaign designed to create funding for kids with blood cancer. This year, however, students opted to look closer to home. “They wanted to make it more local,” Ruthruff said. “One of our students made a suggestion about helping the animal shelter and the student council all got on board with it. Our kids have a big heart for animals.” Council members decorated coffee cans for use as collection bins, which they then placed in classrooms throughout the school. A contest was held to see which classroom could collect the most spare change during the duration of the fundraiser. The canisters alone brought in more than $100, but that was just a small part of what was raised overall. The students also held a fundraising dance, where they sold snacks and soda. Students could pay for admission to the dance either with a financial donation or animal related supplies. “In all, they raised over $600,” Ruthruff said. “Plus we have two boxes
213287
Traverse City official quits after incident
changed a lot since she started volunteering there. “I’m an animal control officer now,” DeVries said. “I was hired last summer. But before that I was a volunteer for quite some time. I’ve seen a lot of changes over the years; there’s different management, and now our buildings. We work with so many more rescues than we used to.” Davis added the shelter recently completed the renovation of its dog kennels. Previously, the kennels were small and the dogs separated only by chain-link fencing. This allowed too much contact between the dogs, which contributed to the spread of canine illnesses. The new kennels, Davis said, are more sanitary and better suited to dealing with the shelter’s dog population. The renovations were paid for with money from previous fundraising campaigns. “We had quite a few donations,” Davis said. “A while back we just decided to start saving up the money and get some new kennels built. We were in desperate need. The ones we had were pretty bad.” The funds donated by the student council will go toward future shelter projects. At present, administrators are looking toward expanding the facility to accommodate more animals and provide for better care. “We’d like to improve the size of the shelter,” Davis said. “The cat room is really small. We’d like to put in an adoption room where people can go to get to know an animal away from all the noise.” Thanks to the students of Central Montcalm Middle School, the shelter is now $600 closer to achieving that goal.
GREENVILLE — The Danish Festival Board of Directors is seeking nominations for a grand marshal — or a couple to serve as grand marshals — for the 51st annual Danish Festival. Since 1973, board members have chosen grand marshals for Greenville’s signature event in August. Citizens are encouraged to write a nomination letter suggesting a person or couple to receive this year’s honor. Grand marshal festivities begin with the Open Air Breakfast in July, continuing through the Queen’s Pageant the week prior to Danish Festival, and an invitationonly Grand Celebration directly following opening ceremonies. Danish Festival Inc. provides authentic Danish attire for the Grand Marshal and a vehicle for the grand parade. If you know someone you would like to see honored this way, submit their names, address and phone number and include a brief summary of that individual’s or couple’s contribution to the Greenville area — and specifically to the Danish Festival, if they have been active in the event. Nominations must be submitted by 5 p.m. April 16 to the Danish Festival Office, Box 211, Greenville, MI 48838. They may also be dropped off at the office on the second floor of the Huntington Bank Building on Lafayette Street in downtown Greenville, or emailed to danishfestival@charter. net. The Danish Festival Board will choose a grand marshal at its April board meeting. Grand marshal honorees have been local citizens since the 1970s, when grand marshals included Gov. William Milliken and Sen. and Mrs. Robert Griffin. Fred and Lena Meijer were honored in 1984. We hope that you join us in celebrating the 51st annual Danish Festival, Aug. 20-23, with the theme of “The Little Match Seller.” Danish Festival Inc.’s mission is to host a festival that celebrates the homecoming of family and friends and our area’s Danish heritage. For more information, visit the website at www.danishfestival.org or contact the Danish Festival office at (616) 754-6369.
Florida Strawberries coming mid March!
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