Physician Ellen Herring Retires

(Image:  Crystal Lake Health Center)

One of Bear Lake's familiar faces won't be seen in the exam room any longer.  Ellen Herring, Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) has just retired.  Yesterday was her last day.  Herring worked for Crystal Lake Clinic for 20 years, with the last decade spent full-time at the Bear Lake location.

Herring and her husband plan to visit family members throughout Michigan in the coming months.  Afterwards, they expect to travel to other states and winter at Merritt Island, Florida.  They will continue to maintain a home in Honor, near Rush Lake.

"I have been very happy taking care of all the wonderful patients in Bear Lake and the surrounding area," said Herring.  "We love Benzie and Manistee counties and will be out and about doing touristy things, such as art fairs, community plays, music in the parks, farm markets and everything else we can attend in the area."

Some patients were surprised to learn of the news.  Crystal Lake Clinic administration did not send out letters to her patients before her retirement.  A call to the main office in Benzonia was answered today by an unidentified receptionist.  It was not immediately clear how or when patients would be reassigned to another doctor, or how prescriptions would be issued in the meantime.  Questions on these topics were referred to office staff, away for the Memorial Day holiday but expected to return on Tuesday.    

Plan B submitted (Proposal 1)

We received this correspondence and offer it here, in its entirety.

Our previous coverage and list of resources, regarding Proposal 1 of 2015, can be found here.  -Eds.

TO THE EDITOR

Alternative to Proposition 1

Our Michigan legislators were elected to try to solve the State’s infrastructure and operational problems.  Instead, with Proposition 1, they have insidiously passed this duty onto the Michigan citizens.  By doing it this way, they have taken no responsibility for the outcome.  The word, to describe this type of action and failure to do what they were elected for, is cowardice.

We have been told that, if Proposition 1 fails to pass, there is no Plan B!  However, I have such a plan and I hope that serious consideration would be given to it by the citizens and the legislature.

Landfill Surcharge

I propose that a surcharge be added to every cubic yard of waste that is put into Michigan landfills.  According to the Michigan DEQ website, 2014 Landfill Report 47,043,458 cubic yards of waste were put into our landfills.  Of that amount 7,677,835 came from Canada and 2,971,300 from other States.  If, for example, a $1 surcharge were assessed to every cubic yard of waste, then over $47 million per year would be obtained for fixing our roads, public education system, etc.  Over 10 years this amounts to 47 billion dollars.  I strongly believe that this amount would be more than enough to solve all these problems without having to increase the Sales Tax or for that matter any other tax.

There are additional benefits to this land fill surcharge; (1) the incentive for Canada and other States to bring their trash to Michigan would be greatly reduced, if not eliminated (also heavy truck traffic on our roads would be reduced), (2)  there will be enough  money generated for the creation of a much-needed, state-wide, recycling program.

Glenn T. Lottie

Manistee County

Maple Fest at Marilla Museum & Pioneer Place

This is the sort of place that oozes history like sugar sap.  You truly have to go there and explore the dense museum in the basement of the community center, and to wander through the barns and houses.  We invite you to do so.

The Marilla Museum & Pioneer Place is at 9991 Marilla Rd., within Manistee County.

Google map here:

Website here:  http://www.hsmichigan.org/marilla/

Proposal 1 presentation (League of Women Voters, Kathy Ling)

Updated 4/19/15

This online presentation was produced in association with the League of Women Voters--Manistee County.  Special thanks to Nancy Behring.





One-page primer (mentioned in presentation):

Specific links regarding Proposal 1 of 2015 (mentioned in presentation):

Estimate of funding for local road commissions (MI Dept. of Transportation)
http://michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_BallotProposalDistLocals_481857_7.pdf

Detroit Free Press article (Paul Egan, March 2, 2015)
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/03/02/michigan-roads-proposal-1-sales-tax/24283535/

Other specifc links:
Ballotpedia.org's analysis of Prop. 1, including links to legislative text (i.e. the 10 bills that would go into effect, if passed)
http://ballotpedia.org/Michigan_Sales_Tax_Increase_for_Transportation_Amendment,_Proposal_1_%28May_2015%29

General links (mentioned in presentation):

Voter registration - https://vote.michigan.gov/mvic

Voting location - http://www.michigan.gov/vote

LWVMI - http://www.lwvmi.org

LWV - http://www.vote411.org

MI House Fiscal Agency - http://www.house.mi.gov/hfa

MI Senate Fiscal Agency - http://www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa

Citizens Research Council - http://crcmich.org


Originally published 4/16/15

Our live broadcast from Manistee High School went fairly well.  It was our first attempt from a remote location. 

A partial recording of the broadcast, as heard online, can be heard right away, here:

http://mixlr.com/three-pines-gander/showreel/lwv-prop-1-presentation-april-15-2015/

A complete recording, along with the LWV's explanatory graphics, will be available on this website by this weekend.

The Return of Perfection

The recent series of cold snaps has triggered a run on electric space heaters, but their usefulness often ends during power failures.  After years of research and restoration, Jim Addington of Bear Lake has a solution--no generator required.

Addington has refurbished a number of Perfection Stoves, which combine the reliability of kerosene heaters with attractive design.  The technology is over 100 years old, but the aesthetics evolved well into the 1960s.  

The Perfection Stove Company began its life as a small enterprise in Cleveland, Ohio in 1888.  It hit its stride about 12 years later, when the company founders won the backing of John D. Rockefeller.  As the founder and owner of Standard Oil, Rockerfeller was interested in expanding the demand for kerosene, one of the products generated by his petroleum empire. 

Marketing explains at least half of the Perfection Stove's success.  When Standard Oil trucks came around for home kerosene delivery, Perfection Stoves dangled from the side of the trucks, ready for sale.  The Perfection product line developed in tandem with a growing population.  By the 1920s, over 8 million Perfection room heaters and kitchen appliances were used in American homes.  

Although the stove eventually fell out of fashion, it caught the eye of Jim Addington, who has a background in cultural preservation.  He found them both practical and charming--and discovered that many stoves still existed.  After researching their origins, he took up the task of cleaning, repainting and polishing.  Careful scouring of old barns and online merchants eventually led to his reassembly of Art Deco and even Victorian design models.  

Addington recommends their small size and portability for basement duty, to keep pipes from freezing.  While they were once a staple item in the family parlor, Addington says upscale accommodations aren't necessary.  "You can move it from the living room to the bedroom.  It helps thaw out old bones and encourage them towards movement."  A bulit-in handle allows the lightweight unit to be carried.   

Modern homes might be Perfection's greatest hurdle.  "These were used in many homes very safely for decades," said Addington.  "But many homes today are so tightly sealed up, that inadequate ventilation could pose a problem."  Addington even has a cure for that problem.  He's created a lighting component that permits the stove to simulate the warm glow of the heater.  "Some people even hold their hand over it.  They're fooled by the light." 

For older homes that breathe, in garages and other ventilated spaces, the antique stoves don't lose any significance from the new cosmetic addition--the decorative light can simply be lifted out, the burner inserted and the stove is ready to be lit for heating. 

Jim Addington's renewed Perfection Stoves are available for purchase at Niizh Makwa Traders on Lake Street/US-31, Bear Lake, (231) 864-1213.

Bear Lake, Kaleva Librarians Retire

Marcella Guinan

Today is the last day of work for two Manistee County librarians.

Marcella Guinan completes 25 years with the Keddie-Norconk Memorial Library in Bear Lake.  She began with the library before the current building was constructed.  She started in 1989, when the library was housed in the building at US-31 and Virginia St., which currently houses the Rolling Thunder military veterans service office.  

Carolyn Tennant is also retiring.  She's been the branch manager at the Kaleva branch for the last 14 years.

Expired Library Cards Surprise Patrons

Manistee County Library website

If you're having trouble using the library's e-services, such as Kindle downloads or patron-only web pages, you're not alone. This morning, many tried to log in and were told that their cards had expired. And that's true. Technically, everyone's library card expired today--but only temporarily.

Today is the first day of a new library card system. The new system is meant to help library staff get rid of old and outdated paper records, and also to make sure Manistee County residents are guaranteed access.

The new library card system, however, means starting over and re-verifying residency or property ownership status. That just means a brief visit to any branch location (with driver's license/state ID, and/or local tax bill, if ID shows a different county of permanent residence). 

Manistee County Library Facebook page

   

Anyone unable to visit a branch in person soon, but needing access, can call the main branch, at (231) 723-2519, to have services extended for an extra 2 weeks. 

Under a new policy approved in September, non-residents will be required to pay $45 per year for basic library checkout services (including books, movies, music, and computer terminal use). For electronic, off-site services (including eBooks), non-residents of Manistee County will have to pay an additional $30 per year.

The library had hoped to notify its patrons of the change sooner, and staff apologized for the sudden termination of accounts without more warning. They expected to have more details, published and more widely available, soon.