 Liberty and Kennedy Spicer sending some love to their Great Grandparents Charlie and Mary Wyman Send Us Your Stories, Photos, Ideas, Etc. We are in some peculiar times to be sure. Accustomed to getting out and going where we want when we want and visiting who we want, our world has turned a bit upside down. But we are the resilient, adaptable and irrepressible people of this bipeninsular paradise we thrive in. With the news coming at us quickly and in forms that further our collective cloistering it has become essential to maintain our sense of humor as well as our indomitable spirit. N3 is inviting our readers to send us their stories and photos that represent the ways we are rising above this intrusion into our way of life. Send them to us at [email protected] and we will select some of our favorites for inclusion in our pulse section. The first comes from our friend and neighbor Mary Spicer. When visits with their great grandparents Charlie and Mary Wyman (who live ever so conveniently across the street from them) were halted by the current need for social distancing the Spicer girls, Liberty and Kennedy, decided to show them how much they were missed with a little messaging. And Mom got into the spirit when she heard about the plan hatched via facebook to have everyone sing the Journey classic ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ at 7pm tonight, preferably outside and loud. The flowers were inspired by Liberty who poses in the center of the sun. So for those who either forgot or were never at a Minnesota Twins baseball game we’ll get you started “Just a small town girl Livin in a lonely world She took the midnight train goin’ anywhere…”  Liberty Spicer delivering a message to all. And if you live on Hess lake you might hear their mother crooning the song from her front porch around 7pm Thursday
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 The guys from JNR Waterfront Services doing their thing By Ken DeLaat In the midst of this pandemic global outbreak that has shuttered schools, restricted access to our favorite local eateries, slammed the door on indoor workout options, created chaos in our stores, and (sob!) cancelled the much awaited trip Lifetime Spousal Companion Lil and I have had planned for over a year... A trip, mind you, that would have seen me lounging in a beach chair outside of our oceanfront condo, catching up on some recreational reading, sipping on a chilled beverage and quite possibly nodding off on occasion while listening to the sounds of the surf…. There is still a ray of sunshine. Spring announced it’s arrival with the dock making its annual appearance at N3 World Headquarters & ”Hunker Down” Facility. The kayak rack is in place and can it be long before the beloved pontoon makes its grand entrance? Thank you JNR Waterfront. In light of opting to spend the next 2 weeks somewhat differently than originally planned (by about 30-40 degrees or so) and the emotional readjustment this onerous alteration requires, your timely efforts remind us that there will be indeed better days ahead with afternoons spent lounging aboard a watercraft under a Michigan sun and no one, save the much beloved ship’s nurse, within the required 6 feet of proximity.  Dear Neighbor-
We are living in unprecedented times in regards to the recent COVID-19 outbreak. The information available and the actions being taken are changing by the hour. In the coming days, I encourage you to seek accurate and reliable information about this public health crisis. I will do my part to provide as much information as possible as it becomes available to me. What we do know as of the time of this writing is that 53 Michigan residents have tested positive for the disease and there have thankfully not been any fatalities to date in our state. Furthermore, none of the individuals live in Newaygo, Lake or Oceana counties. While the actions being taken may seem extreme, especially for such a small number to date, I assure you they are based on science and from lessons learned from countries such as Italy, South Korea, and China who are several weeks ahead of us in this outbreak. The virus is expected to spread rapidly and will overwhelm our medical system as it has done in these countries if we do not take proactive steps to slow it’s spread. I encourage you not to panic as we have experts actively monitoring the situation and also have the most advanced health care system in the world. Where we can all be of help in this situation is to follow the recommendations and rules directed by the governor in recent days. This includes avoiding large gatherings of people, making physical contact such as shaking hands, and following the orders to close gyms, dine-in restaurants, bars, and casinos. What will not be helpful is spreading false or misleading information on social media and hoarding supplies such as hand sanitizer or toilet paper. We will get through this event as we have all other challenges our country has faced in the past. For reliable and up to date information please visit www.michigan.gov/coronavirus and www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/. For any health related questions about COVID-19, Michigan residents can call 1-888-535-6136. The hotline is open every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thank you for your cooperation as we work through these coming days. Sincerely, Representative Scott VanSingel District 100  Let Us Help!
Do you and/or your organization have information you need to provide the community during the current COVID-19 crisis? During any given week, Near North Now reaches over 10,000 readers throughout the greater Newaygo County region with the capability to post articles and info same day and often upon arrival. If your organization has information you need to get the word out about, send it to us at [email protected] and we will get it out to our readers in a timely fashion. We’re all in this one together folks and we are prepared to do our part to help. N3 will also strive to relay any new info from the state, the health department and the county, cities and townships. So tune in often, let us know how we can help, and as we have repeated and will continue to do so….wash your hands frequently.  COVID-19 disruption runs deep
Got a meeting? How about a conference you were planning on attending? Concert? Play? Perhaps even family reunion? Or just want to watch a little sports on TV? Well you can likely forget about it because it is cancelled, postponed or suspended for what we would guess at least the next 30 days. We are in a state of emergency folks. The intrusion of COVID-19 from the schools being shut down as of Monday to the toilet paper crisis that has produced an outpouring of amusing memes and given those intrepid social media shamers a bit of a platform to express their disdain at the run(?) on tp, this phenomena is reaching deep into everyone’s personal lives. NC RESA Superintendent Dr. Lori Tubergen Clark shared this regarding the closure of our schools: “Closing our PK-12 school buildings and suspending NC RESA services and programs is the responsible decision that will minimize the risk of exposure for children, educators, and families. We are taking all possible steps to mitigate the spread of coronavirus in our communities.” The county offices have taken action to respond to the outbreak with meetings being cancelled, the courts reducing services,the elimination of work related travel and encouraging the observation of behaviors aimed at preventing the spread of the virus.The Commission on Aging has shut down activities while continuing at this time to provide needed medical transportation as well as the meals program. As we are in a state of emergency the Newaygo County Emergency Operations Center is coordinating local response to the crisis and asking folks to access the Nixle website for alerts due to the ever changing nature of the situation: Anyone can view information through the Nixle Website without registering to receive alerts at https://local.nixle.com/newaygo-county-emergency-services/ You can also register for FREE text and email alerts by registering for a Nixle account by:
So, naysayers, conspiracy theorists and those people who just refuse to trust nearly anything aside, this is serious business and as all involved have been saying, it is ‘fluid’ ( a most popular word these days) meaning things are constantly changing at a rate somewhere near the speed of light. And here is our plea. Despite the despairing divisiveness that has dominated the landscape of late there has never been a better time to pull together than now. We know the inclination is to ensure you have all the Purell you can find and a corner on the tp market but let’s take a little lesson from our citizenry during WWII when hoarding was considered right up there with high misdemeanors at the very least and in many circles worse. We were a nation working as one to defeat an enemy who threatened our way of life and though it’s a virus this time around it is still an enemy to our way of life. So maybe let’s be a bit rational when it comes to our purchases. And hopefully may we all choose to embrace the instructions delivered by those who are tasked with setting the guidelines to ensure our safety. As to social media? While humor directed at the crisis isn’t a bad thing, denial of the obvious is irresponsible. And though the ridiculing of the issue on various sites won’t be stopped (because there are so many ‘experts’ out there as well as those who are easily influenced by the preposterous points proffered by poorly informed peeps crying “Hoax!”) we can help combat the mountains of misinformation by keeping informed. Getting the skinny from genuine sources such as the site listed above provided by the Emergency Services folks,our District 10 Health Department, Spectrum Gerber, and the state Department of Health and Human Services. In an email to parents and the community Newaygo Superintendent Peg Mathis wrote this as part of the details she delivered to families affected by the shutdown. “Information is changing at a rapid rate. There is a possibility that we may offer some brown bag lunches for our kids during this shut down. None of those details have been made available to us yet and we won't have plans ready for that until sometime next week if this allowable, so please stay tuned." Then she followed it up with this statement: “Perhaps most importantly, love your kids, take care of each other, and remain calm and positive. We got this!” Dr. Mathis is right. We got this if we work together, observe the recommendations we’re given and choose to believe that the folks delivering those recommendations are acting in our best interests. Knowledge is power and accurate information builds on that knowledge. And for pity’s sake, keep washing those hands. |
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September 2024
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