  Candidate for State Senate Poppy Sias-Hernandez Newaygo County Dems Grand Opening with Sias-Hernandez Kick Off Campaign
The Newaygo County Democratic Party will hold a Grand Opening of their new headquarters on Wednesday, May 2, from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm. The public is invited, wine and cheese will be served, and information about political issues and candidates will be available. The office is located at 26 W. Main Street, Fremont (office and parking in back). You can also become a registered voter at the event so you will be ready for the next elections. You will not be registered as a Democrat or any other party affiliation. Assistance will be available to help you with your voter application. Poppy Sias-Hernandez will be kicking off her campaign to run for the 34th District State Senate Seat at the grand opening as well. The seat is currently being held by Republican Goeff Hansen, whose term limit is over this year. While a newcomer to the political scene, Poppy has deep community roots where she works tirelessly on behalf of youth and families. “I have learned so much from the folks I have served and I feel compelled to advocate for and work on behalf of them. Muskegon, Oceana, and Newaygo counties have amazing resources, both human and natural that we have to do better at maximizing,” stated Poppy Sias-Hernandez. “ I want to be part of reaching that potential through strengthening the connections between people in the community and the policymakers in Lansing.” Poppy states she will be a champion for the people of the 34th Senate district by:
“The May 2 Grand Opening is a great opportunity for Newaygo County community members to learn about our local and state political issues, and to meet others who want their voices heard and votes counted in upcoming elections,” states Dallas. “We are honored to have Poppy Sias-Hernandez join us as we kick off both our new office and her exciting campaign. Come and meet this dynamic, future representative!” For more information you can contact: Newaygo County Democratic Party, 231.709.9007, or [email protected]. Visit www.newaygocodems.org, or the Newaygo County Democratic Party Facebook page.  To The Editor: The Russell Gilbert Kids Free Fishing Day Committee is overwhelmed by the generosity of the White Cloud community and the surrounding area. As we embark on our 35th year of the fishing program we would like to expand it at least for this year so this is what we are looking for. We are inviting any organization to be a part of this special day by setting up a booth and doing face-painting, giving out popcorn, or similar activities and/or giveaways. Bucky’s Haircuts will be doing cotton candy and the Turkey Federation has the bb gun shoot again this year. You can just give out info if you want, but the catch is you must do it for free no selling or charging for anything! We have room for 3 or 4 more booths. P.S. if giving out food it can't be what we already do and if you need a food permit it is up to you to get it. All things need to be approved by the Russell Gilbert Memorial Kids Free Fishing Day Committee. Thank you for your consideration. Dianne Patrick https://www.facebook.com/russellGilbertKidsFreeFiishing/   Blame it on the Breakers By Kelly Smith A few days ago my friend/ editor/ therapist sent me a note asking if I had interest in putting together a piece for NNN. “Sure, let me think about a topic,” I replied. As I drive around on this lovely spring Sunday on April the 15th listening to the staff on the radio talk about what trees they are on, what roads they have been over and where they need to go next, I begin to wonder, “What did we do to Mother Nature to cause her to retaliate in such mean and unnecessary manner?” Well, the only logical answer is…. Spring Breakers! You know who we’re talking about. The folks who left most of us here a few weeks ago in the snow and cold while they sat on some beach in a much warmer climate snapping pictures and posting them, or worse yet sending them directly to your phone. Yes those people. So as I drive around watching ice and sleet pelt the windshield I did smile a little, taking solace in the fact that those whom a few weeks ago were lying around getting sunburned and accustomed to warm temps are now freezing their buns off and shedding skin like some reptile. So as you can see if you look hard enough, you can find something to smile about while we all patiently wait for Mother Nature to work her karma magic on those most deserving . As for how the prolonged winter type weather has affected the Newaygo County Road Commission, we are spending monies that we hoped to use on summer projects for gravel and pavement on sand and salt . We are also a few weeks behind schedule for summer maintenance activities. This delay has had a very negative impact on our gravel roads as they have either been frozen or too wet for us to be productive on them, resulting in some resembling minefields more than roads. These will be our priority as soon as conditions allow us to make some progress. Being that we will be on gravels well into what we had hoped to be the beginning of the construction season we will be falling behind with those projects as well. Summers hours begin soon which will include working overtime in an attempt to gain back some of those days lost to unproductive weather. Here’s a few of the notable initiatives around the county for this coming season : There will be a project on Hardy dam that is scheduled to start around the 16th of April and should last approximately a month, this will include a lane closure with a temporary traffic signal. We will be replacing a couple large culverts on 40th street between M37 and Spruce this summer, which will be detoured for approximately 8 -10 weeks. With the new Meijer store west of Fremont underway a reconstruct of Green Avenue from 48th to 44th and 44th from Green to Market. This project will last most all of summer. We also have a joint project with Sheridan Township and for the reconstruction of Lake drive between Green Ave and Connie St. MDOT has scheduled a couple of large scale projects on M37 between Newaygo and the south limits of Grant. The first project will be the paving of M37 from Grant to Newaygo, the second and much longer in duration is the reconstruct of M37 in Grant. This project will include a posted detour for most all of the summer season. Grant itself will still be accessible, but please plan your commute accordingly. This is a very small portion of the scheduled projects for the upcoming orange barrel season, a season of necessity in providing the much improved road system our state is in dire need of. We will be updating our list of projects on our web page, and we will also try and keep updates on social media as to where we are and where we will be when possible. So until next time, please be careful on the roads, watch for us coming to a road near you and most of all remember…. It’s the spring breakers fault.   By Koffi Kpachavi, President of the Fremont Area Beekeepers Photos by FAB By now you have no doubt heard about how bees are struggling to survive due to a confluence of factors, none easily remedied. You are also likely aware of the important role bees play in our food production system. They are responsible, directly or indirectly, for producing 1 out of 3 bites of the food we consume. Unfortunately, bees have been dying at an alarming rate. We all know and agree that we must do something. The question then is, what exactly? Two local organizations have decided to take action to help the bees. Late last year, the Fremont Area Beekeepers (FAB) entered a partnership with the Kropscoptt Environmental Center, with the goal of bringing community awareness to the fuzzy pollinators’ plight by way of the Bee Project. The Bee Project aims to establish beehives with a safe observation station at the Kropscoptt Environmental Center in Fremont. Fundraising is underway. When the project is complete, the community will have the opportunity to observe demonstrations lead by knowledgeable beekeepers, learn about pollinators, and become aware of things they can do to help. The Fremont Area Beekeepers is a local bee club with the goal of teaching sustainable beekeeping practices and establishing a support system for local beekeepers. They meet once per month in Fremont. Over the years the club has grown into a strong community of individuals who love honey bees and want to ensure their survival. The club is also trying to develop honey bees that are well suited for the harsh Michigan winters. Honey bees are very easy to keep, but we realize that may not be for everyone. So, if you are not able to keep bees, it is still possible for you to help by doing a few simple things: 1-Plant a pollinator-friendly garden. 2-Learn about pollinators and teach children about their importance in nature. 3-Support your local beekeepers/club. 4-Include honey (acquired from your local beekeepers) in your diet. 5-Become a member of your local bee club. If you are interested in supporting the Bee Project at the Kropscoptt Center or have questions, feel free to contact me via email at [email protected] or by phone: 231-335-1236. Join us on Facebook or visit the FAB’s Website http://www.fremontareabeekeepers.org for more information.   To The Editor:
In 1973, there was an accident in Michigan that released a fire retardant chemical, called PBB into livestock feed. This caused contamination of food products (meat, eggs, and milk) for more than a year before it was discovered. It is the largest food contamination in U.S. history. The Michigan Health Department transferred the registry of people exposed to PBB to Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia). Emory has been conducting research on the effects of PBB exposure. PBB can still be found in the bodies of Michiganders and health effects are evident in some children/grandchildren born years after the contamination. To share PBB related health concerns and research, Emory University is hosting a Community Discussion in 2 Michigan locations: Saturday April 14, 2018 Sunday April 15, 2018 10:00am to 12 Noon 2:00pm to 4:00pm Fremont Recreation Center Evergreen Resort 201 E. Maple St. 7880 Mackinaw Trail Fremont, Mi. 49412 Cadillac, Mi. 49601 To Learn More: Contact [email protected] 1-888-892-0074 www.PBBRegistry.emory.edu www.facebook.com/PBBRegistry Sincerely yours, Barbara K. Rowe Grand Haven, MI  By Ken DeLaat
Here is a problem. Regardless of how you might feel about our most precious resource being sucked out of the state to be sold for profit around the world, what just happened is a problem. As I understand it, Nestle wanted to pump more water out of the Evart Ice Mountain site. To go from 150 gallons per minute (3 shifts I assume?) to 400 gallons per minute and applied to do so through the appropriate channels at the DEQ. Seeking public opinion on the matter the DEQ received plenty of it. Absolute volumes. And while their press release recognizes that the majority of the public comments received were in opposition of the permit, it fails to mention it was an overwhelming majority. If it had been an election it would have resulted in a dominant landslide for the no’s the proportions of which would make the recent Russian balloting look like a cliffhanger. However it didn’t count in the end because the legal scales were already tipped in the direction of the company seeking to nearly triple the 150 gallons per minute currently being taken. Not by the company, but by boneheaded legislatures in the past and present who either by design or not left loopholes in their oft-amended in recent years, “Safe Drinking Water Act’ (notice how these things never reflect the reality, like “The Permission To Sell Off Our Natural Resources Act”). A bevy of loopholes that apparently ties the hands of the DEQ who, by the way, in the same press release asked for folks to think kindly toward them even after getting…. uh..,,hosed, I guess would be the word. “We are hopeful that whether residents agree with the Nestlé permitting decision or not, they will acknowledge and respect the work that MDEQ staff did to thoroughly and conscientiously apply the law in reviewing the permit.” Yeah, sure, you got my respect all right, hiding behind your bureaucratic rationalizations and playing the public as a fool for thinking a massive turnout of citizens against this action would even raise an eyebrow in that cavern of incompetency known as Lansing. This has been coming for awhile, ever since the state first started allowing private industries to dip into our water resources for, and get this, a grand total of $200 per year. Yep, that’s it. That’s what the state, with their brilliant accounting geniuses, has allowed to have happen. A company ponies up a 5 grand application fee then gets to draw out water for eternity at 200 smackers a year. My previous ranting about the ham-handed response to the Line 5 disaster-in-waiting by the Guv aside, and the very fact that this law ties the hands of the people, not the DEQ since they’re just the bureaucratic messenger boy (yeah truly no respect there folks, I just can’t muster it up) the reasons behind this law in its amended form seem a bit like lunacy to me and reinforce my long held opinion of those Lansingites who are truly the ones chowing down at the public trough. And believe me it is not a high opinion. The DEQ needs to change their name because they are apparently unable to actually protect environmental quality and the Lansing folks need to get their heads out of their behinds when it comes to safeguarding our resources. The state government has not yet displayed anything that allows me to have a shred of confidence in anything they do in this regard or seemingly with anything that has to do with water.. And once again. Just to be clear when it comes to the DEQ? Anyone with a little backbone might have taken to heart the outpouring of opposition and kicked this back to the legislature saying ‘do something with this’. Except the way the scales are tipped? All the time? They could hide behind the fact they weren’t allowed to. And that aforementioned real problem we have? A total unequivocal lack of any true leadership and a dearth of anything resembling statesmanship or courage anywhere in the capital city. Here’s the press release in its entirety: The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) today announced its decision to grant Nestlé Waters North America, Inc. (Nestlé) a permit to increase its groundwater withdrawal for the purpose of bottling drinking water. The permit was issued today. “The scope and detail of the department’s review of the Nestlé permit application represents the most extensive analysis of any water withdrawal in Michigan history,” said C. Heidi Grether, director of MDEQ. “We are hopeful that whether residents agree with the Nestlé permitting decision or not, they will acknowledge and respect the work that MDEQ staff did to thoroughly and conscientiously apply the law in reviewing the permit.” The MDEQ determined the application meets the requirements for approval under Section 17 of the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act, 1976 PA 399, as amended (Act 399), which is required to produce bottled drinking water if the water is from a new or increased large-quantity withdrawal of more than 200,000 gallons of water per day from the waters of the state. “In full transparency, majority of the public comments received were in opposition of the permit, but most of them related to issues of public policy which are not, and should not be, part of an administrative permit decision. We cannot base our decisions on public opinion because our department is required to follow the rule of law when making determinations,” Grether added. Nestlé now has to prepare a monitoring plan consistent with the requirements of the permit and submit it to MDEQ for consideration and approval. Once the monitoring plan is in place and baseline data is collected, Nestlé is authorized to begin withdrawing water at a rate up to 400 gallons per minute from White Pine Springs well located near Evart, Michigan. Nestlé submitted its permit application to MDEQ in July 2016. A team of technical experts from MDEQ conducted a thorough review of the application and required Nestlé to submit extensive additional information during the more than 20 month review process. The MDEQ also held public meetings, extended the public comment period for a total of 214 days and held several consultations and a technical review with Michigan’s Tribal Nations to discuss the application and answer questions from the Tribal Council. To view the permit or for more information and background, visit www.michigan.gov/deqnwna. In regards to fees, Nestlé is required, and has paid, the $5,000 application fee under Section 17. In addition, an annual reporting fee of $200 per withdrawal site/facility is required under Part 327, Great Lakes Preservation, of the NREPA, 1994 PA 451, as amended. In this specific case, because the withdrawal is an increase over an existing withdrawal, Nestlé has already been paying the annual fee for the site and will be required to continue to pay it as long as the withdrawal is active. |
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