The Guardian issue 36

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By Jennifer ShusterPublisherAfter two years of three-on-three

basketball tournaments at LeslieHigh School, the Gus Macker willnow be held downtown Leslie, out-side on the street.“This is our first time downtown,”

Event Coordinator Pete Zamorasaid. “This is more like the ‘Macker’was intended to be.”The event is scheduled for Satur-

day, July 25 through Sunday, July 26throughout downtown Leslie.Zamora said the annual competi-

tion draws a crowd from around the

country.“We had about 124

teams compete lastyear,” Zamora said.“We’re hoping forabout 200 teams thisyear.”According to Zamora,

the move to the downtown locationwill hopefully give local businessesa boost over the weekend with somuch action in town.There is still time to register your

team if you would like to participatein this local competition. The fee is$116 per team and the deadline to

register online is July6.Zamora, along with

Chad Burlison andScott Farley, are stilllooking for volunteersalso. Please call Farleyat (517) 285-7556 or

Zamora at (517) 589-0324 for moreinformation.The Original Gus Macker 3-on-3

Basketball Tournament was startedin 1974 by Scott McNeal (alias GusMacker) on his parents’ drivewaybasketball court in Lowell, Michi-gan. It started with 18 friends play-

ing competitively for $18. The tournament continued to

grow and in 1987 moved from Low-ell to Belding and took to the roadbecause of a tremendous demandfrom communities outside of thehome base. The “Gus Macker All-World Tour” was greeted with en-thusiasm and spectacular news cov-erage in every area. Over 10,400players participated in five cities inthat first year. Since 1987, theMacker Tournaments has expanded,holding both indoor and outdoortournament in over 75 cities and

Continued on Page 5.

Photo by Jennifer ShusterTHE PLACE TO BE - Rich Ryan, Leslie Department of PublicWorks, is busy hanging the new signs on the light posts onBellevue and Main Streets. The signs are orange on one sideof the street and black on the other. Smaller signs with localbusiness names or organizations also hang under each sign.

Leslie Community PrideVolume 1, No. 36

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

RAINBOW TIRE“Complete Auto Repair”

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Family Owned Since 1980

(517) 589-8700 ~ 1-800-266-8965 ~ www.rainbowtire.net

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By Jennifer ShusterPublisher

The Leslie Board of Educa-tion held a special board meet-ing Wednesday night at theIngham Intermediate SchoolDistrict in Mason.The purpose of the four hour

meeting was to discuss planningfor the upcoming 2009-2010school year. However, therewere also items on the agendafor board action.

Of those items, two retire-ments for district employeeswere accepted by the board. Thefirst was Alice Kenyon whoserved as a resource roomteacher. She worked for LesliePublic Schools for 19 years. Itwas stated at the meeting by Su-perintendent Corey Netzley thatthe former LPS Special Educa-tion Director Connie Smith willreplace Kenyon.

Mary Spencer, speech andlanguage pathologist, also hadher retirement intent accepted bythe board. She worked for LPSfor one year.The board then hired two new

coaches based on the recom-mendations of LPS Athletic Di-rector Matt Johns. LindaColeman was hired as the newgirls’ varsity volleyball coach

and Ed Schmidt was hired as thegirls’ junior varsity volleyballcoach for the next school year.

Also during the meeting,Netzley stated that Leslie Mid-dle School Principal John Den-ney will take on the role ashalf-time special education di-rector for the entire district nextyear on top of his duties as prin-cipal at LMS.The board also held a discus-

sion for about an hour regardingreplacing Jeff Manthei, upon hisresignation as principal of LeslieHigh School. Netzley presentedseveral scenarios that wouldsupposedly prove cost-neutral orcost-saving.“I’m willing to try anything,”

Netzley said. “We’re willing totry whatever it takes.”The most discussed proposed

plan was to have Netzley serveas the LHS principal while con-tinuing her job as superintendentfor the district.School Board Vice President

Bill Myers asked Netzley if shewas willing to take on the rolefor the same pay and she replied,“Absolutely.”

However, all of the boardmembers spoke up and wereagainst the idea at this point in

Continued on Page 4.

School board makes changes, plans goals

Third annual ‘Gus Macker’ tourney moves downtown Leslie

*Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - TheAmerican Legion Post 491 located at 422 Wood-worth Street in Leslie will now open its doors toanyone who would like to come down on Mon-days, Wednesdays or Fridays from 10 a.m.-Noonto play games and enjoy coffee and cookies.*Tuesday, June 23 - The Leslie Library presentsMichael Brown & Beethoven at 1 pm.in Wood-worth Elementary Cafeteria.*Tuesday, June 23 - Informational gathering re-garding potential school board recall for Pat Fogg

and Bill Myers starting at 6 p.m. at 4924Onondaga Rd. in Onondaga.*Wednesday, June 24 - Leslie City PlanningCommission meeting at 6 p.m. at City Hall.*Mondays, June 29 - Ongoing - TOPS-1466,Leslie. Support Group for Taking Off PoundsSensibly. Weigh in from 5:15-5:45 p.m. at theFirst Baptist Church on the corner of Bellevue &Church Streets in Leslie. Meeting from 6-6:45p.m. Contact Coleen, 589-8145.*Monday, June 29 - Leslie City Council

Community CalendarThe Leslie Weekly Guardian - Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Community

Your display advertising purchase is helping to support the continuation of Leslie community news. You canfeel confident with your choice to advertise in your own community’s newspaper, as the quality coverage willbe based solely on the Leslie area. Not only are you promoting your business, you are backing your own com-munity visibly. This publication will strive to tie the citizens of Leslie together through family-valued newscoverage. Without your patronage, this would not be possible.

Thank you for your purchase, but most of all your support!

Try advertising in . . .

Display Advertising Rates(As of November 2008)

** Price includes online ad, design services and COLOR **

Business Card Size….........$20¼ page horizontal…........$40¼ page vertical……..........$40½ page………………...........$60Full page……………............$80

Contract discounts:Every 4 weeks = 10% off

26 weeks in a row = 25% off52 weeks in a row = 50% off

Call Jennifer Shuster (517) 878-8006

Check out

these price

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Leslie Family Chiropractic

Advanced Chiropractic Care

522 W. BellevueLeslie, MI 49251

589-5610

John Daniel Kribs, D.C.

Common GroundMusic FestivalJuly 6-12, 2009

is a proud sponsor of the 10th Annual Common Ground Music Festival! Look for exclusive coverage of this area event!

Get your organization’s event in the“Community Calendar!” It’s easy and FREE!

Just call or e-mail us with the detailsbefore the deadline Fridays at 5 p.m.

(517) 878-8006or

[email protected]

The Leslie Weekly Guardian - Tuesday, June 23, 2009

CommunityClassifieds

ServicesSam’s Late Night Auto

(517) 812-4032111 S. Railroad in Rives Junction

Open Monday-Friday from 6 p.m.-11p.m.Saturday and Sunday from Noon - ?

DUPLEX FOR RENT Mason/Leslie Area

2 story-3 bdrm., l 1/2 bath, appliances, full basement with W/D hookup.

Deck off dining area, attached garage. Country setting, very nice.

Credit check, $800 dep., $800 mo. + utilities. No Pets/No Smoking

517-589-8362

Don’s Electric ServiceDoing all types of electrical work

in & around Leslie for over 30 years.Call (517) 663-4233

EmploymentINDEPENDENT BANKPART TIME TELLER

Independent Bank is currently accepting applications for part-timetellers at our Leslie and Mason branches. This entry level position in-volves a high degree of sales and customer service. The qualified can-didates will be outgoing, have cash handling as well as customer serviceexperience and be willing to work a flexible schedule. Please send re-sumes in confidence to Independent Bank, Attn: Angel McCliggott,2568 Heartland Blvd. Ionia, MI 48846, email [email protected], ordrop off an application at any of our locations.

INDEPENDENT BANK IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER; M/F/D/V

Moving SaleThursday, June 25 - Saturday, June 27

from 9 a.m. - 5p.m.1200 W. Fitchburg Rd. in Leslie.Toys, clothes and collectibles. EVERYTHING MUST GO!

PetsKittens for Adoption

Four beautiful kittens are ready for adoption. They areloving and trusting and enjoy belly rubs. Litter box trainedand ready to play with your children or your pets. If in-terested, contact: Amy at 517/202-7003 or [email protected].

The Leslie Area Museum will be closed until further

notice due to a recent floodingin the basement of G.A.R. Hall.Please call (517) 589-5220 for

more information.

Want to place a classified ad?You won’t find a more competitive price than

right here in The Leslie Weekly Guardian!$5 for four weeks straight (up to 30 words).

Parents of Teen Drivers can earn $30The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute is con-ducting a focus group about Internet resources for parents of teen driv-ers ages 14-18 years of age. Each eligible participant will earn $30. Formore information please call toll free 1-877-615-6124 or e-mail: [email protected].

HUGE ESTATE SALEEVERYTHING MUST GO!

FURNITURE, HOUSEHOLD ITEMS, APPLIANCES, ANTIQUETABLE WITH CHAIRS, BIG LADIES/MENS CLOTHES, CARPENTRY HAND AND POWER TOOLS, EXTENTION LADDERS, DIAMOND CROSS OVER TOOLBOX. TRUCK

LADDER, RACKS SPORTING GOODS, GUNS. VALLEY POOL TABLE.

12753 STATE RD. LESLIEJUNE 25, 26, 27TH9:00AM - 6:00 PM

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to sign up foran e-mail subscription to

The Leslie Weekly Guardian!

You will receive a free reminderby e-mail every week when “The Guardian” is updated.

Just send your e-mail address [email protected].

It’s that easy!


Communitytheir budget strategy. Commentswere made regarding Netzley hav-ing enough time to continue herwork as superintendent and remaininvolved in the Leslie community.The board said they may revisit thepossibility in the future dependingon upcoming budget cuts.The board came to the consensus

that a new full time high schoolprincipal should be hired to replaceManthei. Netzley said an external job post-

ing will be placed as soon as an of-ficial resignation was received from

Manthei. During the discussion, the idea of

moving the district’s central officefrom the portable building on MainStreet into the main office at thehigh school was talked about atlength. Netzley said the room and capa-

bilities are there at the high schoolto house her office along with the fi-nancial administrators. This idea isto be revisited.The goals for the next school year

remained quite similar to thoseadopted last year. There was em-

phasis on topics such as the HeadleeOverride and also the Headlee Re-newal which is up in 2011. Theboard stammered on what couldhave been done differently to edu-cate the voting community on thistopic.

Another goal discussed by theboard was promoting Leslie for anoption as a school of choice for stu-dents living outside of the schooldistrict.

The board requested Netzleycheck further into spending $2,000for 100 – 30 second radio commer-

cial spots promoting Leslie PublicSchools.

Lastly, the board discussed sev-eral different ways to better its com-munication with the public. Amongthose ideas were holding regularcoffee hours and writing regular ar-ticles for the community newspa-pers.Since the board did not complete

their discussion during the time al-lotted, the planning will continue atthe regular meeting scheduled forMonday, July 13 at 7 p.m. at LeslieHigh School.

‘School Board’ continued from Page 1

4691 Hull RoadLeslie, Michigan 49251

(517) 589-9011

New LifeSenior Pastor: Terry FrenchYouth Director: Kamanga Mwangi

Sunday: Fellowship Time: 9:15a.m. to 9:45 a.m.~ featuring Holy Grounds CaféSunday School: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. ~ Children, Teens & AdultsMorning Service: 11 a.m. to NoonEvening Service: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.Worship Team Practice: 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.Monday:Women’s Bible Study: 6:30 p.m.Wednesday: Community Study Hall and Free Tutoring: 5:30 to 7 p.m.Bible Study: 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.Worship Team Practice: 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.Thursday:Women’s Bible Study: 9 a.m.Friday: Community Movie Nite: Free movie & popcorn monthly.

Service Times:

4th of July Celebration

“Come Camping with Us!” Saturday, July 4, 200910 a.m. - Allowed time to bring tents or campers3:30 p.m. - Fun events will begin!

* Talent Show* Battle of The Bands* Pie eating contest* Face painting

After Dark - * Patriotic concert* Worship Party* Fireworks in the parking lot. B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own BOOM!)

* Smores at the camp fire (bring your chocolate and crackers)Sunday Morning -

* Free breakfast11 a.m. - Come As You Are service.

FREE

Wondering what this school board recall is all about?Please come to an informational gathering

Tuesday, June 23 to find out!Join us at 6:00 p.m. with an informational meeting at 6:30 p.m. Askquestions, get answers, sign a petition (or not) and share your ideas!Bring your families and enjoy hot dogs and other refreshments. Waterand lemonade will be provided. Bring your own pop or soda if youprefer. (Please remember this is a non-alcoholic beverage event.)Directions from Leslie: Take Bellevue Road west 6 1/2 miles. Turn

left on Onondaga Road and continue south through Onondaga (pastClone's gas station). It is the first farm on the right hand side acrossfrom Baldwin Park.

The address is 4924 Onondaga Road


Community

Courtesy mapNEW DOWNTOWN LOCATION - The Third Annual Gus Macker Basketball Tournament will beheld downtown Leslie this year. The lettered boxes symbolize the courts.

‘Gus Macker’ continued from Page 1with over 200,000 players and 1.7 millionspectators enjoying 3-on-3 competition andfamily fun each year. The Macker has grown to national promi-

nence, but is still run in a hometown, friendlymanner. Teams of various age, size, and talentlevels pay a team registration fee for the op-portunity to compete against other teams ofsimilar make-up and the chance to win top-quality trophies. By prohibiting alcohol or to-bacco-related sponsors, the Macker hasmaintained the wholesome nature and purefun of the event which draws players, specta-tors, and media wherever it is held. It hasgrown because the simple essence of theevent, as originally established in Scott Mc-Neal’s parents’ driveway, is maintained. Theconcept of Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball isbeing imitated across the USA but the Mackeris still the one-and-only original game that isevolving as the hottest mass participationsport today.The six basic objectives that have guided

the development of Gus Macker across thecountry are: 1. A Wholesome, family-orientedevent. 2. A tournament designed by playersfor players. 3. A value to sponsors. 4. An out-standing fund-raising event for the local com-munity. 5. A major media sporting event. 6.Entertaining for the spectators.

GUS MACKER3-ON-3 BASKETBALL

TOURNAMENT

Register online at www.macker.com

Mark your calendar for the 3rd Annual

Gus Macker TournamentDOWNTOWN LESLIE

July 25-26

Call Pete Zamora

for more details:

(517) 589-0324

Look Good ~ Feel Good

BEodyssentials

113 1/2 Carney St.Leslie, MI 49251

(517) 589-0805Visit us online:

www.tanningleslie.comCash/Personal Check/Visa/MC accepted

Gift Certificates Available

Open: M - Th 8 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Fri. 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.Sat. 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Tanning ~ HairNails ~ Massage


Community

Rubino’s Lawn Care(517) 575-1533

Mowing - Trimming - Edging - Hedge Trimming

- Spring and Fall Clean Ups

Leslie, MI

Weekly - Vacation - One Time - Seasonal Contracts Residential or Commercial

- FREE ESTIMATES -Professional and Reliable

18 years Experience and Customer Satisfaction

Mileage Club kids go up and Hansons go up up up and awayPhotos by Jennifer Shuster

(left) Jim Hanson stands with the Wood-worth students who logged enough milesduring Mileage Club to ride in a tetheredhot air balloon ride sponsored by Remaxof Leslie. (below) Several people attendedthe balloon launch at the soccer field onPennsylvania Street. (right) Jim and LindaHanson take off for the real balloon ride atthe end of the event.


Community

Bible Baptist Church4691 S. Hull Rd.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-9011

Bunker Hill Seventh Day Adventist3820 Williamston Rd.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-0659

Children of Christ - Israelite Society100 S. Main St.Leslie, Michigan 49251(517) 403-4641

Child’s Bible Church3985 Crain Rd.Onondaga, MI 49264(517) 589-5731

Congregational United Ch. of Leslie114 W. BellevueLeslie, MI 49251(517) 589-5226

Faith Assembly of God4020 N. Main St.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-9121

Felt Plains United Methodist Church3523 Meridian Rd.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-0217

Grace Lutheran Church212 S. ShermanLeslie, MI 49251(517) 589-0250

Grand River Community Church2443 Olds Rd.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-5448

Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall 5290 Churchill Rd.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-8883

Leslie First Baptist Church204 E. Bellevue St.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-8541

Leslie United Methodist Church401 S. Main St.Leslie, MI 49251 (517) 589-9211

Maple Grove Baptist Church6508 Cooper Rd.Pleasant Lake, 49272(517) 769-2220

Orthodox Monastery of Dormition3389 Rives Eaton Rd.Rives Junction, MI 49277(517) 569-2873

Rives Baptist Church2800 W. Berry Rd.Rives Junction, MI 49277(517) 569-3147

SS Cornelius & Cyprian Church1320 Catholic Church Rd.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-8492

Leslie AreaChurch Directory

The Leslie WeeklyGuardian provides thislocal church directory asa community service tolocal religious organiza-tions. If you do not seeyour group listed, pleasesend us an e-mail with

the information.

At about the age I am now, my fa-ther left his career and bought a busi-ness: a 70-foot, two-ton party boat. Iremember classmates claiming toenvy me: if their dad owned a partyboat then, they dreamed, they wouldbe out deep-sea fishing every day. Iknew they enjoyed fishing as ahobby, but they knew nothing of fish-ing as a business.Like every family business, there

was constant work to do. The boatscontinually needed scrubbing withbleach to remove fish blood anddried bait. Wheel weights weremelted down then poured as sinkers.Leader lines – an assembly of hook,sinker, and swivel on heavy monofil-ament – always needed to be tied.Reels inevitably became knotted, sowe all learned how to untangle lines.We knew the reels intimately becausea previous summer we built 50-somereels: several tables in the livingroom were a makeshift assembly linearound which my family made a slowprocession. Later we were all able todisassemble, repair, and reassemblereels whenever necessary.On the Gulf Coast of Florida, the

summer was our “off season,” chang-ing the focus of the business. Havingfewer scheduled trips we did a lot of“shore work.” One summer I paintedall the trim on the boat; to this day Iloathe that particular orange hue. We

all took shifts to “man the shack”: an-swering questions when peoplewalked onto our pier, answering tele-phone calls, taking reservations,throwing the dock line when the boatcame in, washing rods and reels. Adifferent summer my father and builta shoreline retaining wall.

Many important lessons werelearned at the boat – too many to gointo here. My classmates revealed anessential reality: what was recreationto them was a job for my family, sowe had different perceptions of fish-ing. The normal routines that struc-tured my family’s life were not thesame routines for other families, andyet our family was hardly abnormal;what is normal is relative. I also de-veloped a different perception ofwork and leisure.

The Judeo-Christian tradition in-structs us to keep the Sabbath holy. AJewish Sabbath tradition admonishesto not make others work on your ownday of rest: one’s own pursuit of theholy must not impugn another’s Sab-bath. How we take time off – even asa vacation – testifies to our faith, es-pecially to our claims to value eachperson being made in the image ofGod. May your travels be holy.

Rev. Dr. Thom BowerCongregational

United Church of Christ

Minister’s Musing

By Rev. Dr. Thom BowerCongregational United Church of Christ

Don’s Don’s Electric Electric ServiceService

Doing all types of electricalwork in & around Leslie for

over 30 years.No Job Too Small!Call (517) 663-4233

Don BiddingerOwner/Operator

State License & Insured

Dalton & ZickBuilders(734) 323-4796

Siding - RoofingDecks - Additions

PaintingFREEEstima

tesLicensed & Insured

Tuesday, July 7 – Friday, July 10Youth Soccer CampLeslie

For more information please contact:Matt Saul Phone: (248) 892-8811E-mail: [email protected]

5:00pm – 8:00pm at the Leslie Youth SoccerField (across from Woodworth Elementary)Cost: $80 Includes T-Shirt

The camp will aim to developthe individual skill andawareness of each player, andcan also be used to prepareteams for the up-coming fallsoccer season.


CommunityThe U.S. Constitution re-

quires the federal govern-ment to count the populationevery ten years and the U.S.

Census Bureau is readyand prepared to meet the ex-traordinary challenge of en-suring everyone residing inthe United States--in all 50states, Washington, D.C.,American Samoa, the Com-monwealth of the NorthernMariana Islands, Guam,Puerto Rico, and the U.S.Virgin Islands--are includedin the 2010 Census.

Questionnaires will mailin March 2010, but prepara-tions are already under wayto provide a new, accurateportrait of America and theone-year-out mark is a sig-nificant milestone.• Data obtained from the2010 Census will determinehow many representatives astate will have in the U.S.House of Representatives.• Every year, the federalgovernment can allocatemore than $300 billion tostates and communitiesbased, in part, on censusdata.•With information collected

during the 2010 Census as afoundation, coupled withpopulation estimates, eco-nomic data, and results fromthe American CommunitySurvey, the nation will seehow significantly the U.S.has greatly changed since2000.

While looking ahead tothe 2010 Census, it is im-portant to remember the sig-nificant place the decennialcensus holds in Americanhistory.• Census History: As man-dated by the Constitution(Article 1, Section 2: "Theactual Enumeration shall bemade within three Yearsafter the first Meeting of theCongress of the UnitedStates, and within every sub-sequent Term of ten Years,in such Manner as they shallby Law direct"), the Censusis taken every ten years andis directed with counting thefull population of the UnitedStates.

The 2010 Census willmark the 23rd census of theUnited States. The first census was taken

in 1790 and estimated the

population of the UnitedStates at 3,929,214.• 10 Questions, approxi-mately 10 Minutes to Com-plete: The decennial censusquestionnaire has gonethrough significant changesover the years.

With one of the shortestquestionnaires in history, the2010 Census questionnairecontains only a few simplequestions—asking for suchinformation as name, rela-tionship to head of house-hold, gender, age and date ofbirth, race, and whether re-spondents own or rent theirhome.

This simple, short formtakes just a few minutes tocomplete and return by mail.• It’s the Law: Responses tothe 2010 Census question-naire are required by law. All responses are used for

statistical purposes only, andall are strictly confidential.Following a historical pat-

tern of evolution, the 2010Census features several sig-nificant changes from itspredecessor in 2000.• The “long-form” has beenreplaced by the American

Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is mailed to

three million householdseach year and allows theCensus Bureau to collectcurrent “long-form” data –including accurate socialand economic data – whileallowing the bureau to con-duct a “short-form” censusevery 10 years.• Accuracy of census ad-dress maps will be improvedby the implementation of adigital geospatial databasecalled the Master AddressFile/Topological IntegratedGeographic Encoding andReferencing Accuracy Im-provement Project. • The information gatheredalso helps to advance sev-eral other industries, includ-ing the nation’s GPStechnology.• Address canvassers will beusing GPS-equipped hand-held computers to updatemaps and ensure there is anaccurate address list for thedelivery of the census ques-tionnaires.• March 30, 2009 is the offi-cial start date for addresscanvassing and the opera-

tion will continue throughmid-July 2009.• The addresses of 145 mil-lion housing units need to beverified.• 140,000 address can-vassers have been hired tocomplete address canvass-ing operations.• More than 250 national or-ganizations have signed onas 2010 Census nationalpartners (as of March 15,2009).

The Census in Schoolsprogram promotes the 2010Census with our nation’sschoolchildren and encour-ages parents to complete andmail back the census ques-tionnaire.

In the fall of 2009, stu-dents from grades K-12 inevery school in the country,Puerto Rico and the U.S. is-land areas will receive infor-mation about the 2010Census.• Approximately 119,000 K-12 school principals will re-ceive Census in Schoolsmaterials.

For more informationplease go to this website:www.2010census.gov.

The 2010 Census results will impact the nation and Leslie

107 Covert Streetby the railroad tracks

(517) 589-5230

Daily and Nightly Specials

Take Out Available

The Leslie Depot DinerAll-You-Can-EatPIZZA BAREvery Tuesday night!

Monday - Saturday 6am - 8pmSunday 6am - 2pm

$6.50All-You-Can-Eat

Friday Night Fish Fry4-8 p.m. includes salad bar, potato and bread!

includes a side salad, bread sticks,pizza and dessert pizza!

4:30-7:30 p.m.

$9.95

Introducing . . .The Step SaverNO M

ORE

of this! Are you tired of

carrying salt to your

water softeningsystem?

Never do itagain. Let theStep Saverdo it for you!

Call Frank for more information:(517) 391-7471

By Jennifer ShusterPublisher

The Independent Bank ofLeslie will be featuring RogerSmith and his bronze wildlife artcollection on Friday, June 26 atthe Leslie branch on Main Street. Smith said he will be working

on a clay model at the bank start-ing around 11 a.m. “I will have pieces there from

$290 all the way up to $29,000,”Smith said. “It will be a good bitof variety.”According to Smith’s website,

www.rogerswildlifeart.com, hehas dreamt of being a wildlifeartist as long as he can remember.The spark started as a youngsterand flickered during his highschool years.

"I took a 14 year sabbaticalfrom art of any kind while rais-ing a family, building a businessand serving my church and com-munity,” Smith said. “Then in

2000, at the urging of my wife,Vicki, I picked up the clay againwith an eye toward bronze sculp-ture. I love the look and feel ofsculpted clay and the perma-nence of bronze. I go to greatlengths to collect my referencematerial in order to capture thelife and spirit my subject. I findreal beauty in the organic shapesand curves of a Bison’s back or afawn’s ear. Then I strive to sharewhat I learn from His creationwith those who view my art."

Smith

Bronze wildlife art on displayat Leslie’s Independent Bank Independent Bank Cor-

poration (NASDAQ:IBCP), a leading Michi-gan-based communitybank, announced it hashelped over 400 house-holds as part of theObama Administration’snew Making Home Af-fordable Refinance pro-gram which offershomeowners the opportu-nity to obtain improvedloan terms. IndependentBank was one of the firstbanks in Michigan tooffer the refinance pro-gram and work with con-sumers who have loansowned by Fannie Mae orFreddie Mac. Independent Bank has

closed $159.8 million inmortgages, which in-cludes $63.4 million inMaking Home Afford-able program refinancessince the inception of theprogram on March 4,2009, through May 31,2009. This loan volumedemonstrates Independ-ent Bank’s commitmentto make home financing

readily available in theMichigan communities itserves. Through its modifica-

tion programs, Independ-ent Bank has modifiedover $23 million in loansto help families retaintheir homes year-to-date.Independent Bank’s mes-sage to communities andhomeowners is “we arehere for you.” Independ-ent Bank has reached outto customers as well asnon-customers whosebrokers may no longer beservicing loans. “Because Independent

Bank is a part of the localfabric, we understand theissues facing the commu-nities we serve. Helpingour local neighborhoodsthrough Home Retentioninitiatives is a top prior-ity. Customers in ourlocal communities lookto us for products andservices that make theirlives easier,” saidMichael M. Magee Jr.,president and CEO of In-dependent Bank.

As an additional stepin its efforts to reachhomeowners facing fore-closure, IndependentBank has participated ina number of foreclosure-related forums hosted byMichigan Attorney Gen-eral Mike Cox in loca-tions throughout thestate. The goal of theseforums has been to helpbroaden communicationwith consumers tacklingtough financial issues. In-dependent Bank hasadded staff to assisthomeowners with theprograms.Independent Bank con-

tinues to focus on provid-ing information toconsumers on the mort-gage refinancing or mod-ification programsavailable to them.

For information onnew applications/refi-nancing related to theMaking Home Afford-able program, call1.800.285.3111 from8:30 am to 5:00 pm,Mon.-Fri.


Community

PLEASE SHOP LOCALLY

Ind. Bank is ‘Making Home Affordable’

Picture Puzzler

This week’s Picture Puzzlerfeatures two girls and a boy whoall graduated from Leslie in theearly 1980’s and also appeared inthe LHS musical “Grease” to-gether. The two girls share thesame first name.

Those who think they canidentify the people pictured inthis week’s Picture Puzzler areencouraged to E-mail us at Jen-n i f e r@ t h e l e s l i e w e e k l y -guardian.com with their first andlast name.The contest deadline is Friday

at 5 p.m.Correct guessers will have their

names entered into a randomdrawing with the winner receiv-

ing a $10 gift certificate to Mei-jer.

This week’s winner is TomSterle! He was one of five peopleto correctly guess Darin Vickers.The other correct guessers were:Don & Judy Vickers, DawnKobus, Barb Schmit and PatWorden.


Family

CHARACTERS - Who are these three LHS graduates whoappeared in the musical “Grease” in the early 1980’s?

Darin Vickers

The Leslie Weekly GuardianThe Leslie Weekly Guardian

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Publisher/Owner:Jennifer Shuster

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every Tuesday. E-mail reminders are sent toall subscribers when thenew issue is published.

Sports/ContributingWriter:Jeff Moss

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PickedStrawberries

ObituaryBrian C. Dershem Brian Cecil Dershem passed away at home, on Thursday, June 11, 2009 atthe age of 53. He was a graduate of Leslie High School in 1974 and was onthe Leslie City Council, a fireman with the Leslie Fire Department, and ac-tive with the Son's of the American Legion Leslie Post 491. Brian was alsoan active member with the Onondaga Sportsman's Club being very activein the outdoors. He loved to cook, and to share his cooking with his friends.Surviving are his son, Ryan (Lindsay) Dershem; mother, Mary; sister, Di-anne (Jim) Byrum; brother, Daniel Dershem; and several nieces andnephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Cecil. Cremation hastaken place, and a memorial gathering will take place at the American Le-gion Leslie Post 491 on Sunday, June 28, 2009 at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flow-ers, memorial contributions may be made to the Leslie Fire Department.Arrangements are being handled by the J.C. Adams Funeral Home, LeslieChapel (517) 589-8216.

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Please send in your births, weddings, engagements, obituaries, anniversaries,

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Looking for a social network on the web thatwill soak up hours of your time online or on yourcell phone? Then look to “Facebook.” www.face-book.comIt started as a hobby for a college student at

Havard University and now it is a continuallygrowing phenomenon across the world. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s a bad

thing. I use Facebook in many different ways. First of all, it serves as a great distraction for

me when I’m plagued with writer’s block. I’ll justlog on and you can bet there will be a few peopleI know online and are able to chat or someonewill have posted new pictures to pareus.

Not only have I found old school friends fromhigh school and college, but I’ve even made newfriends right in my own community throughFacebook. It’s an EASY way to stay in touch with

many people with the click of a button. No, it’snot as personal as picking up the phone, writinga letter or driving over for a visit, but unfortu-nately, our society is gravitating towards anythingcomprised of convenience.I, along with many others, even conduct busi-

ness through Facebook. I find many people re-spond to a message faster if I put it on Facebookversus a real e-mail.

So, if you haven’t already joined this mediacraze, give it a try! You might be surprised at howmany people you will reconnect with. If you findme on there, say “Hello!”I’ll see you on Facebook!


Opinion/EditorialSmall

Town GirlBy Jen ShusterGuardian Publisher

The following is an editorial written by StateRepresentative Barb Byrum (D-Onondaga). Ifyou have questions about this commentary,please contact Rep. Byrum's office by calling(517) 373-0587.

With the fiscal crisis our state is facing, wehave and in the future are going to make painfuldecisions and tough cuts in order to maintain abalanced state budget. I am committed to findingways that we can streamline government in orderto cut costs, while still providing the quality serv-ices that residents rely on every day, including thepromise of a quality education.However, recent cuts made by the Senate have

put that promise in jeopardy.The Michigan Promise Scholarship is a state

scholarship of up to $4,000 that is offered to high

school graduates who attend college in Michiganor at a military academy. This scholarship isgiven to students who perform well on the Michi-gan Merit Examination, which helps gauge theprogress students have made in their education.These are funds that thousands of Michigan stu-

dents rely on in order to go to college.We should not pull the rug out from under our

students who have relied on the promise.If the Senate has its way, thousands of students

would lose out on these funds, which would havehelped them receive a quality education at one ofMichigan's fine colleges or universities. Thehigh-tech, job-creating businesses that we wantto bring to Michigan are looking for a highly-skilled workforce. Turning our backs on our stu-dents will drive away businesses, hurt oureconomy and hurt our state.

As we work to solve this budget crisis andjumpstart our economy, we must remember thatour students are the foundation of Michigan's fu-ture success. Investing in them now means astronger Michigan later.

CoffeeBreak

By Barb ByrumState Representative

Michigan could break ‘promise’ to deserving students

Call 1(888) KAHAWA-1 to Order Now.

“Coffee Break” is Sponsored by MyKahawaBar.com“Simply the Best Coffee In the World!”

We offer Gourmet Coffee, Tea, & Accessories.

Look to Facebook for finding friends and losing yourself

Dear Editor,As you reported last week a Recall

Petition for two Leslie Public SchoolBoard members has been approved. Itis now the charge of the petitioner toobtain signatures of support. Oncethere is sufficient support, the recallwording will be taken to a vote on theNovember ballot.We need to stand up together for our

community and our children who can-not stand for themselves! As citizensof a democratic society, it is our rightand our responsibility to stand up whenpublic servants put their own personalagendas above their constituents. Thisis not a personal vendetta or witch hunt. This Recall is about the education of

our children, our community and theappropriate use of our tax dollars.What better example can we set for ourchildren than to exercise our demo-cratic rights and ensure the process for

their future? Please come out to Onondaga on

Tuesday, June 23rd for an evening offun and information! Join us at 6:00p.m. with an informational meeting at6:30. Ask questions, get answers, sign apetition (or not) and share your ideas!Bring your families and enjoy hot dogsand other refreshments. Water andlemonade will be provided. Bring yourown pop or soda if you prefer. (Pleaseremember this is a non-alcoholic bev-erage event.)Directions from Leslie: Take Belle-

vue Road west 6 1/2 miles. Turn left onOnondaga Road and continue souththrough Onondaga (past Clone's gasstation). It is the first farm on the righthand side across from Baldwin Park. The address is 4924 Onondaga Rd.

Thank you,John Ghere

Onondaga

Letters to the EditorGathering invite to hear recall info

Letters to the Editor Policy:Letters to the Editor are welcome to be submitted to TheLeslie Weekly Guardian. All letters should be no morethan 300 words long. Please include the writer’s name,

e-mail address and phone number for confirmation beforeprinting. Only the writer’s name and location will be pub-

lished with the letter. Typed letters are preferred for accu-racy. All submitted letters are subject to editing andbecome property of The Leslie Weekly Guardian.

E-mail to:[email protected]

A letter to the editor:Before we hire someone for a

project, it makes sense to get thebest estimates so we can keepcosts in check. Project laboragreements work the same way,helping ensure that costs don’tsuddenly skyrocket. Taxpayerswho help pay for public projectsusing hard-earned public money

deserve to get the best estimates,and that’s why project laboragreements are critical to ourcommunity. In today’s tougheconomy, when families andcommunities are really tighten-ing their belts, we need projectlabor agreements now more thanever.

John Booher

Project labor agreements are needed

The Guardian issue 36

Documents

Transcript of The Guardian issue 36