NEWS BRIEFS

BLACK AND WHITE BABY AD DEADLINE APPROACHING -- For those who wish to submit black and white baby ads for Chesaning High School seniors, the deadline is fast approaching and space is becoming limited. Please make sure to get orders into the high school yearbook staff by Dec. 1. Forms have been mailed home, however if more are needed they are available in the office. For more information, call adviser Todd Vondrasek at 989-845-2040.

NL VILLAGE COUNCIL VACANCY – the Village of New Lothrop has a council trustee vacancy. Village residents interested in the position should send a letter of interest to Village of New Lothrop, P.O. Box 313, New Lothrop, MI 48460. The deadline for accepting applications is Dec. 1. For more information, please call (810) 638-5496. The vacancy will be filled a the Dec. 9 village council meeting.

ART AT THE DEPOT – The fourth annual Art at the Depot in Montrose will be held Dec. 5, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated. Artwork created by local artists will be on display. Some gift items will be available for purchase.

FREE THANKSGIVING DINNER -- Oakley Community Church Compassionate Ministry will be offering a free Thanksgiving Dinner from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 26. The meal will feature turkey and all the fixings. Reservations are preferred but not required. Call (989) 845-4644.

BLUEBERRY GRAND MARSHALS – The Montrose Blueberry Festival is pleased to announce the selection of Bugs and Connie Spencer as the 2010 Grand Marshals. The theme for the 2010 festival will be “Disney Fantasy.”

KAHN ANNOUNCES OFFICE HOURS – State Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw Township, announce that office hours for Saginaw County residents will be held on Monday, Nov. 30 from 2-3 p.m. at the Chesaning Village Office, 1100 W. Broad St. Members of the 32nd District lawmakers staff will be available during office hours. Deputy Chief of Staff Bill Adams and Local Media Advisor Bob Grnak will provide constituents with an opportunity to meet and discuss concerns. For more information, contact Kahn’s office toll-free at 1- 866-305-2132.

WELDING CLASSES AT CHS – Two Delta College welding classes will be offered at Chesaning High School. The first class is shield metal arc welding, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. Class time is from 6 to 9:15 p.m., and will run for five consecutive Tuesdays. The second welding class is MIG wire welding. This class will start Feb. 23, 2010. Each course will cost $140. Students completing these courses will receive one Delta College credit. High school seniors are eligible to take this course. Class size is limited to seven students. If interested, please contact Steve Guzdial at (989) 845-2040, ext. 1103.

SOS OFFICES CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING – Secretary of State offices will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 26, Friday, Nov. 27 and Saturday, Nov. 28 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Licenses and plates that expire on a day when state offices are closed, such as a holiday or weekend, can be renewed the following day without penalty. For more information, visit the department website at www.Michigan.gov/sos.

MMWA TRASH PICK-UP DELAYED – Thanksgiving will impact solid waste collection services provided to some Mid Michigan Waste Authority (MMWA) member communities. Since the holiday falls on a Thursday, services normally provided on Thursday and Friday will be delayed one day. Towns with Thursday and Friday refuse service will receive collection on Friday and Saturday. Affected communities include: Albee Township, Brady Township, Chapin Township, Chesaning Township and Village, Maple Grove Township, and St. Charles Village.

OUR LADY FOOTBALL WINNERS – The winners of the Our Lady Football Sweepstakes for Week Three, Nov. 15, were: Jim Griewank, of Saginaw, 106 pts., $200, sold by Melissa Aldrich; Lori Mort, of Henderson, 104 pts., $100, sold by Lisa Conklin; David Gross, of Chesaning, 103 pts., $45, sold by Stacy Gross; Greg Beebe, of Flint, 103 pts., $45, sold by LaVern Gross; Mary Braden, of Burton, 102 pts., $30, sold by Ron Chludil; Ryan Horgan, of Mt. Pleasant, 100 pts., $20, sold by Troy Alden; Dana Wenzlick, of Flushing, 98 pts., $10, sold by Fran Gross; John Harken, of Frankenmuth, 98 pts., $10, sold by Karl Weiss; Dan Stasa, of Chesaning, 13 pts., $30, sold by Anne Stasa; John Hartges, of Chesaning, 16 pts., $20, sold by Christine Hartges.

CHAMBER RAFFLE 2010 – Tickets for the Chesaning Chamber of Commerce raffle are now available. Tickets are $20 each. Prizes awarded are $300, twice a month. For information contact the Chamber at (989) 845- 3055.

DONATIONS STILL NEEDED – It’s getting close to the end of the year, and Chesaning Area United Appeal (CAUA) is still accepting donations, which are tax deductible. According to United Appeal President Lenore Beckman and Secretary/Treasurer Lori LaRue, the collection is still $10,000 short of its goal for this year’s fund drive. “We need your help,” Beckman said. These donations support the following community entities: Rehmann Health Center, Chesaning Public Library, Senior Center, CAER, Chesaning Parks & Recreation and the Chesaning Historical Society. “Help us keep these valuable services available to our community,” Beckman stated. LaRue explained, “Our funds don’t fund any of them completely. But what the get from us is important.” If you have any questions, call the Rehmann Health Center at 845-3911. Donations can be directed to: CAUA, 147 S. Saginaw, St., Chesaning, MI 48616.

CENSUS = DOLLARS – Did you ever wonder why some communities receive substantially more federal aid dollars and state shared revenues than others? Population has everything to do with those federal and state dollars. And the CENSUS is where the population counts are registered. The 2010 CENSUS is fast approaching and it is more important than ever.Your community needs every dollar it can get to repair roads, support schools, and other important aspects of the community. If local residents don’t fill out their CENSUS, those dollars will go toward other communities. For more information about the 2010 CENUS, go online to: www.census.gov

PERFECT SCORE FOR BUS SAFTEY – St. Charles Community Schools received a 100 percent compliance rate with all state safety standards during an Oct. 14 annual inspection. The Michigan State Police gave the district a certificate for the honor. “That speaks volumes for our transportation and maintenance departments,” Superintendent Michael Wallace said.

STC SCHOOLS UPDATES FMLA POLICY – The St. Charles Community Schools Board of Education unanimously approved a Family Medical Leave Act policy revision during Wednesday’s board meeting. The revision updated the policy to the current federal and state standards. Currently, employees may take six weeks of paid leave and six weeks of unpaid leave for medical reasons.