A strange vote at the Manchester Township Planning Commission

The Manchester Township Planning Commission seemed to
have an odd vote at last night's meeting. 

Last night's Manchester Township Planning Commission was filled with drama, accusations and walk-outs. This isn't out of the ordinary when an issue strikes at the heart of any community.

While the commission voted to approve the conditional use permit for the banquet hall on Tracey Road 4-2, the events right before that final vote (which effectively ended the meeting, as the board moved the rest of its agenda to next month and adjourned after many residents left very upset), were slightly interesting.

Confusion over what motion was made when the roll call made it to Lyle Widmayer, who also serves on the township's Board of Trustees. A motion to seemingly approve the permit was made by Trustee Pete Stumpo, seconded by Secretary George Daubner. As the vote went around the table, it got to Widmayer, who questioned what the vote was on. His claim was that the vote being made was for whether or not the commission would vote on the issue tonight, not to approve it. Even with planning adviser Andrea Bibby reading the proposed ordinance for approval, it was unclear to him what the vote was actually on.

Much discussion ensued, and then it seemed the previous motion was halted in its tracks along with the vote. That's something I've never seen before: a vote initiated by the body after a motion and second, and all of a sudden, it vanished during voting without a clear withdrawal.

Another motion was then made by Stumpo, this time to approve the conditional use. This went through like most motions do, and was eventually approved 4-2. But that lone vote continued to be on the floor.

Perhaps this means nothing, and perhaps there's something else here. I've just never seen a procedure for a vote taken like that at a public meeting, where the previous motion seemed to not be withdrawn.

Take a listen at the last few minuters of the meeting and see if you agree:

Middle school student's letter to the editor gives advice on how children can become more responsible

I received a letter to the editor from Manchester Middle School student Josh Bunn on how to make your children more responsible. Take a look at his suggestion.

Wildts were one of the first German-speaking families in Washtenaw County

Kathy Siler, chairwoman for the Washtenaw County Farm Bureau Communications Committee, sent me an email earlier this month telling me about some of the research she's been doing on the history of Washtenaw County agriculture. While reading an article by Dale R. Herter and Terry Stollsteimer, she saw the names of the first German-speaking families that settled in Washtenaw County, and one caught her eye. Imagine my surprise when the final name on the list was "Wildt."
I knew my family had some Michigan roots, especially near Homer, but I didn't know we had a Washtenaw County presence. It's very cool to find myself reporting on agriculture in Washtenaw County, the opportunity that brought my ancestors here almost 200 years ago.

Here's the full list:
Surnames of the first German-speaking families known to have settled in
Washtenaw County (1830-1832). All were from the Stuttgart area of Wuerttemberg.
Allmendinger
Aprill
Auch
Beck
Bissinger
Grauer
Gross
Haab
Haas
Hornung (Horning)
Kaercher
Koch
Laubengayer
Mann
Maeyle
Mueller (Miller)
Osius
Paul
Roth
Ruehle
Schilling
Schneeberger
Staebler
Stollsteimer
Wildt (Wild)

To read the full article, click here.

Great invention

Today I ate a homemade cupcake at work, that I made, for the first time. This special moment took place thanks to a cupcake carrier my sister received as a gift. The plastic container holds a single cupcake and secures it, so fears of smeared frosting are long gone.

The container is a creative invention that will add a sweet treat to my lunch that I wouldn't have been able to transport safely before.

As you can see, the cupcake was transported so beautifully its deliciousness did not last long enough for the photo.

An open letter to MDOT on the Adopt-a-Highway sign on M-52 (updated)

Dear Michigan Department of Transportation,

I gotta get this off my back, it's bugged me since before I began working at Heritage Media: this year, is it possible you could work and change the Adopt-a-Highway sign facing northbound M-52 and correct the spelling on it?

The Manchester Men's Club has sponsored two miles of highway on the road in Manchester Township. But, the sign has the name spelled wrong. Here's what it looks like:

I remember seeing it, and thinking "that's a strange way of spelling a group." But after seeing the sign pointing southbound closer to the village spelling it correct, I realized it was an error.

Perhaps this year when M-52 is being worked on in the village later this year (more on that later this winter/spring), someone could go down and correct it. I know MDOT's fixed other signs on the stretch several times closer to the village, and I'm sure the Men's Club would love to see the village's name spelled correctly.

Sincerely,
David Veselenak, Heritage Media online coordinator

P.S. While out on the road taking the picture of the sign, a man stopped and asked if I needed any help or a ride; he assumed my car had broken down and I needed help. I told him no worries, but thought it would nice knowing Michigan still has some pretty friendly drivers.

UPDATE: MDOT tweeted back at us this morning, saying they'll look into it and get it corrected:

@davidveselenak @HeritageNews Thanks for pointing out the misspelled AAH sign - we'll get this taken care of as soon as possible!

— Michigan DOT (@MichiganDOT) January 3, 2012

Looking for something to do New Year's Day? How about a hike at Hayes State Park

If you're looking for something different to do on New Year's Day, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will host a hike at Hayes State Park near Onsted off Michigan Avenue (only about 11 miles from Manchester) at 11 a.m.

The hike will begin at 11 a.m. at the park, and the difficult will vary on what those in attendance want to partake in. The DNR encourages participants to bring their camera and a chair to enjoy a campfire later that day.

If you attend, you'll also have the opportunity to win several fitness club memberships, as well as an afternoon at Lazy B's Ranch.

If you're out of town, here's the list of other hikes taking place around the state. They range from Hayes all the way to the Porcupine Mountains in the western Upper Peninsula.

And for those of you who are worried about timing: yes, the hike says it will be complete before the Lions kick off at 1 p.m. against the Packers.

Offensive advertising?

I was horrified today when I checked my email and saw the latest ad from Spirit Airlines.

The "busty" advertisement is outrageously offensive to women. The "double d" slogan is an extreme stretch to find some way to incorporate breasts into the company's advertising. It's sad Spirit has been forced to use sexual images of women to sell its services and can't stand on its reputation, treatment of customers and overall experience.

The subject of the email teased readers with "Check out our Double D's." Sounds quite similar to a slogan an adult entertainment company might use.

Worst of all, this ad commits one of the most common and repulsive parts of sexual advertising, not showing the model's face. Why isn't it shown? It's because the company could care less about anything above her neck, including her brain. This model's breasts were used as objects, trying to disconnect them from any uncomfortable feelings that could arise from associating them with a person with thoughts and feelings. It makes it easier for the ad to be digested, but actually adds to one of society's problems, the sexualization of women.

The ad also continues to send women and young girls the message that they have to have large breasts to be appealing. Who in the Spirit Airlines advertising department thought this ad campaign was acceptable?

Spirit may support it's double d promotion, but it's definitely disgusting.