Archive - Dec 3, 2008

The Injured List, consisting of Steve Ayre, Ashton Parsons, and James Parsons of Tecumseh, and Nathan Marks and Steven Eiter, of Onsted, just release a new CD, “There’s Always Next Year.”

By MICKEY ALVARADO

Only the bravest of souls venture out into the woods of winter on the possibility of harvesting a whitetail to fill a freezer with venison and while both men and women do so there is another type of outdoors person altogether who surpasses even the hardiest while living life to the fullest degree.

Trophy hunting is an obsession, formed from the seed of desire. In the beginning the urge to tag a deer rises from necessity to prove self by giving sustenance but when nurtured and allowed to grow, the compulsive desire can turn the hunter into the most dangerous and feared predator ever to prowl the woods. While Orion has forever chased beasts in the evening skies, the best hunters of our ages have scoured the earth for its trophies. Scott Norkey is one of those rare people. To us city creatures, his demeanor is one of a controlled, polite youth counselor but to the animals he tracks down, Norkey is the most feared human of all human beings. Of the inferior deer that have been fortunate enough to pass his post, a few realized their last heartbeat was but a hand's grasp away. They tell stories to their kindred of a man which appeared as the early morning mist, floating gently over the fallen leaves and trees with the wind and then blending away.

When the hunter chooses to take a buck it's usually to improve the genetics of the herd, allowing only the strongest to continue passing the best of bloodlines, or to take the Alpha male himself, which he has done twice in Southern Lower Michigan, in successive seasons.

By MICKEY ALVARADO

No longer a place of escape just for men, the woods have become a safe haven for women of all ages who have taken to the great outdoors in pursuit of Michigan's elusive Whitetail deer and they are proving to be quite successful.

Thirteen-year-old little league softball pitcher Emily Maves transforms with the seasons when November rolls around, turning into a deer hunter with the rest of the boys. She tagged a buck this year, a hefty fellow, a would-be eight-pointer with a one-sided four-point rack. It was an initiation of sorts for the youthful Tecumseh girl being her first buck ever taken. The animal weighed in at 135-pounds field dressed and was truly a trophy for the young hunter. It wasn't the first buck of the season she took aim at. A little earlier during the second day of firearm deer hunting season she lifted her sights to see a six-point but said, “I got really nervous and my gun was like going in circles.” That one got away despite being grunted in five times. The sound of Emily's deep breathing eventually scared the deer away. The next buck wouldn't be so lucky. Emily felt so bad about not being able to get a clean shot off on the first one that when given another opportunity with her 20-gauge Mossberg shotgun about a half an hour later she made her one and only shot count. She had a direct hit on the second buck with a slug from approximately 75-yards away, right in the heart and just knew she got her first deer.

Tipton residents Richard and Cecilia Dobrovich decorate their home every year with more than 20,000 Christmas lights as well as various lawn ornaments. Their home is always an attraction. This year, the couple is collecting nonperishable food items from those who come to enjoy the display. The items will be given to the Tecumseh Service Club. See full story on page 8A of the online edition.

By DEB WUETHRICH

Tecumseh City Council members authorized a contract Monday night to Wilson Engineering Services of Saginaw to conduct engineering design services for Phase I of the Tecumseh Business and Technology campus. The work is for initial phases of infrastructure work on a portion of the property that could help attract a business or businesses to the former Eaton Farm site. The amount of the contract is not to exceed $81,110.

City Manager Kevin Welch recommended that the contract would be finalized after a December 11 meeting with the Economic Development Authority in case that agency were to make any changes. Welch explained how 34 proposals were pared down by looking at various criteria submitted and then a panel representing the city interviewed six of the firms.

“One of the things we liked about [the Wilcox] proposal was that the work plan was extremely detailed,” Welch said. Wilcox also has previous experience working with the EDA, which is funding approximately half the project through a federal grant, along with a city match of dollars.

“We do need that kind of assistance from them,” he said. Welch said references also were checked, and this included a posting on a city manager’s listserv, which produced good feedback.

“There were comments like when they estimated what a project would cost, that’s what it cost; and that they did what they said they would do,” Welch said. He said most of the companies would probably have done a good job, but it was important that the proposals contained certain criteria and stayed within the EDA’s budget of $115,000 for this portion of the project. While the process took some time, Welch said it was necessary to be thorough in choosing the right firm.

“We had to be comfortable with who we were going to work with,” he said.

By DEB WUETHRICH

A lease agreement between the Lenawee Intermediate School District and the Sutton School Preservation Foundation was again temporarily stalled on Monday night over contract language involving the use of tobacco on the premises.

LISD policies prohibit smoking, chewing or other use of tobacco on school property and a portion of the lease agreement addresses the no smoking policy. Potential uses of the facility include holding Native American ceremonial activities, along with educational programs surrounding Native American history and the history of the Underground Railroad. Native American ceremonies involve the use of tobacco, which Abel Cooper, of the Leh-Nah-Weh Native American Organization told the board is used for spiritual purposes. Cooper was one of several representatives of the Foundation at the meeting.
“We attended Monday night’s meeting to make sure that the board knows that part of the Native American tradition includes the ceremonial use of tobacco and that it is protected under federal law,” said Ellen Hicks, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, one of the groups that banded together to form the Sutton School Preservation Foundation. Other groups involved include the Tecumseh Area Historical Society, the Underground Railroad Education Program of Adrian College and the Leh-Nah-Weh Native American Organization. Hicks said approximately 12-15 members of these groups attended Monday’s meeting and presented the board with a packet of materials regarding the protection, including copies of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.