Archive - Jul 2008

By DEB WUETHRICH

It’s a presidential election year, and Tecumseh resident, Elizabeth Rymph, is just doing what people have been doing for years as part of the democratic process: expressing her opinion and preferences through placing campaign posters on her lawn on S. Union Street. What may be a little different about Elizabeth’s display is that there are both Barack Obama and John McCain signs. She currently is an undecided voter.

“So far, I have listened and I found that I kind of like both candidates,” she said. “So I thought I would display signs for both. My plan has been to continue to listen to what they say, to see who each one names as a vice-presidential running mate, and to hear them debate the issues — and then I’ll decide.” She said it’s the American way.

Someone, however, has been stealing the Obama signs off Elizabeth’s’s lawn — and it makes her angry. She said not only is someone trespassing in her yard to get to the signs, it is an infringement upon her Constitutional rights. It already has happened several times. Each time a sign is stolen, she replaces it with four more, at a personal expense of $8 per sign. She has filed a police report regarding the thefts.

What is even more disturbing is the abuse Elizabeth and some of her friends have taken regarding the display of the Obama signs. She has been battling a serious illness for several weeks and has been reliant on friends to help her with various chores. When Celeste Rodriguez was mowing Elizabeth’s lawn recently, for instance, she was subject to drive-by shouts of expletives and name calling regarding the Obama signs.

“They shout things like, “Get rid of the Obama signs,” and I was called a ‘commie pinko’ which I doubt they even know what that means,” said Celeste.

By DEB WUETHRICH

Tecumseh City Clerk Laura Caterina said that getting to the correct polling station is the first step for city voters for the Tuesday, Aug. 5 primary election.

“Some people are confused,” Caterina said. “Whenever we go from a consolidated election [such as the school election held in May] to a traditional election, people aren’t sure where they’re supposed to vote.”

For a traditional election, Tecumseh is divided into four precincts. Precincts 1 and 3 vote at the Tecumseh Community Center, 703 E. Chicago Boulevard; Precinct 2 votes at the Tecumseh Civic Auditorium, 400 N. Maumee Street; and Precinct 4 votes at the Harold Easton Emergency Services Building, 101 E. Russell Road. Caterina said maps will be posted at the various sites to help residents determine their correct precincts if they are unsure. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The City Clerk’s office also will be open on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. which will be the last day to request absentee ballots that can be voted outside the office. Caterina said sample ballots for the primary election also are available in the Clerk’s office at City Hall.

City voters will cast ballots, along with all county residents, on a Senior Citizen Millage Renewal for operation of the Lenawee County Department on Aging. They will also narrow the candidates for Lenawee County Sheriff from the following: Republicans John B. Birdwell, Cletus B. Smith, and Jack Welsh; Democrats Steve Beaubien, Gail Dotson, Adolio Q. Navarro, Jr., Thomas Popejoy, Jr., and Larry Weeks.

Also on the ballot is a race between two Democrats hoping to unseat Congressman Tim Walberg this fall to represent the 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. State Senator Mark Schauer faces off against Sharon Renier.

By DEB WUETHRICH

 The Tecumseh Public School Board of Education approved a resolution on Monday night to establish the 2008 School Bond General Obligation Limited Tax Debt Retirement Fund and the 2008 Capital Projects Fund. The actions were a next step following an earlier adoption of an Energy Bond resolution that provided authority to issue bonds in the amount of $1,578,000, not to exceed $1,600,000 for some necessary district maintenance projects.

Tecumseh Schools Business Manager Bill Wright said that establishment of the funds allows the district to pay off the debt for capital projects and to record expenses for the projects that are to be funded by the energy bond, which includes work on school roofs and boilers, a water pipe repair and a few other items. The board also passed a resolution to indicate the intention to reimburse the capital projects fund in the amount of $10,000 for design fees for the energy related projects to Dailey Engineering, from proceeds from the pending sale of energy bonds.

“These projects using the Energy Bond were absolutely necessary,” said board member Gary Urban, who said he wanted to remind people that this work comprises some urgent projects that had been included on the failed May 6 bond proposals. “These are just the basic stuff that had to get done. This was our only option, to go in this direction,” he said. “I just want to remind people it’s not like these were something that we had the money for anyway.” He said if the district doesn’t do these projects, there would be risk of buildings having to shut down.

Board president Debbie Johnson-Burges said the difference is that the Energy Bond must be paid out of the district’s operating fund. “For the next 20 years or so we’re still going to have to pinch pennies and find the money,” she said.

By DEB WUETHRICH

Thirteen-year-old Kyle Aiuto received a new heart when he was just nine days old. The son of Clinton native Mark Aiuto and his wife, Sharon, was born with a heart defect. His parents were told they basically had two choices after a specialist called in to look at another baby was asked to also examine Kyle, who had a gray coloring.

“They were told they could take him to Georgia where they could do a surgery to rebuild the heart that could help, but it still wouldn’t be able to grow right, or they could fly him to Loma Linda [California] to await a transplant,” said Kyle’s aunt, Tecumseh resident Bonnie Schuler. She said there was a brief delay while decisions were made as to whether a ready and waiting helicopter would be paid for, but finally Kyle and his mom took the trip.

Fortunately, Kyle did receive a donor heart at Loma Linda, and his inspiring story is one of celebrating a rich life after a transplant. One of the ways he and his family have been able to do that is through the U.S. Transplant Games presented by the National Kidney Foundation, which have been taking place biennially since 1990. More than 1,300 transplant athletes, ranging from ages 2 to 83, compete in 12 different sports over a four-day period.

Schuler said Kyle has been attending the Games since he was a baby, and being the youngest organ recipient at the event, he was once on stage with actor Larry Hagman, son of Broadway actress Mary Martin, during opening ceremonies. Hagman, who is most remembered for his role as J.R. Ewing on the TV series Dallas, received a liver transplant in 1995 and has served as a spokesperson for organ donation ever since. Another actor, Ken Howard, also is a spokesperson having had a kidney transplant, a gift from a longtime friend and stuntwoman. Howard’s wife, Linda, also is a stuntwoman.