Archive - Jul 16, 2008

Rourke Solomonson, 3, of Tecumseh was among many area children enjoying the splash pad at Cal Zorn Park last Thursday afternoon. Parents, including Rourke’s father, John, brought their children to the park to have fun and beat the hot weather.

By DEB WUETHRICH

State Senator Mark Schauer visited Tecumseh last Tuesday during a Lenawee County sweep as he kicked off his campaign for U.S. Congress. Schauer hopes to unseat Rep. Tim Walberg to represent Michigan’s 7th District. First, he goes up against Sharon Renier, D-Munith, for a primary run on August 5.

Schauer said one of the things that differentiates him from his opponent in the Democratic primary is his experience.

“I have a track record of getting results,” he said. “I’ve been working with businesses and Michigan’s workers for 12 years in the Legislature, but also in local government and the non-profit sector.” The Albion College graduate has served in such posts as executive director of the Community Action Agency and Calhoun County Human Services Coordinating Council, as well as acting as a Battle Creek City Commissioner.

Schauer said that his campaign is all about the Michigan economy and how to get Michigan workers back to work in what has been a struggling economy.

“My goal is to help Michigan during what has been a very difficult time for our state,” he said. “We’re really talking about how we can create a level playing field for Michigan. We have seen the result of our workers being at a competitive disadvantage due to the present trade policies as businesses outsource work. We’ve seen it right here in this community with companies like Tecumseh Products. It has brought devastation to Michigan workers and families. I want to create a level playing field for Michigan workers so businesses can compete. My candidacy is about getting results and not about partisan relationships or partisan gridlock.”

By DEB WUETHRICH

 Debbie Johnson-Berges will serve as the Tecumseh School Board’s new president following election of a slate of officers at an organizational meeting held Saturday morning. Dan Gunder will serve as Vice-President, with Gary Urban as Treasurer, and new member Karen Januszek will serve as Secretary. Superintendent Mike McAran administered the oath of office to Januszek and Kevin Packard, who will fill the seats left vacant by Matt Oren and Jody Manes.

“I’m looking forward to the next year,” Johnson-Berges told the board. “I think we work very well together and really look forward to having new members participate and bring new ideas to us.”

The board will hold a retreat to discuss goals on Saturday, August 16, at 8 a.m. with a location yet to be determined.

During the meeting, the board also received some updates on the condition and proposed costs for roof repairs in the district, with Bill Wright, Director of Finance and Operations, detailing financial proposals, and Mike Gilpin, Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds, reviewing proposed bids and answering questions about the roofs before the board approved bids for the work.

Gilpin explained how detailed samplings recently were taken on the pool roof in order to check for the degree of corrosiveness that had occurred. When this work was done, it was learned that not all the decking had to be replaced, which brought bids down considerably lower than original estimates.

By CRISTINA TRAPANI-SCOTT

Recent THS graduate Matthew Felkey is resting after an unexpected, and tiring, one-day trip to New York City for a callback audition for the national tour of the Tony Award Winning Broadway musical Spring Awakening.

Matt was one of 15 finalists for an emergency fill part for a cast member who was recently let go from tour. Whether he gets the part this time or not, the call back means Matt is on the “A casting list” for the casting agency that casts many off-Broadway and Broadway shows. Only months after his high school graduation, he’s already making his mark on a career he was planning to pursue regardless of making this musical or not.

On a whim, Matt auditioned for the show earlier this spring. He had gone to New York to see Spring Awakening, which is based on the controversial 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind that takes a candid look at teenage self-discovery, with his parents during spring break. After the show, they waited for the cast to come out behind the theater and sign autographs, which is customary with Broadway shows. His mother, Michele, mentioned to one of the actors that Matt is an aspiring actor. “One of the guys said, ‘Well, why don’t you audition?’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He said that there was an open casting call coming up. I looked at my mom and dad and my dad said, ‘I’ll take you.’”

He did go, but without his father, carrying only his guitar. He sat in line for nearly five hours, playing his guitar and waiting for his moment. A moment was all he had. “It took so long that by the time they got to me, they only let me play eight bars of a song, which is nothing. I figured there was no way they were going to pick me on eight bars of a song,” Matt said.