Archive - Jan 2009

THE TECUMSEH V.F.W.  Auxiliary Post 4187 will host it's all you-can-eat sauerkraut supper on Thursday, Feb. 5th. from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Post Hall, 427 N. Evans St.  The dinner is open to the public and there is a charge for adults and children.

By DEB WUETHRICH

Members of United Auto Workers 3000 rallied at the Lenawee Stamping Corporation (LSC) plant on M-50 Monday afternoon, Jan. 26, with officials stating that workers have made concessions at the bargaining table but that they’re being asked to give up more and more.

“The fact is, no matter what we’ve done to this point, it’s not been enough to save our jobs,” said Polly Prielipp, a 20-year LCS employee and acting chair of the union. “We give concessions and they still threaten to close the plant.”

Prielipp said that when LSC parent company Van Robb (in Canada) bought the firm three years ago, the new owner said it would be difficult to cover pay increases and remain competitive.

“We came in with concessions on that contract and made extraordinary changes to give the relief they asked for, but they just keep coming back for more,” said Prielipp. She said the company has tried to bypass the UAW electorate by telling the community and union members that it might have to close the plant rather than bring in an anticipated 64 new jobs that workers were expecting in an expansion effort.

“We just want the community to know the truth. We live here,” she said. “Corporate greed has led to companies like Tecumseh Products and Fisher Body leaving our communities. We don’t want that to happen here and we need to work together.”

Local union president Tom Spears said the union normally does not negotiate through the media but at the bargaining table. “Van Robb has made that very difficult,” said Spears. “Last April we negotiated what we thought was a three-year agreement, but then the company wanted to renegotiate and look at the issues like work rules.” He said the company has given a January 30 deadline for ratification.

By DEB WUETHRICH

Tecumseh Board of Education members received an update Monday night on making a proposed athletic complex a reality. Bill Wright, Director of Business and Finance, outlined steps that would be taken over the next couple of months toward that end, noting that a final Design Team meeting was held on January 21 with Foresite Design with several coaches present.

Wright said that work continues on fine-tuning the budget prior to placing the specifications into the public bidding process. Once the budget information is complete, the district will be able to size the financing and allocate expenditures to either the capital projects fund or an installment purchase agreement (IPA). The schedule includes the following: Project Update – Jan. 26; Release bids, submit to Bureau of Construction Codes – Jan. 28; Pre-Bid meeting, Feb. 6; Bid opening – Feb. 20, 10 a.m.; Post-bid interviews (including meeting with local contractors) – Feb. 23-27, dates to be finalized; Bid recommendation from Foresite Design, Inc. – March 2; and Board approval of recommend bids – March 9.

Wright also said that an IPA for District technology equipment is being put together separate from the other funding with a timeline not to exceed six years in duration. The district had previously discussed allocating approximately $300,000 for technology upgrades but addressed board member concerns about funding such projects using long-term loans when equipment becomes obsolete so quickly.

“I think it’s wonderful that we’re considering doing the technology separate,” said Jason Sines, who had voiced concerns at an earlier meeting. “It’s a smart idea. Hopefully we can get on a cycle of updating technology like we do with textbooks,” he said.

By DEB WUETHRICH

Plans are under way for the 2009 Taste, an annual fundraiser for Communities in Schools of the Tecumseh Area (CISTA). On Saturday, Feb. 7, from 7-9:30 p.m., ticket holders will be able to sample a wide variety of foods from 15 area restaurants and be entertained by talented local performers in the process.

CISTA Executive Director Susan Reeder said that the theme is Broadway, with the tagline, “Area Restaurants Take Center Stage.” She said when people enter the Tecumseh High School Cafetorium, they will feel as though they are backstage at a theater. Performers will include The Company, Concert Women, Tecumseh High School Jazz Band, and local dance companies.
“It’s going to be a little different this year because out in the hallways, we’re also going to highlight some kids that have actually graduated from Tecumseh and are coming back to entertain,” said Reeder. She said a group comprised of eight young men representing Western Michigan University called the Broncords will perform, as will THS grads Kaitlyn Yarger and Megan Heath.

Reeder said organizers also have worked hard at lining up unique items for the Silent Auction. Bidders could win a performance by Elvis impersonator Chris Ayotte, monthly dinners cooked by the CIS Supper Club, an overnight getaway to Chelsea Comfort Suites, which includes a jacuzzi suite and show at the Purple Rose Theatre, and many other items.

Again this year, United Bank and Trust is sponsoring A Wine Tasting Event at Cambrian Assisted Living from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and will donate the proceeds to CIS. Reeder said UBT has been a lead sponsor for the event for several years and the organization is very appreciative of their backing — along with area restaurants who still contribute in spite of the economy.

By DEB WUETHRICH

Country music entertainer Hal Ketchum will perform at the Tecumseh Center for the Arts on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. Ketchum burst onto the country scene in 1991 taking his first single “Small Town Saturday Night” to No. 1 on the charts. Other top ten hits include “Past the Point of Rescue,” and “Hearts are Gonna Roll.”

“I love my live shows, getting in front of my people,” Ketchum recently said. “They give me the drive and enthusiasm to make more music.”

Born in New York State, Ketchum was exposed as a youth to both country and symphonic classics, and started lining up gigs at local venues when he was 14 and playing the drums. It was a move to Texas that really launched his career in an area that spun off such artists as Lyle Lovett. He paid to have his own first album produced and it caught the attention of a major label, taking him to Nashville where he currently resides with his wife and three daughters.

Ketchum has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1994 and also is a master woodworker, his former occupation, and is also an accomplished painter whose work has been placed in various galleries.

Last year, the artist released “Father Time,” his ninth album, and some have called it his best work with its trademark stories of real people revealed through the lyrics. On Ketchum’s official website, Neal Diamond notes that it takes someone with real talent to cut an album “old school” style in the two days that Ketchum did, with no overdubs.
“I find it impossible to listen to it without smiling at the sheer exuberance of these tracks,” wrote Diamond.