The Hastings Banner — Thursday, May 11, 2023 — Page 5Blaming one party for the woes of the state,
nation is not constructive or accurate
To the editor:
Fred Jacobs’ opinion piece in the May 4
Banner could have been scripted by Fox
News or other right-wing pundits. Laying the
blame for inflation and other concerns on one
party or another may be an oversimplification
of the circumstances. C’mon, Fred, if you, as
a consumer, have been paying attention,
you’ve probably seen some glaring examples
of price gouging and billion-dollar profits
being raked in by corporations lately – I don’t
see those CEOs and shareholders experienc-
ing inflation like you and I are, do you? I tip
my hat to retailers who resist the urge to jack
up their prices just for the sake of profit.
The gloom-and-doom bemoaned in Mr.
Jacobs’ piece is typical of politicking, espe-
cially as we approach a presidential election
year. The minority party wrings their hands
and cries that America will be ruined by those
currently in power, or the party in power
points to their challenger and says they are
weak and (gasp!) “woke.”
Who is empowering these attacks on the
consumer, on the voter? I would guess that
those who have influence (read “money”) in
Washington, and the states’ capitols, are pull-
ing the puppet strings and directing a lot of
this “us/them” rhetoric. Let’s not amplify that
negative message nor be diverted from build-
ing America back better.
The U.S. has been through inflationary
times before, and we got through them. The
border crisis and international diplomacyare much more complex than many of us in
this county can understand. The head-butt-
ing over the debt ceiling limit and the
national budget is political posturing. Yes,
Fred, there is much more work to do.
Let’s remind our elected officials, on all
levels, that we expect them to do that
work.Beth Donaldson
Rutland TownshipCircumstances behind battery plants a valid
discussion, but electric vehicles are not the problem
Editor:
In response to Fred’s opinion on EVs arti-
cle (on) Thursday, April 27.
It is too bad that Fred tried to lump the
battery plant issue in with the electric car
issue. Now, finally, we have a chance to break
(the) hold that fossil fuels have on our lives
by changing to EVs. Regardless of what peo-
ple think about Elon Musk, he has changed
the world for the better. We now have the
ability to create our own energy with solar,
wind and storage. If Rick Snyder and his
“Good Ol’ Boys” club had not passed his silly
franchising law in 2014 not allowing Teslas
to be sold here in Michigan, there would be a
lot more of them on the road today.
As for hydrogen, it is still years away – if
ever. Hydrogen cars do not make hydrogen;they burn it as a fuel. (They have) too many
negatives: low power, hazardous, expensive.
Distribution (doesn’t) stand in the way of
progress, Fred. Where, when and how battery
plants are built is up for discussion, but EVs
are here to stay.Doug Anderson
DeltonBattery plants will impact our state forever;
politicians must make this decision carefully
To the editor:
During her tenure from 2003-10, Gover-
nor Granholm was instrumental in attracting
wind energy businesses to the tune of 175
million dollars of the taxpayer’s money. If
you have ever driven from Alma to the Bay
City area, then you are well aware of the
landscape. There have been zero benefits to
the average taxpayer in Michigan, except for
the subsidies paid to the landowners where
the electric wind generators are located. This
is a good example of “feel good” politics for
Green Energy. I give former Governor Gran-
holm an ‘A’ for trying and an ‘E’ for results.
These companies are now bankrupt. By the
way, she is now our nation’s energy secre-
tary.
Case in point with our current Governor
Whitmer. The proposed three Lithium-ion
battery plants are being shoved down the
taxpayers’ throats as providing long-term
jobs and firming up the economy in Michigan
for many years to come.
I understand trickle-down economics and
applaud its overall benefits. However, most
of us Michiganders live here because of the
beauty and natural resources that our state
offers. There have not been any environmen-tal impact studies, and the potential long-term
effects on our environment are pretty hard to
mitigate after the fact. Here, again, is a classic
example of the cart before the horse mentali-
ty. By this, I mean that politicians just want to
firm up that we are accepting these plants,
and let’s worry about the EPA and the envi-
ronment afterward. After all, that’s what lob-
byists are paid to do. Money talks – please get
informed on this decision that will impact our
state forever.Mark Bishop
Baltimore Twp.Alpha Women’s Center receives ultrasound
machine, will provide service for free
Jayson Bussa
Editor
Thanks to fundraising by a local council of
the Knights of Columbus, Hastings-based
nonprofit pregnancy center Alpha Women’s
Center was recently gifted with an ultrasound
machine to give expectant mothers a look at
their babies as they develop inside the womb.
The Alpha Women’s Center did not previ-
ously own or have access to such equipment,
but Executive Director Kim Moser expects
bringing such a service in-house will be a
game-changer.
“There was a mindset that, because (our
facility) was previously adjacent to (the hos-
pital), that moms who might be considering
an abortion or were abortion vulnerable might
choose to just go to the hospital for an ultra-
sound when that’s illogical,” said Moser,
whose organization used to be headquartered
on Green Street in Hastings near Corewell
Health Pennock Hospital.
“To get an ultrasound, you have to meet
with a doctor and have a referral. Few abor-
tion-minded people are going to enact their
insurance for a baby they’re not sure they’re
going to keep. This now provides a free ser-
vice for them.”
However, the space and layout of the cen-
ter’s old facility were not conducive for such
a service. Still, the administration at the cen-
ter explored the idea of adopting this service,
hoping it would eventually find a new build-
ing to call home.
“It came at a time where we felt, in the
culture, that we needed it, whether we were
over (on Green Street) or here,” said Moser,
whose organization moved to its new home at
533 W. State St. in Hastings at the beginning
of this year.
“So, we began the process even when we
were on Green Street and said, ‘whether God
provides a building or not, we were going to
do it.’ We are still in the process of finishing
the legal (due diligence of providing the ser-
vice), but we hope to be, by the end of the
year at the very latest, doing ultrasounds as a
regular thing.”
The Alpha Women’s Center’s new ultra-
sound machine would not have been possible
had it not been for both the local and national
chapters of the Knights of Columbus. In
2009, this Catholic service organization
adopted a new initiative that would donate
and place ultrasound machines in qualifying
pregnancy centers – both mobile and station-
ary – around the country.
Last year, the Knights of Columbus Ultra-
sound Initiative placed its 1,500th ultra-
sound machine. The initiative has directly
affected 1 million mothers, who had a
chance to see their unborn children as they
developed.
Locally, the fundraising efforts for the
Alpha Women’s Center were spearheaded by
the Knights of Columbus #3447 in Hastings.
Under the initiative, the local council was
tasked with raising half of the needed funds- in this case, the total price for the machine
was $42,000 – while the national organiza-
tion would provide the other half.
“We did that by asking other councils in
the Kalamazoo Diocese,” explained Joe Shea,
a member of the Knights of Columbus who
spearheaded the effort. “I wrote letters to
everyone asking for donations. About 15
councils responded and were very generous
in donating to us. We also raised money
through some breakfasts on Sunday morn-
ings. We had donations from parishioners at
St. Rose and had individuals that felt strongly
about the cause and wanted to contribute.”
This effort also included a $10,000 dona-
tion from the Livingston County Ultrasound
Initiative, run by Tim and Cindy Donovan of
Fowlerville. The LCUI is a separate 501(c)
(3) nonprofit organization with the same
cause – raising funds to place ultrasound
machines at pregnancy centers around the
state.
Altogether, Shea’s local council of the
Knights of Columbus raised over $22,000.
Last week, representatives from the
Knights of Columbus, both locally and state-
wide, visited the Alpha Women’s Center for a
ceremony to dedicate the new ultrasound
machine.
“I was just amazed throughout the process
how generous people were,” Shea said. “All I
had to do was ask people to donate, and they
came out of the woodwork to give money to
this project. So many people feel so strongly
about pro-life causes. This ultrasound project
has proven to be very, very effective.”
The entire initiative is built around the
power and profoundness that comes with
giving mothers a vivid look at their develop-
ing child.
“It has been proven that a woman who is
considering an abortion, after she sees the
ultrasound image of her baby, she almost
always chooses to have the baby – she choos-
es life,” Shea said.Gun stolen from truck in
Middleville
A 50-year-old Middleville man reported a firearm as stolen around 1 p.m. on April 23.
The man told police the gun, kept inside his vehicle at his residence on the 100th block
of Hunter’s Trail Court, was missing. The man was on vacation when a neighbor called
to alert him about cars being broken into in the area. He noticed the firearm was missing
from his vehicle upon returning home. Police reported that there were no signs of forced
entry, but the man believed the vehicle was locked while he was away.Counterfeit bill passed off as
real thing in Nashville
Police responded to a counterfeit money complaint around 8 p.m. on April 23 at the
Shell gas station in Nashville. A 44-year-old female employee reported that three sus-
pects entered the store and acted suspiciously. The woman said one of the subjects tried
to buy a lottery ticket with a $20 bill, but the coloring of the bill appeared to be off. The
store had received two other counterfeit bills prior to the incident, so the woman checked
the bill using a pen. The test showed the bill was a fake, which she told the suspect who
had handed it to her. The suspect denied that the bill was fake, and all three suspects left
after the attendant told them she would have to keep the bill.Gas siphoned from
Middleville vehicle
A 47-year-old Middleville woman called the police to report that her gas had been
siphoned from her car at her home on the 100th block of Lem Paul Street. The woman
contacted police around 3:30 p.m. on April 18 after she entered her vehicle and noticed
her gas gauge showed she had only a quarter tank of gas. The woman told police she had
filled the vehicle up a few days prior and hadn’t driven it since. A relative who was a
mechanic inspected the vehicle and confirmed it wasn’t leaking gas. The woman told
police she had no idea who the suspects may be.S Y N O P S I S
RUTLAND CHARTER TOWNSHIP
SPECIAL BOARD MEETING
April 25, 2023 – 10:00 a.m.
Regular meeting called to order and Pledge of
Allegiance.
Present: Hall, Hawthorne, Greenfield, Lectka,
Watson, James
Absent: Bellmore
Approved the Agenda
Approved the Consent Agenda
Motion to approve and adopt Resolution 2023-
Personal Property Annual Canvas. Roll Call Vote –
All ayes, motion passes. Bellmore absent (excused)
Adjournment 10:03 am
Respectfully submitted, Robin Hawthorne, Clerk
Attested to by, Larry Watson, SupervisorESTATE SALE
Saturday, May 13, 2023 (Rain Date May 20) • 9 am-6 pm
673 TERRY LANE, HASTINGS
Furniture, Vintage Collectibles, Kitchenware, Tools, Lawn DecorInvitation to Comment on a
Proposed Wireless
Telecommunications Facility
Interested persons are invited to comment on the wireless
telecommunications modification project proposed near E State
St, Hastings, Michigan 49058 (42º 38’ 28.18” N, 85º 16’ 11.53” W),
with respect to impacts on, and specifically, the potential effects
to historic properties located at or near this facility, if any. The
project will consist of installing a 300’ self-support tower (overall
height 320’) within a new 70’x70’ compound. A 454’ access road
and turnaround is proposed from E State St. Comments regarding
potential effects to historic properties should be submitted by
email to Mr. Andrew Fleming at 8610 Washington Boulevard, Suite
217, Jessup, MD 20794, (301) 776-0500, or afleming@aec-env.
com. This notice is provided in accordance with regulations of the
Federal Communications Commission, 47 C.F.R. Part 1, Subpart Iand Appendices B.
199339
Kim Moser, executive director of the Alpha Women’s Center in Hastings, cuts a
ceremonial ribbon on a new ultrasound machine that the center received thanks to
fundraising efforts by both local and national councils of the Knights of Columbus.
(Photo by Jayson Bussa)