VOLUME 170, No. 7 Thursday, February 15, 2024 PRICE $1.
T HE
H ASTINGS
Devoted to the Interests of Barry County Since 1856
CTE, FFA prove valuable
to Barry County students
See story on page 4
Hastings wrestling earns
first D1 district title
See story on page 9
HPL launching a seed
library next week
See story on page 3
Hastings man deemed
competent, faces list
of charges following
arrest in Barry Twp.
Jayson Bussa
Editor
A Hastings man charged with threaten-
ing to commit an act of terrorism has been
deemed competent to stand trial.
Those were the findings of the Center
for Forensic Psychiatry, which examined
40-year-old Christopher Mickey as he
faces a list of crimes in connection with a
December incident in, and around, Delton.
The report that Mickey was competent
to stand trial was filed on Tuesday morning
in a Barry County courtroom with no
objections.
However, Mickey’s attorney, Shane
McNeill, filed a notice of an insanity
defense and requested a criminal responsi-
bility evaluation, which Judge Michael
Schipper signed off on.
A criminal responsibility evaluation is
an examination of a defendant’s mental
state and capacities at the time of the
alleged offenses.McNeill also filed a motion to amend
Mickey’s current bond conditions, which
had in place a no-contact order with any-
one other than his attorney.
McNeill wanted to amend those condi-
tions so that Mickey might be able to meet
with a potential power of attorney to sign
the necessary documentation. Schipper
also granted that motion.
Mickey’s mental state has been a focal
point of the case as he faces charges of
threatening to commit an act of terrorism
and several other crimes in connection with
a December incident in the Delton area.
He is being held on a $100,000 bond in
the Barry County Jail.
Mickey is charged with false report or
threat of terrorism, carrying a dangerous
weapon with unlawful intent, carrying a
concealed weapon, third-degree fleeingCounty board brings together residents,
experts for renewable energy workshop
Jayson Bussa
Editor
Barry County commissioners assembled a
panel of subject matter experts on Tuesday
evening to provide both themselves and the
general public, with a comprehensive look at
renewable energy projects and how the laws
associated with permitting them have
changed.
The event, which was classified as a work-
shop put on by the county’s committee of the
whole, was a response to new legislation
signed into law late last year that will strip
local government of the full right and discre-
tion to permit large-scale solar and wind
projects. Instead, the Michigan Public Ser-
vice Commission (MPSC) would oversee
that process.
The new law, which will take effect Nov.
29 of this year, has sparked an outcry in many
rural communities, including Barry County,
whose residents are fearful that their rural
landscape will soon become overrun with
these large-scale projects as utilities rush toResidents share memories of Central
Elementary Annex building prior to
scheduled demolition
Hunter McLaren
Staff Writer
Each memory, story or personal experience
shared about the Central Elementary School’s
Annex building is different from each of the
others.
The building isn’t magical; in fact, it’s
quite plain. Despite this, the building’s lon-
gevity and location in the heart of Hastings
has undeniably made it a landmark for long-
time residents.
Built around the turn of the 20th century,
the building has served as an annex building
in the truest sense – it provided extra space
for whatever the school district needed. As
Hastings has grown and times have changed
over the years, it’s hard to say what the build-
ing hasn’t been used for at some point.
The space, consisting of eight large,
high-ceiling classrooms across two floors,
was most often used as overflow classroom
space. As a growing student population stood
by while new buildings were constructed
throughout the district at various points in
Hastings’ history, students and teachers often
found their classrooms temporarily shuffled
to the Annex. Almost every grade level from
first to eighth grade has been located in the
Annex at some point, as well as gym classes,
music classes, preschool programs, adult
Interim manager returns to helm of Lake Odessa
Molly Macleod
Copy Editor
A familiar face is back at the helm of the
Village of Lake Odessa.
Last week, Lake Odessa Village Council
members voted to contract interim village
manager services from Gregg Guetschow.
The move came after a week of two special
meetings for the council.
Guetschow was Lake Odessa’s interim
manager for a few-month stint last year. He
provides interim village management ser-
vices through his company, Gregg Guid-
ance, LLC.
Guetschow will be paid $90 an hour for
his work, along with $30.13 per diem for
transportation. Guetschow officially took
over for Village President Karen Banks, who
was handling village manager duties, on
Monday, Feb. 12.
Before hiring Guetschow, council mem-
bers deadlocked last Monday on a vote to
confirm a resolution passed last month that
would have compensated Banks for her
increased role in completing village manager
tasks while the village searches for new lead-
ership. Banks had been taking on these tasks
since December when former Village Man-
ager Ben Geiger parted ways with the vil-
lage. The original resolution was passed last
month with the caveat that it must first be
reviewed by legal counsel. Council members
voted last month to compensate Banks $
an hour for her work.
Last month’s resolution passed 5-0, with
yes votes from Trustees Michael Brighton,
Robert Young, Jennifer Hickey, Carrie John-
son and Martha Yoder. Banks abstained from
the vote, and Trustee Terri Cappon was
absent.After receiving the go-ahead from the vil-
lage’s attorney, a new resolution citing Mich-
igan law was placed on last Monday’s special
meeting agenda to be voted on.
The new resolution failed to pass in a 2-
vote, with Trustees Brighton and Yoder in
favor and Trustees Johnson and Hickey
against. Trustees Young and Cappon were
absent.
After that vote, Banks said she was no lon-
ger willing to continue as the active village
manager.
“In light of what happened on Monday
night, I’m no longer willing to do village
manager tasks,” said Banks last Wednesday.
“There are some things that have deadlines
that need to get done this week, so I’ll do thatThe Barry County Board of Commissioners’ committee of the whole hosted a workshop on solar and
alternative energy on Tuesday evening at the Hastings Performing Arts Center. The event was designed
to provide extensive information about renewable energy projects and how they will be permitted under
a new state law that will take effect in November. (Photos by Jayson Bussa)
Shelly Lake of Irving Township stands at a microphone, ask-
ing a question to a panel of subject matter experts that served
as guests at Tuesday evening’s solar and alternative energy
workshop.See ENERGY, page 2
Christopher Mickey appears at a court hearing on Tuesday morning via video
feed from the Barry County Jail. (Photo by Jayson Bussa)See MICKEY, page 2
See LAKE ODESSA, page 3The Central Elementary Annex, located directly east of the main Central building, is
slated for demolition later this year. (Photos by Hunter McLaren)“I mean, the Annex isn’t a beautiful structure, but it’s
been there forever. It’s just kind of a historical building
that everybody knows.”— Dean McVay, former Hastings student
See ANNEX, page 3