The Hastings Banner — Thursday, April 14, 2022 — Page 5HASS Headlines
Matt Goebel, Superintendent
Hastings Area School System‘Blood-money refunds’ are truly overpayment for us
To the editor:
Thank you, Fred Jacobs, for the “In My
Opinion” piece in the March 24 Banner.
That editorial does a good job of explaining
the history of the Michigan Catastrophic
Claims Association and how recent changes
by the Legislature and governor have caused
16,000 – or more – accident victims to lose
“promised coverage and care” under their
so-called reforms. Better yet, Jacobs shines a
light on several callous responses and lies
that have been put forth by State House
Speaker Jason Wentworth, R-Clare, and
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Wentworth’s screed about spending “an
entire year looking at every idea” may have
been as he stated, “...with our committee.”
But, I believe if the truth be told, the ink
wasn’t even dry on the paper and members
had little, if any, chance to read the bills in
the dark of the night when they voted on and
passed the bills. Whitmer’s crowing, “Our
... reforms have significantly lowered the
cost of auto insurance for families,” if not an
outright lie, is a gross distortion of the facts.
She fails to mention that, in order to have
any reduction of the cost of a family’s insur-
ance, they would most likely have to elect to
have greatly reduced Personal Injury Protec-
tion benefits.
When you pay less, but get less coverage
in case of an accident, is it really fair to call
that a “reduction of cost?” That would be like
comparing the cost of collision on your vehi-
cle with a $100 deductible and the cost with a
$500 deductible, you may be saving on what
you pay the insurance company, but, if you
have a loss, who is paying the extra $400 cost
of repair for your car?
Another consideration not touted by either
of the above two hucksters in bragging about
the reforms they hoisted upon Michigan driv-
ers is the fact that drivers can now be sued
because of a vehicle accident. Most responsi-
ble agents, if they are looking out for the best
interests of their insured customers, are sug-
gesting an increase in the Bodily Injury Lia-
bility and property damage liability limits and
an umbrella liability policy to protect them in
case of being sued because of an accident.
A person keeping the same level of Person-
al Injury Protection (medical) coverage they
had before and following the advice to
increase the liability limits to protect them-
selves in case of a lawsuit will most likely see
an increase of $150 to $200 per year in insur-ance costs. That is far from being significantly
lowered as Whitmer has misrepresented to all.
Another concern that Mr. Jacobs is wise to
point out is that “the rest of us need to realize
that there will be little or no care provided if
any of us ever become a victim.” By passing
the reforms that they tout, the Legislature and
governor now have us paying premiums for
long-term specialized care that we might
someday need. But that care will not be there
since those businesses in that industry will no
longer exist in Michigan.
The next time you see your legislator or the
governor, before you consider shaking hands
with them, look to see if they have washed
the blood off their hands. I personally do not
think there is enough soap, detergent, bleach
or hand sanitizer in Michigan to ever accom-
plish that task.George Hubka,
DowlingWar in Ukraine: Motivation to find freedom
To the editor:
My wife and I have been married for 51
years. (It’s surprising how fast time flies.)
Her niece did an genealogy search and dis-
covered a story about one of Jackie’s distant
relatives, Jacob Brake. He was born in Vir-
ginia in 1747; he was an only child.
Jacob’s mother was killed in an Indian raid
where Jacob with kidnapped in 1758 and, at
age 11, he was adopted by the tribe. He
remained captive with this Indian tribe for
roughly 11 years, and then escaped. He
searched for, and found, his father. Later, he
joined George Washington’s Army and fought
in the Revolutionary War. He was a lieutenant
in Capt. George Jackson’s company of spies
or rangers in 1778. He later married, and died
in 1831 at age 84.
I mention this because I think this true
story demonstrates the power of our desire
for freedom. Jacob was, at first, motivated to
live (the strongest motivation we have), when
he was captured. Then, he wanted freedom to
live the way he was accustomed to living,
when he escaped from the tribe and found his
father (birth family). Then, he put his life on
the line when he fought in the Revolutionary
War, so that we Americans can live free of
British rule.
The Ukrainians have had the taste of free-
dom and democracy for a little more than 30
years; and they liked it! When Putin’s Rus-
sian Army, unprovoked, attacked them with
bombs, tanks and bullets, everyday citizens
rose and took up arms against them. President
Zelensky and Ukrainians found that they
could put up a strong fight to save their
homeland from Putin, a dictator.
The famous psychologist Abraham Maslow
developed the theory of the “Hierarchy ofNeeds,” which included: Need for self-actu-
alization (to be all you can be); self-esteem
needs; love and belonging/acceptance needs;
safety and security/safety needs; food, cloth-
ing and shelter/physical needs.
According to Maslow, we humans need to
satisfy the needs at the bottom, first, those
physical and safety needs, before we can
move up the hierarchy to love, belonging and
acceptance. Ukrainians are motivated to have
food, clothing and shelter, and safety and
security, for themselves and their families,
before they reach love and belonging and
acceptance. It’s the strongest motivation we
have to live and survive.
That’s what Putin is up against. No wonder
he has been losing this fight.Dave Schmitz,
MiddlevilleHousehold workers and Social Security taxes
Vonda VanTil
Public Affairs Specialist
Do you plan to pay a cleaning person, cook,
gardener, babysitter or other household worker
at least $2,400 in 2022? If you will pay at least
$2,400 to one person during the year, which
may include transportation, meals and housing,
you have additional financial responsibilities
to consider.
When you pay at least $2,400 in wages to a
household worker, you must do all of the fol-
lowing:
- Deduct Social Security and Medicare taxes
from those wages. - Pay these taxes to the Internal Revenue
Service. - Report the wages to Social Security.
Accurate reporting is important since employ-
ees earn credit toward Social Security benefits
and Medicare coverage. You currently earn
Social Security or Medicare credit for every
$1,510 in wages that are reported. Generally,
people need 10 years of work to qualify for: - Retirement benefits (as early as age 62).
- Disability benefits for the worker and the
worker’s dependents. - Survivors benefits for the worker’s family.
- Medicare benefits.
You can learn more about reporting house-
hold worker income by reading “Household
Workers” ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10021.pdf.
Vonda VanTil is the public affairs specialist
for West Michigan. You may write her c/o
Social Security Administration, 3045 Knapp
NE, Grand Rapids MI 49525, or via email,
[email protected].
Thursday, April 14 – Movie Memories watches “Papa’s Delicate Condition,” a 1963 film
based on a book by Corinne Griffith, 5-8 p.m.
Saturday, April 16 – Dungeons and Dragons, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Monday, April 18 – Crafting Passions Group, 10 a.m.-1; Lego club, 4-5 p.m. (adults must
be accompanied by a child)
Tuesday, April 19 – mahjong, 5:30; chess, 5:30 p.m.
More information about these and other events is available by calling the library, 269-945-
4263, or checking its Facebook events.178791HOPE TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND PLANNING
COMMISSION MEETING TO CONSIDER A SPECIAL
EXCEPTION USE APPLICATION FOR A MINING
OPERATION LOCATED AT
8409 MILLER ROAD.TO: THE RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS OF HOPE TOWNSHIP,
BARRY COUNTY, MICHIGAN, AND ANY OTHER INTERESTED PERSONS:
Notice is hereby given that the Hope Township Planning Commission will hold
a meeting and Public Hearing on Thursday, May 5, 2022 at 6:30pm at the Hope
Township Hall located at 5463 S. M-43 Hwy Hastings, Michigan 49058 within
the Township.
The purpose of the meeting is to receive comments from the public regarding an
amended application by R. Smith & Sons Inc. for a mining operation (sand and
gravel) on parcel (07-030-003-01) located at 8409 Miller Road, Delton, MI 49046.
The property is within the AR Agriculture Residential zoning district. Mining oper-
ations are permitted in this district only with Special Exception Use approval by
the Planning Commission and as allowed by Section 4.2 (F) of the Hope Town-
ship Zoning Ordinance.
A copy of the Hope Township Zoning Ordinance and the application is available
for review at the Hope Township Hall, 5463 S. M-43 Hwy, Hastings, Michigan
49058, during regular business hours 9:00 a.m. through noon and 1:15 p.m.
through 3:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. The Hope Township Zoning Ordinance is
also accessible at http://www.hopetwp.com. Written comments will be received from
any interested persons by the Hope Township Clerk at the Hope Township Hall
during regular business hours up to the time of the hearing and may be further
received by the Planning Commission at the hearing. Oral comments will be
taken at the meeting.
This notice is posted in compliance with PA267 of 1976 as amended (Open
Meetings Act) MCLA 41.72a (2) (3) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Hope Township will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services,
such as signers for the hearing impaired and audio tapes of printed material be-
ing considered at the hearing, to individuals with disabilities at the hearing upon
seven (7) days’ notice to the Hope Township Clerk. Individuals with disabilities
requiring auxiliary aids or services should contact the Hope Township Clerk at
the address or telephone number listed belowHOPE TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION
Hope Township Hall
5463 S. M-43 Hwy
Hastings, Michigan 49058
(269) 948-in Hastings! Located in the mall next to
Hastings Walmart (next door to T-Mobile)Call or Text 269-264-
today for an appointment.- All dog breeds and sizes welcome!
- Services include bathing, haircut or de-shedding,
nail trims & ear cleaning. - Care, compassion and safety are top priorities.
- Groomer has completed a 600 hour grooming
school program that includes pet first aid and CPR. - Offering a $10 shuttle service to and from
appointments for dogs 25 lbs or less
Groovy Grooms Groovy Grooms
Pet SalonPet Salon
Has re-opened
HASS continues preventative
building maintenance
Buildings open for tours Saturday
One of the facets of my position as super-
intendent of Hastings Area School System
that I frequently am asked about is facility
maintenance. Taking measures to promote
efficiency and keep our facilities running
smoothly is one of the most important
aspects of my job, and something I dedicate
time to each day.
Operations and facility management is
one of the key pillars of our strategic plan.
Within that plan, our primary tool is the
preventative maintenance schedule, which
enables the HASS administrative team to
monitor and assess multiple systems within
each of our buildings. The schedule has
been in place for quite some time and pro-
vides us guidance and direction digitally to
properly maintain building infrastructure,
HVAC systems and security, just to name a
few.
Each week, we meet with the director of
maintenance to assess completed projects
and prioritize the needs of the district’s
facilities. In an effort to maintain transpar-ency and fiscal responsibility, I then make
recommendations to the finance committee
and the board of education to approve nec-
essary funds for district improvement proj-
ects.
Many of these projects are smaller in
scale and can be addressed through our
annual operating budget. However, larger,
more expensive projects – such as finishing
the replacement of roofs, refurbishing bath-
rooms/locker rooms, and installing new,
energy-efficient windows – require the
school district to seek a bond proposal from
the voting public.
In order for the community to get a first-
hand look at our facilities and some of the
proposed improvement projects throughout
our school buildings, we are conducting
tours at Central Elementary, Hastings Mid-
dle School and Hastings High School Satur-
day, April 16, from noon to 2:30 p.m.
Hope you can come take a closer look at
our facilities to see what we are hoping to
achieve with the May 3 bond proposal.SOCIAL SECURITY
HASTINGS PUBLIC LIBRARY SCHEDULE
Birthday Anniversary
Marriage
Licenses
Luella Hamblin will
celebrate 100th
birthday
Luella Hamblin will be celebrating her
100th birthday on April 20, 2022. She will be
delighted to receive your cards c/o Jim Dick-
inson, 819 N. Taffee Dr., Hastings, MI 49058
Hailey Nicole Burns, Hastings and Gavin
Paul Van Oosterhout, Hastings
Bernard
and Elenora
Tobias, Sr.
to celebrate
65th wedding
anniversary
Bernard and Elenora Tobias, Sr. will be cel-
ebrating their 65th wedding anniversary on
April 20, 2022. Bernie Tobias and the former
Ellie Anderson were united in marriage at the
Orangeville Baptist Church on April 20, 1957.
Their children and spouses are Bernard Jr.
(Debbie), Dave (Becky), Rod (Nancy), Tracy
(Julie) and John Tobias, all of Delton. They have
10 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Bernard retired from James River after 37
years. Ellie worked in this area and owned
Ellie’s Place Restaurant in Delton. They have
always lived in the Delton area and wintered
in Sebring, Fla. for 23 years.
If you would like to send your congratula-
tions, please mail cards to them at 11474 Hwy.
M-43, Delton, MI 49046.