Page 2 — Thursday, April 1, 2021 — The Hastings Banner
thing that can be compensated by a dollar
amount. It is not something that can be made
whole after the fact.”
That missed experience was key to the
judge’s ruling.Gibson is the second wrestler from the area
in recent weeks to get just such a victory in a
court case.
Olivet’s Gavin Bartley was deemed neces-
sary of a COVID-19 quarantine due to contact
tracing after scoring a runner-up finish at 160
pounds at the same district tournament in
which Gibson participated March 20. Bartley
sued the Barry-Eaton District Health
Department, Anderson and Olivet High
School in the Eaton County Circuit Court and
won his ex parte motion for a temporary
restraining order with Judge John D. Maurer
to allow him to continue to the regional round
of the individual state tournament.
Bartley was again second to Alma’s Jacob
Munger in the 160-pound weight class at the
regional hosted by Lansing Sexton March 27,
earning himself a spot in the Division 3 StateFinals along with Gibson.
Both wrestlers worked with Thomas to
continue their 2020-21 high school wrestling
season.
About 25 varsity wrestling teams were
forced to drop out of the four divisions of the
state wrestling tournament after winning dis-
trict championships because of COVID issues.
That group includes Schoolcraft and Hudson,
which both had to forfeit their Division 4
State Quarterfinal match against each other,
and the Constantine team in Division 3 which
had to forfeit its state quarterfinal match-up
after winning a regional title.
Gibson and Bartley are far from the only
wrestlers who have been forced out of the
individual state wrestling tournament by a
positive COVID-19 test or by contact tracing
issues. In Division 3 last weekend alone, 53
wrestlers did not compete out of a possible
448 regional qualifiers. Those are not neces-
sarily all COVID-related forfeits.
Gibson will not attend school prior to the
state finals, and it was the wish of Lakewood
Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Steven
Skalka, who was a part of the Zoom proceed-
ings Wednesday, that Gibson not attend prac-
tices with his fellow state-qualifying wrestlers
from Lakewood this week. That was a condi-tion Gibson quickly agreed to follow, and
Alspaugh agreed it was a good precaution to
take. Alspaugh ruled that Gibson needs to be
masked and at least 6 feet from fellow stu-
dents when he visits the school for weigh-in
this morning.
“I want you to be able to participate, but I
also want everybody else to be as safe as pos-
sible in this situation,” Judge Alspaugh said.
“You wear your mask. You stay 6 feet away
from everybody. You do all the things you
know you’re supposed to do for COVID safe-
ty. Wash your hands.”
“Do everything that needs to be done,” she
added. “You are allowed to go and you are
allowed to weigh in for your competition, and
you are allowed to participate.”
Gibson currently sports a record of 29-
this season. He is working not only toward the
best finish he can achieve this season, but also
is attempting to keep hope alive of becoming
the first four-time wrestling state medalist in
the history of the Lakewood wrestling pro-
gram.
The group of 2021 individual state -qualifi-
ers for the Vikings also includes seniors
Keegan VanAlstine at 152 pounds and Kyle
Petrie at 160 pounds, and junior heavyweight
Eastin Stank.Banner earns honors
in MPA contest
The Hastings Banner received two honors
in the 2020 Michigan Press Association Better
Newspaper Contest.
“Local government goes virtual,”
published on the front page of the Banner
March 26, 2020, received a second-place
award in the Weekly/News Media C News
Photo category.
The photo, taken from a computer
screenshot by Editor Rebecca Pierce, shows
Hastings Mayor David Tossava by himself in
the city hall council chambers saying the
Pledge of Allegiance as the virtual city council
meeting got underway.
Also in the News Photo category, an
honorable mention went to Contributing
Photographer Scott Harmsen for his
photographic coverage of the “Shooting
rampage case bound over for trial” in the Nov.
28, 2019, edition of the Banner.
Harmsen’s photos documented Barry
County court proceedings during the
preliminary examination of Jon Burnett, when
he was bound over for trial.
Burnett, 64, was sentenced to life in prison
after a jury found him guilty of two counts of
first-degree murder, committing a series of
felonies with a firearm, assault with intent to
murder, resisting and obstructing police
officers and unlawful imprisonment in
connection with a violent rampage June 21,
2019, outside his residence in Orangeville
Township.
“To my way of thinking, every single
person in this industry who has come through
the past year deserves recognition,” said Julie
Stafford, MPA president and the publisher of
the Greenville Daily News. “If we were
presenting these awards in person – as was
tradition before 2020 – I’d ask for a round of
applause to celebrate and recognize all of us.
“In the midst of the chaos that was last
year, a number of member papers submitted
their best work as part of the Michigan Press
Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.
Today, awards were given to those entries that
stood out to our judges as some of the best of
the best.”
“What is clear from this contest, and from
our collective efforts over the past year,”
Stafford added, “is that Michigan journalists
and our hometown newspapers are talented,
passionate and dedicated to making sure our
readers stay informed.”
Members of the Montana Press Association
reviewed the 2,739 entries submitted by 83
Michigan newspapers and individual members
this year.
The Banner was judged in the category for
weekly newspapers with circulations between
3,000 and 7,000.Main page 2
Jon Burnett of Orangeville Township enters the Barry County District Courtroom for
a preliminary examination on two counts of open murder and a series of other felony
charges stemming from a violent rampage June 21, 2019, that took two lives and
endangered many others. (Photo by Scott Harmsen)
Hastings Mayor David Tossava, standing for the Pledge of Allegiance, was the lone
occupant of city hall council chambers March 23, 2020, when the first virtual council
meeting took place in response to an executive order, announced earlier that day, that
suspended all public gatherings. (Photo by Rebecca Pierce)
MICHAEL KINNEY
PLUMBING
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New construction, remodel, repair, drain cleaning.
BRADFORD WHITE WATER HEATERS
Same Day Installation
Office (269) 948-
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& Insured-NOTICE-
To Members of Hastings Mutual Insurance Company,
Hastings, Michigan:Notice is hereby given that the Annual Meeting of Hastings
Mutual Insurance Company will be conducted via conference
call on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, beginning at 9:00 a.m., due
to the COVID-19 restrictions. The annual meeting agenda
includes a ballot for the election of the following Directors:
Douglas J. Drenth, Mark A. Kolanowski, and Janice A.
Oshinski. For more information contact Michael W. Puerner,
Secretary, 269-948-1532.157100PUBLIC NOTICE
Sealed Bid Auction for Surplus Vehicles
Barry County is accepting sealed bids for the following:
1) 2001 Ford F-150 Truck 2FTRF18W12CA36604, 056x728, 127,
2) 2011 Chevy Tahoe 1GNLC2EOXBR195961 08.x016, 166,
3) 2011 Chevy Tahoe IGNLC2EO4BR287678, 056x711, 151,
4) 2015 Ford Utility AWD Intercep 1FM5K8ARXFGA21459, 056x720, 198,All items sold AS-IS and available for visual inspection at the Barry
County Sheriff’s Department.
Barry County reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any irregularities in any
bid, and to award the bid(s) in a manner that the County deems to be in its best interest,
price and other factors considered.
All sealed bids must be clearly marked on the outside of the sealed envelope as follows:
Barry County Administrator
c/o 2021 April Surplus Auto Auction
220 W. State St., Hastings, MI 49058
With your bid, please include your name and address, phone number, number and
description of item you are bidding on.
Bids will be accepted until 12:00pm on Monday, April 12, 2021QUESTIONS:
ASK US...Hulst Cleaners Pick-Up StationSisters Fabrics
218 E. State St., Hastings • 945-
OPEN: Monday-Friday 8 am-5:30 pm;
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Open waters bring need for new license
It didn’t take long for the ice on area lakes to melt in late February, and then boat owners wasted no time in getting their craft
out on the newly opened water. In the Upper Peninsula, however, residents were reminded this week to have their ice shanties
removed by midnight last night. Whether fishing through the ice in the U.P. or from a boat on a local lake, today marks a new fish-
ing license year. Yearly fishing licenses in Michigan – valid from April 1 to March 31 of the following year – may be purchased online
or at any local tackle shop.Lakewood junior Zac Gibson was granted a temporary restraining order Wednesday
by the 5th Circuit Court in Barry County to allow him to avoid contact tracing require-
ments from the Barry-Eaton District Health Department that would have prevented him
from participating in Friday’s Division 3 Individual Wrestling Finals at Wings Event
Center in Kalamazoo. Gibson earned a spot in the state finals for the third year in a
row by winning a regional championship last weekend. (File photo)WRESTLE, continued from page 1
“I want you to be able to
participate, but I also want
everybody else to be as safe
as possible in this situation.
You wear your mask. You
stay six feet away from
everybody. You do all the
things you know you’re
supposed to do for COVID
safety. Wash your hands.”Judge Vickie Alspaugh,
Barry County 5th
Judicial Circuit Court