VOLUME 167, No. 22 Thursday, June 3, 2021 PRICE $1.

1

THE

HASTINGS

Devoted to the Interests of Barry County Since 1856

Win, place and

show our greed

See Editorial on Page 4

Saxons’ Will Jensen

earns state spot

See Story on Page 14

Hastings DDA develops

streetscape master plan

See Story on Page 3

Teachers share accounts of

stellar student achievement

Rebecca Pierce

Editor

The Hastings High School honors

convocation last Wednesday spotlighted

exceptional scholars and athletes on the eve of

their graduation.

Teachers conferring the awards offered

personal tributes as they expressed their

admiration for the students earning these

honors.

The program was punctuated with stories

of seniors overcoming adversity and teachers’

heartfelt accounts of their students’ academic

triumphs.

Social studies teacher Greer Putnam

teared up when she announced Lauren Sensiba

as the recipient of her department’s award.

“Lauren’s passion for experience at our

state Capitol helped recruit more students,”

Putnam said. “As a second-year delegate,

Lauren was asked to sit on the Youth

Governor’s Council and was awarded Best

Delegate for 2020. Though our conference

was virtual this year, her passion in

participatory government helped maintain our

delegation through our pandemic year.

“For three years’ active participation and

leadership in Youth in Government, Lauren

has demonstrated a commitment to the ideals

of social studies education and civic

engagement.

“For these reasons,” she said, “Lauren

Sensiba is our 2021 social studies recipient.”

Spanish teacher James Doran told another

story. He spoke of the outstanding academic

performance of Savana Leonard and her

growth as a student.

“I have a great story for each and every

one of my Spanish 4 students,” Doran said.

“... I’d like to thank each of them. But, in the

end, I have to choose one student.”

As he was thinking of all the experiences

this past year, a certain memory stood out

when he felt he almost made one of his

students cry.

“And to make things even better, it was

right around Christmas,” he said ruefully.

One of the biggest challenges for students

in Spanish 4, Doran explained, is transitioning

from presenting just to the teacher to

presenting to the entire class. When he told

“I had just truly witnessed

what success and pushing

yourself outside your

comfort zone looks like.”

• Hastings High School
  Spanish teacher
  James Doran

Hastings High School seniors Kirby Beck and Josephine Nickels are among the

seniors who received scholarships, academic and athletic awards at the Annual

Honors and Recognition Ceremony at Hastings High School’s Performing Arts Center

on May 26. (Photo by Scott Harmsen)

COVID numbers at lowest rate locally in nearly a year

Of 29 cases in Barr y County, 21 are from jail outbreak

Taylor Owens

Staff Writer

The number of COVID-19 cases in Barry

County and Michigan has plummeted in the

last month – and is at the lowest rate since late

last summer.

On Wednesday, the Barry-Eaton District

Health Department reported 29 active cases in

the county and 20 people in quarantine.

According to data from the state, there were

60 COVID-19 tests conducted in the county

on Monday – all of which were negative.

“We’re starting to see great news that num-

bers are down,” Anne Barna of the Barry-

Eaton District Health Department said

Wednesday.

The state numbers, overall, have fallen to

less than 300 new cases per day – the lowest

rate since July of last year.

The average rate of COVID-19 tests which

were positive over the holiday weekend was

3.2 percent, just shy of the state’s goal of 3

percent.

According to new data from the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, more than 60

percent of Michigan residents over the age of

16 have received at least one dose of a

COVID-19 vaccine.

Hospitalizations also are dropping.

According to Bridge Magazine, there were

1,007 people hospitalized for COVID-19 on

Tuesday, which was 401 fewer than seven

days previous.

Out of the 29 cases in Barry County, 21 are

linked to the outbreak at the Barry County

Jail.

Lt. Peter Nevins said 18 inmates and three

staff members have tested positive for the

virus since May 23.

It was the first instance of COVID-19 pop-

ping up in the jail since the pandemic began in

March of last year.

Three of those inmates were released due to

time served, and advised to quarantine at

home.

Nevins said the symptoms have been mild

in all cases.

The jail has been testing its inmates every

three days and its staff nearly every day, and

found no new cases during a round of testing

Tuesday.

Inmates who have tested positive are quar-

antined together according to the date of their

positive test. If no new positive cases are dis-

covered, Nevins said all inmates will be

released from quarantine by June 12.

Barna said the drop in cases has freed up

the health department to get back to its non-

COVID related tasks.

“I think many of us healthcare providers

and public care providers have been doing a

tremendous amount of work over the past

year and a half,” she said. “And even though

that work isn’t over, it’s amazing that we can

concentrate a little more broadly on more

things – instead of just COVID and contact

tracing.”

But the department will continue working

to vaccinate as many people as possible, and

ensure they have access to COVID-19 tests.

“Our goal is to find as many COVID cases

as we can to stop the spread of infection,”

Barna said. “We’re still seeing COVID circu-

lating amongst people that aren’t vaccinated.”

The department is hosting a rapid test clinic

at its Hastings offices on Saturday, and has

moved to smaller community vaccination

clinics in areas such as Freeport and Bellevue.

“We’re kind of doing as many outreach

clinics as we can,” Barna said. “We envision

that to be something we’re doing through

summer and the fall, at least.”

They will especially work to vaccinate the

younger age group, she said. About 20.7 per-

cent of Barry County residents ages 16 to 19

have received a vaccine, compared to 80 to 85

percent in the 65 and older range.

Local group says: Take a hike!

The Chief Noonday Chapter of the North

Country Trail encourages the public to walk

a short distance or hike a longer distance for

National Trails Day.

The longest pathway in the National

Trails system, the 4,600-mile North Country

Trail traverses through Barry, Kalamazoo

and Calhoun counties.

Saturday, June 5, everyone is invited to

arrive at one of the local trailheads to enjoy

a summer adventure in the woods or prairie.

“Hike Here” signs will be near trailheads in:

· Barry County: M-179 (Chief Noonday

Road) on the north side, four-tenths of a

mile west of the of Yankee Springs/Norris

Road intersection, Middleville.

· Kalamazoo County: Fort Custer

Trailhead, two-tenths of a mile east of

Augusta on M-96/Dickman Road, just past

the railroad tracks, turn north, opposite the

park entrance road.

· Calhoun County: Ott Biological Preserve

at the Jameson Street entrance, Battle Creek.

(About 5 miles to Bridges Park), intersec-

tion of East Jamison Avenue and Powell

Street.

Participants will be greeted between 9:

a.m. and noon by Chief Noonday Chapter

members who will provide a trail map and

answer questions about the trail and the

chapter.

Hikers wishing to head out on National

Trails Day may arrive at a time or day that

is convenient for them, their friends or their

families.

Regardless of day or time, hikers should

be prepared with bottled water, snacks, bug

spray, sunglasses, hat and rain jacket, if

needed. Long sleeves and pants are recom-

mended on unpaved trails.

Online information about events and

maps and be found at https://northcountry-

trail.org and https://northcountrytrail.org/

trail/michigan/cnd/

Why Memorial Day matters

Nearly 200 people gathered Monday for a

Memorial Day tribute in Hastings at the

Veterans Memorial in Tyden Park. In towns

and villages across the region, similar obser-

vances took place. Steve Carr, commander of

Lawrence J. Bauer American Legion Post No.

45, offered the following words during the

Hastings program:

Thirty years ago, America engaged in a

new war in a volatile region: Iraq had invaded

the sovereign nation of Kuwait.

It was an act of aggression that could not

stand. The United States led a coalition of 35

nations with a bold and clear mission to liber-

ate an occupied country.

Among the half million U.S. troops

deployed to the Middle East was Army

Specialist Cindy Beaudoin. A freshman at the

University of Connecticut, Spc. Beaudoin

enlisted in the National Guard and served as a

medic with the 142nd Medical Company.

The Hartford Courant reported that the

young specialist had a chronic back condition

that could have kept her home during the

deployment.

The daughter of a Vietnam veteran, Cindy

would hear none of it. “Of course, I’m going,

silly. I couldn’t let my best buddy go off

alone,” she told a friend and fellow service

member.

On Feb. 28, 1991, just hours after President

George H.W. Bush declared a cease-fire to

end the Gulf War, Spc. Cindy Beaudoin was

killed in action after her convoy struck a land

mine. She was only 19.

Like many soldiers going to war, Spc.

Beaudoin wrote a letter to be delivered to her

parents in the event that she didn’t return.

American Legion Commander Steve Carr of the Lawrence J. Bauer Post No. 45

salutes as a wreath is tossed into the Thornapple River in Hastings to honor those who

served on and under the waterways of the world. (Photo by Scott Harmsen)

See MEMORIAL DAY, page 2

See HONORS, page 3