B. I. News on the 'Net, December 13-19, 2010

Congratulations Rory Connaghan!

Rory Connaghan became a State of Michigan licensed Medical First Responder on December 9, 2010. Good job, Rory!

More Holiday Hilarity 2 Clips Are Completed

View them HERE

"The Beast" Is Loaded on the Boat

Lovers of machinery were down to say goodbye to the 'beast,' the piece of equipment used to clear the trees and move then about at the township airport clearing project. This piece of equipment is just getting off the island since there are only two more scheduled trips of the boat for this season. "Shoveling three foot drifts off the Emerald Isle isn't much fun," one of the crew members stated. "It gets to this old back."

The ferry season is almost over, and there were a few people leaving on the boat this morning along with this amazing piece of equipment. With this season close to over, the island will soon be limited to using the two flight services to get on and off of the 'rock.' The boat whistle just tooted, so the goodbyes are now over and the equipment will be returning to its home.

BICS Holiday Program

The Beaver Island Community School Holiday Program was held at the Community Center on December 15, 2010, beginning at 7 p.m.

(A big thank you to Andrea Moore for the pictures and Ron Marsh for the video)

The welcome and introduction was completed by Austyn Oliver and Forrest Avery. The first group up was the Suzuki Strings, directed by Ms. Sheri Richards, and included the music "Angels We Have Heard on High," "Joy to the World," and "Jingle Bells."

 

The next introduction was completed by Erin Myers-Dixon. This group was the Dance Club directed by Ms. Kimberly Read, "Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!"

 

The next introduction was completed by Tessa Jones and Ireland McDonough. This group was the Pre-K through 4th Grade Choir directed by Ms. Miranda Rooy singing "Deck the Hall," "Jingle Bells," "Silver Bells," and "O Christmas Tree."

 

The next introduction was completed by Alex Williams. This group was the 5th and 6th Grade Recorders directed by Ms. Miranda Rooy playing "Snow is Falling," "Duet Duo," and Jolly Old St. Nick Duet."

 

The next introduction was completed by Simeon Richards. This group was the K-3 Drama Club directed by Ms. Jacque LaFreniere performing "Has Anyone Seen Christmas?"

 

The next introduction was completed by Katie LaFreniere. This was the group of All Students and Staff Choir directed by Mr. Mike Myers singing and signing "Keep Christmas With You."

 

Student Participants:

BICS Basketball at Northport

Basketball scores:

In boys' basketball, Northport was obviously much deeper in their ranks and much better players with a score of 75 to BeaverIsland's score of 36. In girls's basketball, Northport was also more talented in their score of 53 with Beaver Islands' score of 16.

New Michigan Bill Allows Blood Donations from 16-year-olds

Lansing, MI, December 16, 2010 – Thanks to a new bill that passed in the House yesterday, the American Red Cross Great Lakes Blood Services Region will soon be able to accept blood donations from 16-year-olds who have written parental/guardian consent.

This means that now even more high school students can help save lives by donating blood. The American Red Cross is excited to spread awareness that blood donation is something a 16-year-old student can do to make a difference in their community.

“Many of our committed donors began donating blood while they were in high school. As our donor base continues to age, it is important to educate a group of young donors about the importance of a safe and stable blood supply,” said Sharon Jaksa, CEO of the American Red Cross Great Lakes Blood Services Region.

Any 16-year-old who would like to donate blood should visit RedCrossBlood.org or call the eligibility hotline at 866-236-3276 to find out more information. Before donating, 16-year-olds must review a few materials and have a parent or guardian sign a written consent form. This written consent form must be brought with the 16-year-old to the blood drive or donor center.

“We have always viewed the requirements of parental consent for 16-year-old donors as an opportunity to educate parents on the importance of blood donation,” Jaksa said. “We are excited to have the ability to recruit 16 year-olds and educate their parents at the same time.”

Much like voting and driving a car, the opportunity to donate blood and save a life has become a right of passage for thousands of high school students. Until now, high school students under the age of 17 have been denied that right of passage. The bill is expected to be signed into law by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm next week and put into effect immediately following the Governor's signature.

To make an appointment to donate blood, call 1-800-RED-CROSS (733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org.

About the American Red Cross

The Great Lakes Region serves 65 counties, and needs to collect about 700 units of blood a day to meet patient needs in hospitals across the state. In addition to providing blood to our community, the American Red Cross also provides relief to victims of disaster, trains millions in lifesaving skills, serves as a communication link between U.S. military members and their families, and assists victims of international disasters or conflicts.

Island Treasures Resale Shop Announcement

The Resale Shop welcomes donations and shoppers this week, Thurs., Fri., and Sat. from noon until 4:00. As always, we can accept only "in season" items.

We have warm sweaters and coats available. There are some great cross country skis and a few pairs of skates for sale. We have lots of Christmas decorations and the prices are very low. Stop in and browse through the treasures.

The Island Treasures Resale Shop will be closed Dec. 23-25. We will reopen on Thurs., Dec 30.

We thank all of the dedicated volunteers, donors and shoppers that make our shop so successful.

Call Donna at 448-2797 if you have questions. Merry Christmas !

From the TRANSFER STATION:

As they have always done, the Transfer Station will close at 5:00 Christmas Eve and will reopen on Monday, December 27, 2010. Because there is only one flight late on Christmas, they will do as they always have done and NOT put a hopper out until 5:00 Christmas Day. The hopper will remain out until Monday. On New Years Day, the Station will be closed, and the hopper will be out all day, the station will reopen on January 3, 2011. If you have questions, you can contact the Transfer Station during normal business hours at 448-2228.

Happy Holidays from Doug, Tim and Amy!

Township Airport Clearing Almost Finished

Other than the sound of one chainsaw operator, who was not seen, the west end of the Beaver Island Airport looks entirely different that it did last year at this time. Although not in the air for some photos (hint, hint), the photos taken on the ground from the west end of the east-west runway show a different view than seen in recent history by anyone on the ground at the township airport. You can certainly tell that a lot of trees were taken out by looking at these pictures.

The first taken from the eastern end of the runway....the second taken from a little more than halfway headed west.

Taken from the western end of the east-west runway, you can see High Island on the horizon...

Looking east from the west end of the runway...

These changes have been accomplished by the former Airport Committee, now the Airport Commission, with money from grants from the State of Michigan and federal funding. A major improvement for the flying public who use the Beaver Island Township Airport!

Library News

The end of the year and the beginning of a whole, new one means it's time to check backpacks, behind the sofa cushions, and under the bed for any books/videos/recorded books you may have forgotten to return so that 2011 can start with a clean slate.

New additions to our books are in the New York Times Bestseller lists and include such titles as: Cross Fire by James Patterson; The Confession by John Grisham; Fall of Giants by Ken Follett in the fiction category. Some of the nonfiction titles on our shelves are: Decision Points by George W. Bush; Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume I by Mark Twain; Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff; and $@&# My Dad Says by Justin Halpern. How about a newly released video? We have Shrek Forever After; The Twilight Saga- Eclipse; The Sorcerer's Apprentice; Despicable Me; and Babies – the documentary just to name a few .

Did you know that the library is like a mini-office center? We have computers, productivity software, high-speed internet, Wi-Fi, printer, copier and a fax machine for your use. Copies and printouts are only ten cents while the cost of faxing information is only $1.00 to send and a quarter to receive. Using the library is less expensive than buying all that equipment and usage of the computers, software, and internet is free.

In this economy, it's always nice to be able to save some money, so rather than spend it, stop in and read your favorite magazines: Woman's Day, Time, Family Circle, Woodsman, Newsweek, New Yorker, Good Housekeeping; Ireland of the Welcomes; National Geographic. We also subscribe to several children's magazines: National Geographic Kids; Ranger Rick, Zoobooks, and Your Big Backyard. All totaled we subscribe to more than 50 publications, stop in and spend an hour or two catching up on current and past issues. We also have newspapers available to you such as The Grand Rapids Press, Wall Street Journal, Beaver Beacon, NorthernIslander, Charlevoix Courier and Petoskey News Review.

The library is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from noon until 5:00 pm and on Wednesday from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm. We are closed on Sunday. The drop box is always available.

NORTHERN LIGHTS LEAGUE ALL-LEAGUE SOCCER AND VOLLEYBALL 1ST AND 2ND TEAMS

The Northern Lights League is proud to announce its All-League Soccer and All-League Volleyball teams for the fall 2010 season. Members of the Northern Lights League are among the smallest K-12 schools in the State: the Beaver Island- Islanders, Grand Marais-Polar Bears, Hannahville-Soaring Eagles, Mackinac Island-Lakers, Maplewood Baptist-Black Bears, Munising Baptist-Bobcats, Ojibwe-Eagles, Paradise-Rockets.

Final NLL Standings in Soccer: 1st Place: Grand Marais & Hannahville-Co-Champs; 3rd Place: Beaver Island; 4th Place: Paradise; 5th Place: Mackinac Island; 6th Place: Munising Baptist

Final NLL Standings in Volleyball: 1st Place: Mackinac Island; 2nd place: Beaver Island and Paradise; 4th Place: Maplewood Baptist; 5th Place: Hannahville & Munising Baptist; 7th Place: Ojibwe

The following athletes were selected as the 1st and 2nd All-League Northern Lights League teams. The All-League teams are selected by all coaches from each of the Northern Lights League schools.

All-League Soccer Players

NORTHERN LIGHTS ALL-LEAGUE 1ST TEAM

Allen Archambeau (Paradise)

Jenna Battle (Beaver Island)

TallenBoda (Hannahville)

Doug Campbell (Beaver Island)

FourwindsCharginghawk (Hannahville)

Taren Halfaday (Hannahville)

Leroy Ward-Harbaum (Grand Marais)

Emily Tufnell-MacArthur (Munising Baptist)

Jake Rivera (Grand Marais)

Jesse Ross (Grand Marais)

Seth Williams (Hannahville)

NORTHERN LIGHTS ALL-LEAGUE 2ND TEAM

Collin Armstrong (Mackinac Island)

Jordan Atwood (Paradise)

Rachel Bodak (Grand Marais)

Gus Connaghan (Beaver Island)

Todd Fridline (Mackinac Island)

Taylor Hopkins (Mackinac Island)

Amy Kerst (Munising Baptist)

DominikKinlaw (Grand Marais)

Austin Ruddle (Mackinac Island)

Alyssa Sagataw (Hannahville)

Alec Wandahsega (Hannahville)

Jake Weaver (Paradise)

All-League Volleyball Players

Northern Lights All-League 1st Team

Jenna Battle (Beaver Island)

Morgan Brodeur Bunker (Mackinac Island)

Marie Bunker (Mackinac Island)

Olivia Cary (Beaver Island)

Maggie Chambers (Mackinac Island)

Brontae Lemmink (Beaver Island)

Calah Marsh (Paradise)

Northern Lights All League 2nd Team

Janie Atwood (Paradise)

Madison Drozdrowski (Paradise)

JaylynLaFlamme (Munising Baptist)

Alyssa Sagataw (Hannahville)

Kenzie Williams (Maplewood Baptist)

Shelby Williams (Maplewood Baptist)

News on the 'Net congratulates all players and thanks them for an exciting year!

Holiday Hilarity II

The performances this past weekend at the Community Center certainly lived up to the title. Holiday Hilarity was performed on Friday and Saturday, December 10 and 11. The acts, including the videos, but particulary the live performances, were hilarious. So the title spoke the truth. Standing out was Pat Nugent's monologue and Jeff Powers' Hardware Man as two of funniest, but the entire performance was funny.

Billed as completely different from the first Holiday Hilarity, this performance was completely different. Elaine West's addition to the group was an excellent choice. The only thing missing from this performance were some of the previous cast members. The technical part of the performance was almost flawless with the addition of Deb Plastrik behind the curtain. Ann Partridge coordinated the efforts from the booth upstairs, and the audience was never aware of any glitches. When the lights go off in this auditorium, it is really dark in this room.

While the Saturday performance was to a completely full house, the Friday performance was not. Friday's attendance was only about half of the seating. This is important because the performers feed off the audience laughter, making enuciations and facial expressions even more hilarious, which is why the live performances are more hilarious to this amateur critic. As previously stated, the live performances were certainly well done, and the video included some surprise participants. An excellent production and truly hilarious!

Selected Video Clips of the Friday night performance HERE

Enough Snow to Snowshoe

Perhaps the statement, "If it's gonna snow, then I want enough snow to be able to snowshoe," made in the post office yesterday was the cause of the snowstorm, but that's unlikely. The first snowmobile of the season went flying by on the King's Highway, and, from facebook, it was Sarah McCafferty going to the EMS office. The little electric snow thrower worked its wonders and the emergency response vehicle in the driveway is cleared out in case something unfortunate is to happen. Measuring the snow drifts in the driveway while throwing snow made an even fourteen inches in the deepest spot and eight inches on the level spots. It is still snowing and blowing on Sunday, December 12, 2010, at 10:45 a.m.

There are people out and around, but very few. Gerald was out blowing snow at the rural health center, and John was pushing snow there with his tractor. Liam and Marilyn went by on their way to Stoney Acres. The county plow trucks are out making the road somewhat clear. Holy Cross canceled its service this morning, as did the BI Christian Church. There just isn't much of a reason go out in this unless you want to play in it. It won't keep most people from getting to where they want to go, but there are always the unfortunate few. The front wheel drive car got stuck in the roadway on Carlisle Road, but that was before the county truck went by. Yes, it was out of the way and back in the driveway before the county came by.

There are many people stranded. Some we know of are stranded in Chicago. Some are stranded in Detroit. Some students are wanting to come home, but are stuck, not literally, at the college apartments, but wanting to get home. Everyone is advising all friends and relatives to stay put and wait until the storm passes by, even if it will be a day or so. Good advice, we're thinking!

The electric snow thrower is, at the moment, a favorite piece of machinery. The gas snow blower at the Gregg residence is a least favorite piece of machinery. For someone with no mechanical blood in the entire body, the gasoline powered snow blower became a source of complete and utter frustration when it wouldn't start. The time dedicated for this was to be less than fifteen minutes, but it unfortunately turned into forty-five minutes when the crazy piece of equipment kept starting and then stalling, starting and then stalling, once, twice, three times, and finally it kept running long enough to get the walkways cleared. By the time the porches were shoveled off, the walkways were covered again with the blowing snow. Then the garage door opener wouldn't allow the garage door to close. Help from Jim Wojan got the chain back in its proper place, and help from Gerald LaFreniere got the snow away from the "magic eye" so the door would finally close. And now, to be honest, exhaustion has set in, so no snowshoeing will be taking place today, at least not right away even if there is plenty of snow for it.

Airport Commission Meeting No. 2

With the BIAC meeting in alternate locations, St. James Township Hall and Peaine Township Hall, there was no confusion and no seating problem with this meeting at the Peaine Township Hall on Thursday, December 9, 2010, at 6 p.m. The most important part of this meeting for most to understand is that the property acquisition is the main hold up in the ten-year plan. Nothing can move along until this issue is resolved for at least a couple of reasons. One of the most important reasons deals with the use of grant money, and how much of this grant money will be needed to complete the land acquisition. That puts all other items in the plan on hold until this issue is resolved because money availability is always an issue in completing any plan. It is unfortunate that the Beaver Island community must wait for lawyers to resolve the issue of the value of the property to be able to move forward with any plans at all.

According to the report at this meeting, the tree clearing has been almost completed. Don Vyse and Mike Scripps have completed the interim inspections, which save the cost of having Meade and Hunt travel to do these interim inspections.

Frank Solle's Woodpecker Pictures

 

Frank sent these pictures last week along with this short story:

I noticed the beech stump just off my driveway had been assaulted by what looked to be a pileated woodpecker. Now since the stump is less that two feet tall, this just seemed weird. But then, who else makes those elongated, rectangular holes in dead trees? And they just showed up. Then, this afternoon when Sue came home from town she saw the bird at the stump. It flew up into the nearby trees by the time I came out with the camera and in the late, gray afternoon light it was hard to get a decent shot. When it finally flew off I turned with it in an attempt to 'pan' it in flight, although there wasn't time even to turn the camera from vertical to horizontal. But somehow, I found a little luck and got, given the circumstances, a fairly decent shot of it 'awing' through the trees.

Great pictures, Frank! Thanks for sharing!

Coast Guard Pick Up One-Changes Another

The USCG buoy-tender Alger makes a minimum of two trips to Beaver Island each year, one to place the Garden Island buoy and the summer mouth-of-the-harbor buoy as well as the outlying buoys. This time of the year the Alger crew were replacing the summer buoy with an ice-buoy at the mouth of the harbor and picking up the Garden Island buoy. The work at the mouth of the harbor at Whiskey Point was pretty tedious and typical, but the windy day made the work on the Garden Island buoy slightly adverturous on Thursday, December 9, 2010.

Thank you to Phyllis Moore for the pictures and the video....Gull Harbor was pretty windy and cold.

 

Frank Solle's Photo of the USCG Vessel

Senior Housing "Forest View" Progress

Since last Wednesday, the Beaver Gems construction crew and the the sub-contractors have been busy. The trusses are completely up on the main part of the building and the plywood sheeting is just now being put on the trusses as this is written. The size of the building is now fairly easy to see in reality, which was not so large in the drawing that were shown a few short weeks ago.

These picture will be labeled since there was no walk-around. The workers were well at the building and leveling of the ground along with the completion of the drain field, and this photographer did not want to get in anyone's way today, Wednesday, December 8, 2010. The pictures were taken at approximately 2 p.m.

First picture from Stoney Acre parking lot....then walking east to get a corner view.....then a picture of the workers on the roof doing the sheeting

First one here is from the southwest corner.....then walking in the BIRHC driveway and walking north.....then the northwest corner of the building.

Looking at the drain field area with Jim Wojan leveling the ground.....Looking at the northwest corner of the building from BIRHC parking lot......Looking at the crew leveling the ground by hand.

Celebration of Gail Weede's Life

There will be a celebration of Gail’s life, on Saturday, December 18, 2010, at 10:30 am, at the Saint Joseph Catholic Church in St. Joseph, Michigan. Monseigneur Eugene Sears will officiate.
Gail Weede, 59, of Beaver Island, MI, formerly of St. Joseph, MI, left her beautiful world on Thursday, November 11, 2010. She is survived by her very loved husband, Mike, children Rebecca Sailor-Dawson, Jeffrey Sailor (Lisa), Allyson (John) Arnold, Joseph Weede and Stephanie Sailor. GG will be sadly missed by her grandchildren Jack and Adele Dawson and Conley and Alexandra Arnold.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the 21st Century Learning Scholarship Fund, in care of the Beaver Island Community Schools, 37895 Kings Highway, Beaver Island, MI 49782 would be appreciated.

Those wishing to share memories or condolences of Gail may do so at http://www.winchesterfuneralhome.com

Peaine Township Board Meeting, December 8, 2010

Peaine Township's meeting of December 8, 2010, was relatively calm this month, but there were still contentious matters discussed. The NRETC was able to get their original resolution passed to allow for a total of 21 members on the commission. This would include those two that were seemingly missing from the group, the Chamber of Commerce and the Beaver Island Conservation Club. The resolution also added a few more like the Odawa indian tribe, the Little Traverse Conservancy, and specified the organizations and the individuals that were to participate. Fourteen organizations and five individuals were mentioned, but Paul Welke asked for the list of all 21. Then the motion to accept the resolution passed. Postings were agreed for the Planning Commission and the Board of Review. The waste management bylaws were table again. The exchange of property by St. James Township was once again discussed with some on the Peaine Board and in the audience wanting the trade to reflect the joint ownership of the DNR property instead of just St. James Township. The discussion was tabled at the board level and sent back to the committee of Larry Kubic and Pete LoDico to discuss with St. James Township. Emerald Isle Propane was granted a conditional bid for the propane tanks and the first fill of the tanks. The condition included a clarification that the townships own the two tanks for both generator sites. The generators are here and waiting for fuel tanks and fuel.

The cleanliness of the Peaine Township Hall kitchen was brought into question with the general consensus being that it should be thoroughly cleaned at least twice per year which would make the cleaning person work additional hours with additional expense. The question was raised about how the DNR may react to the assertion of Peaine Township for joint ownership of the deputy residence and the waterfront across the road.

Video of this meeting HERE

Veteran's Memorial Bricks

Please consider a Beaver Island Veterans Memorial brick for a Christmas present this year. 

Send us your brick application and we will send you back a custom printed 4 x 6 card and envelope with a picture of the memorial site on the cover.   Inside there is the artist rendering of what the site will look like when completed and a place for you to add a message.

Veterans bricks are $100 for 3 lines of text and $200 for 6 lines of text,  18 characters per line.

Non-veteran bricks are also for sale for anyone wishing to purchase one. So far we have bricks purchased with family names, organizations and businesses.    Non-veterans  bricks will be placed in the sidewalk leading to the memorial site.

E-mail us and we e-mail you back the application form. 

Thanks

AMVETS Post 46
Box 319
Beaver Island, MI  49782

amvetspost46@yahoo.com

An Example of the Christmas Spirit

Gift of garlands from Powers' Hardware and Pinky's to Dahwhinnies'

"John Bowie and Larry Forth donated the beautiful garlands (made by Heidi Connor) that are now gracing our pocket gardens. Many thanks to them both for their generous thoughtfulness!" stated Cindy Ricksgers on the Beaver Island Forum. This certainly shows the spirit of Christmas. St. James Township Supervisor Rick Speck stated at the meeting on December 1, 2010, "I first thought that .... had completed this and that we would receive a bill, but we found out that there wasn't any (bill)." John and Larry, you have demonstrated one of the many reasons why Beaver Island is such a unique place to live.

We also understand that you have participated in the Community Center's Christmas Activities! What a fantastic demonstration of the Christmas Spirit! Thank you both so much! BINN wishes you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Please send me your email address to medic5740@gmail.com, we have a gift for you.

Cantata Sunday at 3 p.m.

What a wonderful Christmas gift to the entire community! The Cantata performance on Saturday, December 4, 2010, began promptly at 3 p.m. If you missed it, you still have a chance to attend on Sunday at 3 p.m. The music was beautiful! The comradery was amazing! The Spirit of Christmas was present! Thanks to Shelly Scripps and to Ron Marsh for taking pictures and helping out!

What a program! Here are some pictures from the Saturday performance to give you an idea.

Video of the Entire Performance is HERE

Judi Meister and Joe Moore "O Holy Night" ...Jayne Bailey, Jean Wierenga, Mike Scripps, Dan Vander Vliet "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem: 

Liturgical Dance "Joy to the World" Nancy Ferguson..."Coventry Carol" Joe Moore, Matt Ritchie, Jayne Bailey, Donna Stambaugh, Marianne Weaver

"Joseph Lieber, Joseph Mein" Recorders

"Silent Night" Sheri Timsak, Mike Scripps, Laura Gibson....."Bethlehem Babe" vocal ensemble and strings, Judi Meister piano

Bethlehem Babe Story

"A couple of years ago, Joe Moore received a letter from Eleanor LaFreniere. Eleanor had been the organist for Holy Cross Catholic Church on the Island for many years. She had been married to Bussy LaFreniere. When Eleanor left, Joe took her place on the church organ.

Included in this letter from Eleanor was a handwritten melody and words. Eleanor wrote in the attached letter that this melody and these words were written by a Dominican Sister who had been on Beaver Island when the school was taught by nuns. This spanned quite a long period of time, and there is no record of this melody in the Dominican archives. Joe took this melody and arranged it for violin and piano. He played it last year in the Cantata of 2009.

Joe then wrote out the melody and harmony for four voices and piano. With some thought he decided to add two violins and a viola, and an optional cello part, along with the piano to make up this ensemble.

So, here you have “Bethlehem Babe” melody and words composed by an unknown Dominican sister, arranged by Joe Moore.

We hope you enjoy it."

 

:"Ave Maria" Bach-Gounod Joe Moore and Judi Meister....."Silent Night" liturgical dance Nancy Ferguson

"Ordinary Baby" Mike Scripps with Laura Gibson and Sheri Richards

Chimes Choir directed by Deb Plastrik "O Little Town of Bethlehem" "What Child is This" "Angels from the Realms of Glory"

And the Cantata Community Choir singing "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" Narrators: Matt Ritchie and Pinky Harmon

This included solos by Elaine West, Phil Becker, Bob Hoogendoorn and a small, young children's choir.

"Angels We Have Heard on High" with Cantata choir, Mike Scripps on keyboard, and the children's choir with audience participation.

Many thanks to the Cantata Choir Director, Program Designer, and overall organizer Kathy Speck!!

Sunday's Pictures Below:

Christmas After-Hours Event

After the Cantata, several Island businesses had decided to stay open later, some with excellent sale prices on specific items. The view downtown was interesting. There were cars filling both sides of the street from Powers' Hardware down to the Community Center. There were other businesses open as well.

Downtown....caught a few willing participants in the pictures above....

The Remembrance Tree at the Community Center

Heidi Connors with her Gingerbread house

Another look at downtown

At Montaage...

Islander Basketball Dec. 3 and 4

The Islanders, male and female, played the Hannahville Soaring Eagles on Friday night and Saturday morning. With a lot of activities going on this weekend, no pictures are available for Friday night. There was a tax informational meeting going on at Peaine Hall, final rehearsal for the Cantata, and basketball games all going on this past Friday evening. There is no way that one person can be in three different places at once, many thanks to Levi Connor for the video work on Friday night basketball. Many thanks to Mike Hurkmans for videoing the tax meeting.

On Friday night, the Lady Islanders showed the Soaring Eagles how to soar with a win. The male Islanders seemed to run out of gas, according to those that were present at the game. They stayed fairly close for three quarters, but were not able to improve the 3-point percentage during the last quarter. Perhaps, a few more high percentage shots may have made a difference, but the Islanders lost to the Soaring Eagles.

On Saturday morning, the Islanders and the Soaring Eagles were in a match to keep everyone on their toes. Every shot counted, and much better defense was played by both the female and the male Islander teams according to those present at both sets of games.. Pictures and video are available for the Saturday morning games.

Friday Night Video Highlights HERE

Saturday Morning Video Highlights HERE

Billy and Gus take the ball out....Doug, Gus, and Billy await Soaring Eagle offense....... Shooting foul.......Jewel heads down the court

Playing defense made the big difference in the outcome..............................................Matt working defense

Jewell and Matt......Matt, Doug, and Billy....Another foul shot....Bringing the ball down to the offensive end

Time-out...."You're ahead of them, don't be in such a rush to shot, now, guys"

Good Steal, Billy........Defense, defense......Make the free throw, Doug....Close game.......Free throws and defense made the difference

Final Score, but one three-pointer could have made it a tie. Islanders Win! Congratulations, Islanders!

Lady Islanders behind at the end of the first quarter.

Jenna inbounds the ball....Brighid on defense......Olivia C defends.... Olivia S brings the ball down....Meg Works serious...

Half time finds the Lady Islanders ahed by two points.

Hannah eyes the basket.....Play hard defense, ladies.........Brogie, Olivia S....Olivia C goes after the ball.....Brogie and Brighid defending

Keep your eye on the prize......Halfway through quarter three, barely ahead

Steal, great job, Olivia!......Yes, Brighid, on your toes!

Great jump into the lead Ladies! One quarter to go.

Good defense, Olivia C, Hannah on defense, Emily and Olivia and Brogie defending the goal

A good lead with little time left leads to.....

A Lady Islander Victory!

Some of the wonderful Islander fans:

.........................Pinky Harmon..............Frank Solle..........................Jean Gillespie......Larry Dawson, Connie Boyle, Greg Cary

Frank Solle's Wonderful Basketball Pictures

Let the season begin!..... Billy drives... Can't stop her....

Doug asoar.......Eyeing the hoop..... Fly boy.....

Gimme dat ball...... Gus gets it..... High stepping....

Jewell pops one.... Matt and Marty.... McCauley Nails one.....

Meg scores..... Pull up..... Reverse jam....

Watch it........... Yes, I can......

Thank you, Frank, and your young talented assistant Erin!

St. James Township Meeting, December 1, 2010

At a very short township meeting, just a little over thirty minutes, the St. James Township Board accomplished a great deal. In one motion, minutes of three meetings were approved. Bills were approved with additions. One letter was read, and there were no reports. Due to some county disagreement with the order of approval, the board re-approved the rezoning for the Connelly property from Agricultural to Residential. In new business, the Board of Review position posting was discussed. The Board of Review was scheduled for Friday, December 17, 2010, at 4 p.m. St. James approved the the BI Airport Commission Rules of Approval and passed a resolution allowing the Airport Commission chairman to sign paperwork for the MDOT grants in the amount of just over $200,000. The board approved the rental of office space to the airport commission in the Governmental Center, as well as agreed to post notice for snowplowing bids. It also authorized the supervisor to open the bids and choose the person for snowplowing after polling the other board members.

Added to the agenda were two items that were also approved. A resolution to amend the original NRETC creation resolution to include the Conservation Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Little Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Historical Society, and the Little Traverse Conservancy was approved. Travis Williams made a presentation about his family's need for an additional bedroom at the DNR building. The board approved the creation of a bedroom in part of the garage space and to fund the total cost of the improvement of just over $1000 with hopes of sharing this cost with Peaine Township.

Video of this meeting

Abigail Adams Hart Has Delivered a Son

The specifics are not available at this moment. This was heard in McDonough's Market at about 3:30 p.m. We'll post information and a picture as soon as it is available.

Braxton Wheeler Hart was born at approximately 2:45 p.m. He was 7 pounds 11 ounces and 19 inches long.

Genie Vreeland Address

Boulder Park Terrace

14676 W. Upright, Room 6, Bed 1

Charlevoix, MI 49720

231-237-8026

Larry Hall Address

For those of you who would like to send your well wishes to Larry Hall, below is the address information:

Larry Hall
c/o Meadow Brook, Room #20A
4543 South M-88 Hwy.
Bellaire, MI 49615

Shirley Sowa Address

Shirley is recovering from a run in with pneumonia. Cards and letters may be sent to her in care of Catherine Meintsma at the following address:

450 Langer Crt
Hemet, CA 92545

c/o Lois Stipp

2011 Beaver Music Festival Tickets

BEAVER ISLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL
HOLIDAY TICKET SALE
LIMITED TIME ONLY
SAVE 20% & MORE OFF GATE TICKET PRICES
PLACE YOUR ORDER ONLINE @ WWW.BIMF.NET
OR
STOP IN AT THE ST. JAMES BOAT SHOP ON BEAVER ISLAND
(DAYS & TIMES POSTED AT STORE)

Ticket pricing Holiday Special Gate Ticket
December 1 - 31, 2010 Price
__________________________________________________________________________
Thursday (general Admission) $10.00 $15.00

Day Pass Adult (18+) $22.00 $28.00
Friday or Saturday

Day Pass Teen/Senior (13-17) (65+) $20.00 $25.00
Friday or Saturday

Weekend Pass Adult (18+) $45.00 $55.00
Friday & Saturday

Weekend Pass Teen/Senior (13-17) (65+) $40.00 $50.00
Friday & Saturday

Closings and Changes at the Shamrock and Harbour Market

Harbour Market will be closing for the season this weekend. Saturday, November 27, 2010, will be the last day open.
The Shamrock will, however, be open for breakfast serving a traditional breakfast & some items from the Harbour Market will still be available. We will also be selling some of our more popular items from the Market at the Shamrock -- pizza, cigarettes, some beer etc. The hours of operation for the food service at the Shamrock after market closes:
Breakfast Mon.-Fri. 7am-10 am
Sat. 7am -12pm
Sun. 9am – 12pm

Lunch Mon.- Sat. 11am – 2 pm
Sat. & Sun. 12-5 pm

Dinner 7 days 5-8 pm

Bar service Mon. – Sat. 7 am – Close
Sun. 12 pm-Close

Holiday Happenings at Stoney Acre

PIZZA...PIZZA...PIZZA! By the Slice $2
Jim & Pam's PEPPERONI PIZZA, available every day...all day!
Christmas Eve...open 'til 11:59pm! Happy Hour All Day...
Drink & Dinner Specials too.
Closed Christmas Day......Merry Christmas and our best to you in the New Year!
New Years Eve...Indulge at Stoney! Beef, King Crab, Lobster & Full Menu! (will update with more specials & prices soon)
Then, CELEBRATE New Year's Eve at Danny's!
Live Music with Danny, Danny & Cindy! Drink Specials and a Champagne toast at midnight....AND New Year's Day...watch the games at Danny's Pub...Six Screens, Free Buffet, Drink Specials & Happy Hour All Day!
Great Food, Great Drinks shared good times with Great Friends,
Our thanks & appreciation,
Liam & Marilyn Racine

Beaver Island Community Development Corporation

 

Applications are now being taken to rent an apartment at the long-awaited Senior Housing, named Forest View, which is now under construction on Carlisle Road , across the street from Stoney Acres. The construction is anticipated to be complete and the apartments ready for occupancy June 1, 2011, a date which is subject to change based on weather conditions.

Applications are also available for the part-time position of on-site manager who will be employed by KMG Prestige, an off-island management company who will manage the apartments. The position is anticipated to begin in March, 2011.

Applications for both leasing and employment may be obtained at the Community Center, Library, and Rural Health Center. They should be mailed directly to KMG Prestige, attention Jane Crawford, 3390 Pine Tree Rd, Lansing, Michigan 48911 .

Further information may be obtained by contacting Jane Crawford at 1-517-679-7298.

KMG is an experienced property management company well-versed in federal regulations. In managing the leasing for the Beaver Island Community Development Corporation, KMG will screen applicants to determine their qualifications under the federal regulations for low and moderate senior housing. Using a professional management company to handle the leasing will insure applicants that they will be correctly evaluated and that their financial data will be kept confidential.

The rental apartments will have rental rates which are set through the grant process which provided funding. The anticipated rent is $567 for a one-bedroom unit and $629 for a two-bedroom unit. Utilities are included in the rent, and the building will be heated through a geo-thermal system. The building will include six individual apartments, four one-bedroom and 2 two-bedroom, each with their own kitchen and bath. In addition, the building will have a laundry room, community room, and a community kitchen area.

Beaver Island Airport Commission Inter-Governmental Agreement

This is the complete agreement approved by both Peaine and St. James Townships

B I Airport Commission Rules of Procedure

These rules of procedure have been approved by the Airport Commission and Peaine Township. They have yet to be approved by St. James Township.

First Meeting of the Beaver Island Airport Commission

Although this meeting included mostly those who had served on the previous Airport Committee, this was the first actual meeting of the newly created Beaver Island Airport Commission. The meeting took place on November 20, 2010. Mike Scripps, who was later to be voted as the Chairman of the BIAC, started the meeting at 10 a.m. The first item on the agenda was the election of the seventh member on the commission. Two Peaine Township Board members and one member at large from Peaine Township were matched by the same from St. James. From Peaine, Colleen Martin, Pete LoDic, (board members) and Mike Scripps (MAL) were matched by Jim Wojan, Ray Cole, (board members), and Elaine West (MAL). These six elected Don Vyse as the seventh member of the commission with six of them having served on the previous airport committee. The choice of Don Vyse was an excellent one since Don has been doing this airport work for many years and is familiar with the funding, not only State of Michigan funding, but also federal funding. The order of business was to elect the 7th member as previously mentioned, discuss organizational matters brought up by Don Vyse, approve the Rules of Procedure, and have public input during the appropriate public comment time.

Present at this meeting in addition to the commission members were Airport Manager Rachel Teague, Peaine Township Supervisor Jack Gallagher, and twelve community members. One of the issues discussed included the land acquisition project in which at total fo $43,684 had been expended in legal fees which included approximately $10,000 going to Land Matters, the rest going to the lawyer. The hold up in the land acquisition has put the ten-year-plan on hold. This plan will certainly have to be revised. There are several contracts that need to be signed related to grants. These will have to await the approval of the Rules of Procedure endorsement and/or a resolution from both townships.

Another meeting was scheduled for December 9, 2010, at 6 p.m. and will take place at Peaine Township Hall.

Airport Commisson First Meeting Video

Community Calendar

BI News on the 'Net has a complete 2011 calendar up on the homepage of this website. We are willing to post any activities that take place on the Island on this calendar. When you know a specific date of any activity, please email medic5740@gmail.com and it will be posted on the Community Calendar. So far, the only items on the calendar into 2011 are those governmental meetings that are held on specific days. Please send your information for your activity as soon as it is know, so that other organizations will not conflict with your date(s).

Peaine Township Tax Assessment Roles Online

Search Peaine Township Assessment Role Online

Several people wanted to know how to get to this location. Feel free to access it from here and then save it as a Favorite.

Beaver Island News Archives Adds Search Engine

All of the years of Beaver Island News on the 'Net are available except for a short period of time when some of the months at the beginning were lost. Phyllis Moore started this website in late 1999 or early 2000 which means that the archives have ten years of Beaver Island history, the last ten years. The Archives are open and available to anyone to view from the homepage at http://beaverislandnews or directly at http://beaverislandnewsarchives.com for your viewing pleasure. There has been added a Google Search Engine to this archives website for those that don't want to page through and read all 520+ pages of history. The Sample website page has been removed since the archives are open to anyone from the homepage of this website. The Archives of 2010 are still only available from this subscription only page.

AMVETS POST #46 AND AMVETS LADIES AUXILIARY

The AMVETS and Ladies Auxiliary will again host a Santa’s Workshop at the Beaver Island Community School on Wednesday, December 14, to enable the kids to purchase affordably priced gifts for their families and friends. Older students and adults will be available to help the youngsters select and wrap their purchases. Notices will be sent home from school as a reminder of this great event.

WE WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON!

Information and Referral Hotline Launches Service

Local access to the national 2-1-1 Information and Referral system moved one step closer today with the launch of an interim toll-free hotline. Callers seeking non-emergency health and human services information can call 1-877-211-LAKE (5253).

They will be connected to a highly-trained information and referral specialist who can provide information and referrals to local services. The service is available 24/7/365 and is free to callers. These specialists can help residents with a variety of needs including housing and utility assistance, location of food pantries, where to volunteer, information about after school programs, senior care services, mortgage foreclosure and more.

Char-Em United Way has been spearheading development of the 2-1-1 service for Charlevoix and Emmet Counties for the past several years.

“The local database has been developed, and the information and referral specialists are trained and ready to take calls from our community,” says Martha Lancaster, Executive Director of Char-Em United Way. “We are working with 7 other counties in northwest lower Michigan to submit our application for certification to the Michigan Alliance of Information and Referral Systems and apply to the Michigan Public Service Commission for use of the 2-1-1 phone number.”

Once those steps are in place, the service will shift to the 2-1-1 phone number, which is easy for residents to remember and is in service in other parts of Michigan and around the country.

The funds needed for the start-up of 2-1-1 have already been secured through a challenge grant from CMS Energy, as well as donations from the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, the Charlevoix County Community Foundation, the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation, Petoskey Rotary and Char-Em United Way. The Frey Foundation has awarded a $30,000 challenge grant toward the first three years of operating expenses. This will cover about one third of the needed funds for the first three years of operations.

“Now that the service is in place – even with the interim number – we will begin seeking funding for the operational phase of the system,” continues Lancaster.

Currently, Michigan 2-1-1 Call Centers serve 80 percent of Michigan's population, with expansion projects underway in 26 additional counties. In 2009, Michigan 2-1-1 Call Centers received 663,923 calls, a 441 percent increase since its inception in 2004 and a 22 percent increase from 2008.

For more information about 2-1-1 contact Char-Em United Way at (231) 487-1006 or email info@charemunitedway.org or log onto www.charemunitedway.org/index.php?pr=2-1-1

BICS Calendar for 2010-11 Approved

Beaver Island Transfer Station Information

Expired Subscriptions

Please send us your email address.

There are quite a few subscriptions that will expire in November or December and some that have already expired. We appreciate your support and ask you to renew your subscription as soon as possible. Emails have been sent out, but quite a few have been returned without delivery, which means that BINN does not have your current email address.

You can subscribe online by using PayPal and a credit card. Please click the link below if you wish to renew online:

RENEW

Meeting Minutes

The minutes of all public meetings will be posted

as soon as they are received.

News on the 'Net welcomes minutes to all public meetings. All organizations are welcome to submit meeting minutes for publication on this website. Please email them to medic5740@gmail.com.

Airport Committee Minutes

Beaver Island Cultural Arts Association Minutes

Peaine Township Board Minutes

BIRHC Board Meeting Minutes

St. James Township Meeting Minutes

Beaver Island Community School Board Meeting Minutes

Beaver Island Ecotourism Goals Draft, rev. 3, 19 Jan 2010 NEW!

Beaver Island Natural Resources and Eco-Tourism Commission Minutes NEW!

Joint Human Resources Commission Minutes (includes agenda when available) New Feature for 2010!

Waste Management Committee Minutes (New for 2010!)