| 2001: a year to
remember By Rhonda Westfall September 11 - the date that towers over all others in 2001.
Still, the ringing in of a New Year does provide an opportunity to look back at the variety of people, places, and issues that made headline news locally in the soon-to-be Old Year. We hope you enjoy our annual trip back in time. Best wishes for a safe and prosperous 2002. January Gareth and Sara Fender of Ovid welcome a baby daughter, Evelyn Rose. The first baby of 2001 was born at 9:47 a.m., Jan. 2, at Clinton Memorial Hospital. Mindy Thomas is named the new treasurer for the village of Maple Rapids. Greenbush, Bingham and Bengal townships vote to move to Phase 2 in a feasibility study for the formation of a jointly-operated fire department.  Tomorrow's Leaders Class of '01 begins its training
sessions at an opening retreat at the MacMullen Conference Center on Higgins Lake.
Mike Johnson, consultant for the feasibility study related to a new fire department, is dismissed as a firefighter from the St. Johns Fire Department. Millie Smith, a long-time caseworker at Clinton County Big Brothers/Big Sisters, retires and is feted at an open house. A plethora of candidates file for a special election to fill the 26th District seat in the Michigan State Senate, following the election of Mike Rogers to the U.S. House of Representatives. Among the local candidates on the GOP ticket are Michigan congressmen Valde Garcia and Larry Julian.  Michael
Cain is hired as the new city manager for St. Johns. He fills a vacancy created by the
retirement of Randy Humphrey in November 2000.
February Victor Township votes to end its involvement with the Laingsburg, Sciota, Victor, Woodhull (LSVW) Fire Department, and join in the study for the formation of a new fire department with Bingham, Bengal and Greenbush townships.  Lisa Bowman is hired as the new director
of Briggs Library in St. Johns.
Bengal Township opts out of the proposed new fire department. The Wilson Center benefits from the bequest of the large private library of Delbert Whitlock, a former resident of Hazel I. Findlay Country Manor. Laingsburg area resident Ken Schapman has a "life-shaping experience" during a month-long trip to India as a Rotary International Group Study Exchange participant, sponsored by the St. Johns Rotary Club. Community Newspapers publisher, Pete Cantine, dies suddenly Feb. 22.  Valde Garcia wins the GOP Special Primary Election by
a 2 to 1 margin.
March Wayne Banner is named as the Clinton Memorial Hospital Employee of the Year. 
Bid specs are forwarded by the City of St. Johns for the renovation of the old Grand Trunk Depot. Anita Rositas is named as the Victim/Witness Coordinator for the Clinton County Prosecutor's office.  A St. Johns landmark - the old Ranch Roller Rink - is
dismantled.
Ellen Luttig is named as the Employee of the Year for Clinton County Central Dispatch. It's "Senor' Senator" for Valde Garcia after a landslide win in the Michigan Senate Special Election. April Beth Morrison is the new director of Relief After Violent Encounter for Clinton, Ionia and Shiawassee counties. A decomposed body is found by hunters near M-21 and Tallman Road in Dallas Township. The body is later identified as Lynda Heath, 35, of Lansing.  The old "Salt Box House" is demolished on
North US-27 and French Road in Greenbush Township. The land is slated for use in
long-range plans by MDOT for the continuation of US-27 as a limited access highway.
The county's Agricultural and Open Space Committee gathers public opinion on future land use via its County Land Use Survey. Tomorrow's Leaders Class of '01 holds its Graduation Banquet at Sable Point Restaurant. The saga of the Wal-Mart Supercenter resurfaces on St. Johns City Commission agendas as the June 1 deadline nears for filing of the escrow agreement by the national retailer.  A second body is found in Clinton County. Kimberley
Hinton, 35, of Lansing is discovered in a ditch on Ballentine Road in Bath Township.
Rick Coletta retires as St. Johns City Clerk, after a 26-year career with city government.
May  Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Clinton County celebrates
its 25th anniversary with a variety of special events.
Rebuilding commences for a new Dewey's Trading Post by owners, Dewey and Peg Torok. The Maple Rapids landmark building burned in December 2000. Richard Hawks, Ron Huard and Lansing Community College are honored as recipients of the CAPIT Unity Award. Apportionment changes district lines for the Clinton County Board of Commissioners. New districts take effect in the 2002 elections. The city of St. Johns offers reduced fire service rates to Greenbush, Bingham and Bengal townships in an agreement that all three must sign in order to gain the reduction. Bengal signs; Greenbush and Bingham decline. Questions are raised by Bengal Township trustee, Marilyn Irrer, regarding the personal and business finances of the fire department consultant, Mike Johnson. Renae Larsen is named as the Michigan Victim Advocate of the Year. She works with the Clinton County Sheriff Department.  Jason Darrow is named as the Teacher of
the Year for St. Johns Public Schools.
A low-top tornado rips through the western side of Clinton County May 21, destroying buildings and toppling trees. June Scott Hummel wins the GOP Primary Special Election to fill the 86th District State Representative seat of Valde Garcia. Dave Pohl and Bob Craig run close behind in the six-candidate field.  Ken Moore is feted for his more than 60 years of
service - and still counting - at the FC Mason Company in St. Johns.
Joe Armbrustmacher is named as the Volunteer of the Year at Hazel I. Findlay Country Manor. The St. Johns City Commission agrees to renegotiate the agreement with Wal-Mart, after the June 1 deadline comes and goes without a signed document. It’s official - Clinton Area Fire & Rescue is a new government entity. Clinton Memorial Hospital Home Health Services celebrates its 20th anniversary.  Ricki Dean, principal of Oakview
Elementary School in St. Johns, retires after 25 years in education.
 The "Date Stone" is set in the front
entrance at the Clinton County Courthouse. The time capsule can be opened June 22, 2051.
Ray Parr retires - sort of - as a pharmacist. He began in 1947 with his father, Dart H. Parr, at Parr's Pharmacy in downtown St. Johns. The store was sold in January 1999. Parr continued to work at Atlas Drugs in the L&L Food Center in St. Johns. July  Scott Hummel wins the Special Election for the 86th
District of the Michigan House of Representatives, defeating Roger Sosebee.
The CAFR Board of Directors hires Mike Johnson as fire chief of the new department.
 Restoration work finally begins at the old Grand Trunk
Depot site.
The Clinton County 4-H & Youth Fair is the "hottest" since 1988 - according to Charlie Silm. Bob Showers of DeWitt is appointed to fill the vacant District 6 Clinton County Commission seat of Scott Hummel.  Winners in the debut Clinton County Agricultural and
Open Space Photo Contest are: Commissioner's Choice, Henry Burkhardt; Pastoral Scene, Ron
St. Germain; Agriculture at Work and Our Natural Heritage, Rhonda Westfall.
August Elizabeth Turner is crowned as the 2001 Mint Festival Queen, and Trisha Bellgowan is selected as 2001 Little Miss Mint at the annual Mint Festival Pageant. Ashlie Rademacher is first runner-up for queen, and Alissa Salada is second runner-up. The Vern and Bonnie Thelen family is named as the Knights of Columbus Family of the Year at the Fowler K-C Chapter; Louis Schneider is the Knight of the Year.  A legend returns to St. Johns during Mint
Festival weekend. Frank Jilka pays a visit for the reunion of the Rodney B. Wilson Band.
St. Johns city commissioners approve the PA 425 land transfer agreement with Bingham Township for property in the proposed construction of a Wal-Mart Supercenter.
CAFR nets a $179,973 grant for firefighter gear in the FEMA Firefighter Grant Program.  Interior renovation work begins at the old Grand Trunk
Depot.
Dan Burden, director of Walkable Cities, visits DeWitt and St. Johns. September The "Life Is Precious Festival" honors Doug Harvey, who passed away May 8 following a battle with a rare cancer. Peter Preston is named as the new Clinton County Development Director.  September 11. Shock waves are felt in Clinton County -
eight volunteer firefighters make the trip to Ground Zero in New York City; former St.
Johns resident, Renae Ditmer, survives the attack on the Pentagon in Washington D.C.; and
St. Johns firefighters collect over $150,000 for emergency service personnel in NYC.
St. Johns School Nurse Carolyn Ballard is honored as the Michigan School Nurse of the Year.  The St. Johns Rotary Club hosts a community event of
entertainment, food and fun in celebration of its 50th anniversary.
Leon Brewbaker - a gentleman and a gentle man - receives the prestigious Bill Patton Award from the St. Johns Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors.  Tim Morris is the new assistant
superintendent at Clinton County RESA.
Rehmann's Clothing in downtown St. Johns celebrates its 65th anniversary. Veteran educator and local historian, Nina Waldron, dies Sept. 28. October Federal-Mogul Corporation announces it has filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 as a result of litigation on asbestos content in products. St. Johns Plant Manager Rick Sparks says the bankruptcy filing will not impact jobs - but the sluggish economy might.  CATS is more than a Broadway musical - it’s the
county's new transportation authority. Clinton Area Transportation System was formally
adopted by the county board of commissioners. It will eventually replace the bus system
operated through Community Resource Volunteers.
Work begins on updating the Clinton County Comprehensive Development Plan. Clinton County, the city of St. Johns, and CAPIT net RED Team awards from the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission. Michael Elliott, 46, of Maple Rapids, dies in an accident while working as a tornado "spotter" for the fire department when a tree crushes his vehicle during an unusual late-autumn thunderstorm. November  Dick Starck, Dana Beaman and Dennis
LaForest are re-elected to the St. Johns City Commission in uncontested races that
featured the lowest voter turnout in a city commission election.
Potential changes to the city's zoning ordinances draws a SRO - and very vocal - crowd to the St. Johns City Planning Commission meeting. Firstbank-St. Johns files for FDIC approval to open a new branch and messenger service in Clinton County. If approved, the branch office will be located in the new Fieldstone Village complex on Townsend Road near Bee's. Local school and government officials take precautions against the potential use of the Anthrax virus in letters and packages, following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and subsequent deaths caused by the contagion. CAFR prepares for a March 5, 2002 opening day. Work progresses on a new substation on Parks Road in Bingham Township and main station near Kinley Road, and addition to the existing station in Victor Township. Clinton County Sgt. Kyle Knight nets an award from Mothers Against Drunk Drivers for many citations of drunk drivers. December Tomorrow's Leaders alumni learn about the culture and history of Islam during a presentation by Yvonne Mustafa of the Greater Lansing Islamic Center. Tom Barnum retires as superintendent and Mike Folk as principal of Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools.  Habitat of Humanity for Clinton County
breaks ground for its first "build" on land in Essex Township, donated by Leon
Searles.
Scott Koenigsknecht is named as new superintendent for Fowler Public Schools.  Tony Hufnagel retires as magistrate of Clinton County
after an illustrious 35-year career in county law enforcement and its judiciary.
RESA expands its offerings via the purchase of the old Fisher Big Wheel property in St. Johns. A pair of Watertown Township youth lose their lives when a fire destroys a house on Francis Road. Linda Curtis leaves the director's chair at the St. Johns Chamber of Commerce to become executive director of the Clinton Health Foundation - and Chamber secretary, Lisa Brown, looks forward to being a full-time Mom. |
No other event approaches the intensity of emotions that day provoked among
county residents, just as it did - and continues to do - around the country.