Local news

Police shut down a portion of M-6 Sunday night, Nov. 30 after two people were injured in a rollover crash in Jamestown Township.

He was a good student, in great shape and passionate about the game of basketball.

That’s why 16-year-old Taylor DeRoo was expected to be one of Holland High School’s top players this season — his first with the varsity basketball team.

Holland coach Steve Windemuller said this fall during off-season training DeRoo also proved he was a hard worker and a fighter.

’Tis the season for random acts of kindness and holiday giving. And thankfully, many newbie givers are looking for ways to lend a hand to friends and neighbors in need as home foreclosures and unemployment continue to climb; Michigan’s unemployment rate surpassed 9 percent last month. Recent statistics released by the state show that about 20 percent, or one in five, of Michigan residents live in or near poverty — 500,000 of those are children.

So, if you’re moved to give this year and are new to the whole philanthropy bit, we’ve put together a great list of where to begin. First thing first, experts say: Find a passion.

“Some people have a burden on their heart for a specific thing,” said Patrick Moran, United Way of Greater Ottawa County executive director.

Mike Bronkema’s Shady Side Farm hand-cranked socks are 100 percent local, from the wool to the work.

Bronkema, an Olive Township firefighter, uses an antique circular sock knitting machine to create the handmade symbol of warmth and comfort. He also owns the sheep used to make the wool yarn, and then he dyes it himself.

Bronkema’s hand-cranked socks can be purchased at downtown Holland’s Kerstmarkt this holiday season.

Experts say that more access to Lake Macatawa for shorebound anglers should locally reverse a nationwide trend of a declining participation rate in fishing.

Few sites are available for anglers without boats because most shoreline land is used for marinas, industry and homes, Dan O’Keefe of Michigan Sea Grant in Grand Haven wrote in a letter to Ottawa County this fall.

Land that is open is far from ideal for fishing, he went on to write.

The 2009 Ottawa County dog licenses will go on sale today at government offices and online.
Within 30 days of getting any dog 4 months of age and older, the owner is required by law to have a current license for the pet.

To purchase a 2009 license, dog owners must bring the license renewal notice along with an up-to-date rabies certificate and proof of neutering or spaying (if applicable).

They can purchased online at www.miottawa.org/DogLicense/; the Ottawa County treasurer’s office, Olive Township; at the Ottawa County Building in Grand Haven; and at the Harbor Humane Society in Olive Township.

The Advanced Environmental Seminar class from Hope College will present its semester-long research projects to the community at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

The event will take place at the Holland Township Fire Station on Riley Street, just east of 136th Avenue.

There will be four presentations on topics ranging from algae as biofuel to shuttle transportation.
The public is invited to attend.

Thomas Harris was sound asleep Sunday morning when he was awakened by four gunshots that echoed through his 19th Street neighborhood in Holland.

“It was pretty scary,” said Harris, who has lived in the area for 25 years without any major incidents. “We were rocked right out of bed.”

Harris went outside two minutes later to assess the situation and noticed authorities had already arrived to the home at 311 W. 19th St.

Anyone with information is being asked to contact police at (616) 355-1150 or Silent Observer at (616) 392-4443.

Bringing a Christmas tree into the house each holiday season may seem like a harmless tradition, but there are risks involved. 

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, Christmas trees account for 200 fires annually, resulting in six deaths, 25 injuries and more than $6 million in property damages.

“Every day that the tree dries out, it gets a little more dangerous,” said Holland Fire Chief Dan Henderson.  

The Ottawa County Michigan State University Extension Office will close its doors Tuesday, Dec. 2, in Grand Haven and reopen Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Ottawa County Fillmore Complex, 12220 Fillmore St. in Olive Township.

The office will be in suite 122 on the lower level of the administration building. The new phone number is (616) 994-4580.

Downtown Zeeland merchants will hold holiday open houses Thursday evenings in December, with a portion of sales donated to charities.

The Feel the Zeel of Giving events are 4 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 4, 11 and 18.

Activities include horse-drawn trolley rides, free photos with Santa, caroling and live music, shopping and dining specials and a chance to win one of nine Angel Food boxes.

Lakeshore Latino Outreach Center is hosting a holiday craft bazaar on Saturday, Dec. 6.

The event is 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the outreach center at 345 E. 16th St., suite 241.

There will be many hand-crafted items such as knitted purses, mittens, scarves, Christmas ornaments, sterling silver jewelry and baked goods.

Hamilton Community Schools Board of Education is hosting two community forums to share the information gathered through the two community surveys and the facilities audit done by GMB architects.

Both sessions will be in the high school forum room, 4911 136th Ave. The first session is 7 p.m. Dec. 9. The second session is 4 p.m. Dec. 11.

After sharing the information, the board wants to hear from the community.

From right, Ryan Gamby, Chase Nelson, and Deb Tindall play Christmas carols on their saxophones next to the Salvation Army bell ringers outside of AlpenRose Friday afternoon.

To paraphrase one of my favorite authors, Mark Twain, the reports of the demise of the shipping season in Holland have been greatly exaggerated. After reporting it was over last week, I got a call on Tuesday from one of my contacts that made a liar out of me. “Expect the Wilfred Sykes on Thanksgiving Day,” he said. When I mentioned this to another friend, he said not to worry about it. “The weatherman doesn’t apologize when he is wrong, why should you?” he said.

The Sykes delivered a cargo of what is called asphalt sand, really limestone chips, to the Verplank dock. Even though the quarry at Port Inland has stopped making new stone product, this was something that was available in inventory. After delivering part of the load in Muskegon, it arrived at the Holland channel at about 5:30 on the holiday evening. Early sunset and the absence of lighted buoys made the trek across Lake Mac a slow one. When I let my dogs out at 7 p.m., I heard the clanking of hatch clamps being released and hitting the deck as it slid past the end of Azalea Avenue. When a vessel sails this late in the season, hatch covers are always secured with extra clamps in the event of heavy weather.

More than 50 parade entries will illuminate downtown Holland with thousands of twinkling lights during the sixth annual Parade of Lights Tuesday, Dec. 2. 

Parade participants include individuals, families, community organizations and companies. The parade will also feature special guests John “Gonzo” Gonzales and Susanne Schulz from 95.7 FM WLHT. They will appear with this year’s Parade of Lights Sponsors Parkway and Manpower. Santa Claus will also make an appearance.

The parade begins on the corner of Eighth Street and Columbia Avenue at 6:30 p.m. and will continue down Eighth Street until it reaches the Eighth Street Market Place, where Santa will greet the crowd at the conclusion of the parade.

Santa is going green this year. At least the 18-foot tall Santa Claus on the side of the James De Young power plant is. The holiday decorations on the Pine Avenue power plant are among those the Holland Board of Public Works have switched out for Energy Star-rated LED lights.

The BPW also replaced holiday lights at its Hastings Avenue customer service center and many of the holiday lights at Centennial Park.

LEDs, or light emitting diodes, use 75 percent less energy than standard bulbs, last 25 times longer and produce little to no heat, BPW communications specialist Andree Keneau said.

The Holland Board of Public Works is looking at how it does business, and that could affect how much customers pay for electricity and water.

Electricity prices are becoming more volatile, officials said. The BPW used to buy electricity off the grid a year at a time. Now, the price changes every five minutes.

Whether it comes from wind, coal or another source, energy prices will continue to rise, officials said.

From the pages of The Holland City News and Holland Sentinel.

Saturday
Dec. 1, 1883
• We are pleased to inform the people of this city of a reduction that has been made in the rate of placing telephone instruments in this city. For an instrument in a place of business, $48; in a private residence, $36. This reduction, under the circumstances, is very good, and ought to serve as an inducement for our citizens to place them in their homes and places of business.

• Last Saturday night, the factory of the Holland Butter Tub Co. shut down for a few weeks.

British audio-visual artist Hannah Rickards and film producer Tom Dingle left Grand Haven recently with more material than they could have imagined — vivid recollections from locals who had “seen the lights.”

Rickards spent 10 days in the area interviewing almost 50 people who have witnessed a phenomenon known as “temperature inversion,” where atmospheric conditions and air temperatures align so that the lights of Milwaukee and other cities on the west shore of Lake Michigan show up as if they’re simply a few miles away.

The artist plans to return to the Grand Haven area in late March or early April of next year to film a documentary, which will include interviews from local residents. The finished product will be part of an exhibition at London’s Whitechapel Gallery from Sept. 10 to Oct. 4, 2009, according to Dingle.