---Volume 1, No. 34

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

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Hawks stir up some dust at regional semi-finalsBy Jeff MossSports Writer

GRANDVILLE- The varsity baseball team put on aclinic against the Hopkins Vikings in the first round ofthe regional playoffs on Saturday. Brendan Smith, CodyManthei and Brian Bartman began the game by loadingthe bases on three consecutive hits. Nate Jansen battedin two runs with another single to start the scoring.

On the mound for Leslie was left-handed pitcherTravis Crowe, who began the game with 120 strikeoutson the season—12 short of the school record. Crowestruck out all three of the batters he faced in the first in-ning and the Blackhawks never looked back.

Continued with more photos on Page 8.

City to receive over $250,000 for downtown apartments

Courtesy photoDOWNTOWN DIGS - The City of Leslie will receive a grantto restore its second and third floor apartment spaces in itshistorical downtown buildings.

Photo by Jeff MossYOU’RE OUT - Leslie’s Brendan Smith outs one of the Hopkins’ Vikings Saturdayduring the regional playoffs in Grandville.

City pool opens ThursdayBy Jennifer ShusterPublisher

The last day of school in Leslie also marks the first officialday the city pool opens up to the public.This year, however, regular customers will notice a 50 percent

hike in prices to use the pool. According to the Leslie City Coun-cil, this increase might be seen every year for a while.This year the pool rates are $4 for a resident daily pass, $6 for

a non-resident daily pass, $75 for a season pass for a residentwith 1-2 children and $105 for a season pass for a resident with3-4 children. The children must live in the same household withthe pass holder.The pool will be open seven days a week from Noon to 6 p.m.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays there will be a night swim from 7-9:30 p.m.Swimming lessons are offered when instructors are available.For more information, please call (517) 589-8236.

By Jennifer ShusterPublisher

A financial “pick me up” is in store forthe City of Leslie.

Leslie City Manager Brian Reed an-nounced at the City Council meetingTuesday night that the city will be re-ceiving a $256,000 grant from the Michi-gan State Housing DevelopmentAuthority.Reed said the grant money is to be used

in fixing up second and third level apart-ment areas in the downtown buildings ofLeslie.

“I think it’s a really great program,”Reed said. “It’s a win-win for us all.”

Reed said a representative fromMSHDA will be on hand at the council’sspecial meeting on Monday, June 29 todiscuss the grant in further detail. Themeeting is at 7 p.m. in city hall and willserve to conduct year end business for thefiscal year.

By Jennifer ShusterPublisher

The Leslie Board of Education ex-tended the contract for Leslie PublicSchools Superintendent Corey Netzley atits regular meeting June 1.According to the contract, the board re-

sponded to her satisfactory evaluationconducted in March 2009 with an exten-sion of her employment going all the wayto June 30, 2013.LPS Financial Director Scott Blankin-

ship said this is not out of the ordinary forthe board to give a superintendent a con-tract up to three years. He said this isbased on the previous LPS Superintend-ents, Bob Howe and Jerry Jennings, whoaccording to Blankinship also had three-year contracts with LPS. Although Blank-

inship said he could not make a compari-son to other districts, he said he saw noth-ing wrong with this decision, even duringthe district’s difficult financial crisis.

Netzley’s base salary for the schoolyear 2007-08 was listed as $94,300 (thisdoes not include the sheltered annuity andcar allowance). According to her contractwith the district, her salary cannot be anylower than this.

While Netzley and ten other adminis-trators had contracts extended or renewedat the June 1 board meeting, there are still98 teachers listed on the Michigan Edu-cation Association’s critical list. As theircontract has expired two years ago thismonth, it appears efforts to reach a com-mon goal among the board and teachershas been unproductive.

Job security for LPS Superintendentwhile teachers hang in contract limbo

Crowe ties school record set by coach

*Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - TheAmerican Legion Post 491 located at 422 Wood-worth Street in Leslie will now open its doors toanyone who would like to come down on Mon-days, Wednesdays or Fridays from 10 a.m.-Noonto play games and enjoy coffee and cookies.*Wednesday, June 10 - The Leslie TownshipBoard of Trustees will meet at 6 p.m. at the LeslieTownship Hall.*Wednesday, June 10 - Half day of school forLeslie Public Schools.

*Wednesday, June 10 - White Pine Academy“Popsicles with the Principal” Open House from6:30-7:30 p.m.*Thursday, June 11 - Half day of school forLeslie Public Schools. Last day of school for stu-dents and staff.*Thursday, June 11 - The Leslie City Pool willopen to the public at Noon.*Mondays, June 15 - Ongoing - TOPS-1466,Leslie. Support Group for Taking Off PoundsSensibly. Weigh in from 5:15-5:45 p.m. at the

First Baptist Church on the corner of Bellevue &Church Streets in Leslie. Meeting from 6-6:45p.m. Contact Coleen, 589-8145.*Wednesday, June 17 - Special Leslie Board ofEducation Meeting at 5 p.m. at the Ingham ISD.*Thursday, June 18 - The Leslie Historical So-ciety will meet from 7 – 9 p.m. at Sts. Corneliusand Cyprian Catholic Church for a tour of Sts.Cornelius and Cyprian Catholic Church, ceme-tery and schools. A history will be provided byFr. Mike Petrowski.

Community CalendarThe Leslie Weekly Guardian - Tuesday, June 9, 2009 Page 2

Community

Your display advertising purchase is helping to support the continuation of Leslie community news. You canfeel confident with your choice to advertise in your own community’s newspaper, as the quality coverage willbe based solely on the Leslie area. Not only are you promoting your business, you are backing your own com-munity visibly. This publication will strive to tie the citizens of Leslie together through family-valued newscoverage. Without your patronage, this would not be possible.

Thank you for your purchase, but most of all your support!

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Leslie Family Chiropractic

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522 W. BellevueLeslie, MI 49251

589-5610

John Daniel Kribs, D.C.

Common GroundMusic FestivalJuly 6-12, 2009

is a proud sponsor of the 10th Annual Common Ground Music Festival! Look for exclusive coverage of this area event!

The Leslie Weekly Guardian - Tuesday, June 9, 2009 Page 3

CommunityClassifieds

ServicesSam’s Late Night Auto

(517) 812-4032111 S. Railroad in Rives Junction

Open Monday-Friday from 6 p.m.-11p.m.Saturday and Sunday from Noon - ?

Real EstateHOUSE FOR SALE -Four bedroom home forsale in City of Leslie. In-cludes 2,100 squarefeet, 2 garages, 2 baths,larger lot on Main Streetwith a creek in the back-yard.

$25,000 - Handy Person’s Special!

Call (586) 662-7058.

Don’s Electric ServiceDoing all types of electrical work

in & around Leslie for over 30 years.Call (517) 663-4233

FOR SALE113 W. BELLEVUE ST.LESLIE

Historical Home with Apartment

Great income property$279,000

Will consider all options.www.pmsendeavors.com

Garage Sale6/11 – 6/13. 9am-4pm. 3311 Haynes Road, Leslie/Bunkerhill

Electronics, car parts, beer signs, tools, shelving, camping/huntingequipment, household items, stop light, lighting.

Much more-too many to list.

EmploymentINDEPENDENT BANKPART TIME TELLER

Independent Bank is currently accepting applications for part-timetellers at our Leslie and Mason branches. This entry level position in-volves a high degree of sales and customer service. The qualified can-didates will be outgoing, have cash handling as well as customer serviceexperience and be willing to work a flexible schedule. Please send re-sumes in confidence to Independent Bank, Attn: Angel McCliggott,2568 Heartland Blvd. Ionia, MI 48846, email amccligg@ibcp.com, ordrop off an application at any of our locations.

INDEPENDENT BANK IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER; M/F/D/V

Estate/Garage SaleFriday, June 19th 8am-7pm and Saturday, June 20th 8am-5pm. 2205 S. Meridian Rd. Mason. LOTS OF NICE NEW STUFF!Tons of Longaberger, Hallmark and other collectables. Holidaywrap, décor & ornaments. Wilton items. Craft and scrapbookingitems. Avon and other jewelry. Books. Large dog/cat crate.Kitchen and household items, décor, and sooo much more.

PetsKittens for Adoption

Four beautiful kittens are ready for adoption. They areloving and trusting and enjoy belly rubs. Litter box trainedand ready to play with your children or your pets. If in-terested, contact: Amy at 517/202-7003 or atapriesko@live.com.

The Leslie Area Museum will be closed until further

notice due to a recent floodingin the basement of G.A.R. Hall.Please call (517) 589-5220 for

more information.

Want to place a classified ad?You won’t find a more competitive price thanright here in The Leslie Weekly Guardian!$5 for four weeks straight (up to 30 words).

4691 Hull RoadLeslie, Michigan 49251

Bible Baptist Church(517) 589-9011

B.Y.O.B. “Bring Your Own Bible”

Senior Pastor: Terry FrenchYouth Director: Kamanga Mwangi

Sunday: Fellowship Time: 9:15a.m. to 9:45 a.m.~ featuring Holy Grounds CaféSunday School: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. ~ Children, Teens & AdultsMorning Service: 11 a.m. to NoonEvening Service: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.Worship Team Practice: 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

Monday:Women’s Bible Study: 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday: Community Study Hall and Free Tutoring: 5:30 to 7 p.m.Bible Study: 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.Worship Team Practice: 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Thursday: Women’s Bible Study: 9 a.m.

Friday:Community Movie Nite: Free movie and popcorn once amonth.

Service Times:

The Leslie Weekly Guardian - Tuesday, June 9, 2009 Page 4

Community

Bring your lawn chairsand blankets to downtownMason on Thursdayevening, June 11, and enjoy"A Summer Serenade" ofclassical music from theMason Orchestral Society'sMason Chamber Orchestraon the Ingham CountyCourthouse lawn.

The orchestra, under thedirection of Beau Benson,will play beginning at 6:00p.m. in a free concert spon-sored by Dart ContainerCorporation.

That evening, the MasonArea Chamber of Com-merce will be continuingtheir fifth season of "Thurs-

day Night Live!," a summerseries of live musical enter-tainment presented by Inde-pendent Bank on selectThursday evenings. The seven remaining free

outdoor concerts take placeat 6:00 p.m. on the InghamCounty Courthouse lawn indowntown Mason on June11 and 25, July 9 and 23,August 13 and 27, and Sep-tember 17, weather permit-ting.The Mason Optimist Club

will be selling hot dogs;chips and pop nearby, sofamilies can enjoy a picnicdinner during the concerts orstop by restaurants and

stores in Mason afterwards. The Thursday, June 25

concert will feature the localChristian contemporarygroup Bits and Pieces on theCourthouse lawn for an hourof musical enjoyment at6:00 p.m.

A young local rock bandcalled Pselsus will play onJuly 9. The Sea Cruisers, a popu-

lar oldies band; will play onJuly 23, sponsored by CPFederal Credit Union. OnThursday, August 13, an-other local group, the Back-woods Band entertains -back for their fifth year - andagain sponsored by CP Fed-

eral Credit Union.For the August 27 concert

on the Courthouse lawn,sponsored by the City Lim-its Sports Grill at the MasonBowling Center, the serieswill feature the finals of thesecond annual "Mason AreaIdol" that is currently opento local entries from those18 and over who live in the48854 and 48819 zip codes.

To enter, participants fillout an entry form (availableonline at www.masoncham-ber.org and at the Chamberoffice) and submit it with avocal audition cassette tape,CD, or MP3 file (one song)no later than Monday, Au-

gust 3, 2009 to: Mason AreaChamber of Commerce, 148E. Ash Street, Mason, MI48854.

The entertainment seriesconcludes with the MasonHigh School Band on Thurs-day, September 17, led byBeth Bousfield, MHS BandDirector.

The Mason High SchoolCheer Squad will join themin the program, sponsoredby Dart Container Corpora-tion. This last concert will also

mark the beginning ofMason's "Down HomeDays" weekend. All con-certs are weather permitting.

‘Thursday Concerts’ continue with Mason Chamber Orchestra

Leslie’s DPW garage to receive a new roofBy Jennifer ShusterPublisher

At the Leslie City Councilmeeting last week, it was de-cided the one of the garagesbeing used by the Leslie De-partment of Public Workswould receive a new roof.

Leslie DPW Supervisor

Martha Owen said she re-ceived two bids last monthon covering the DPW roofwith a multi-ply roof sys-tem.

She recommended to thecouncil that the bid for$10,098.00 with a ten-yearwarranty from ThermalTec/Michigan, Inc. be ac-

cepted.“I have spoken with sev-

eral of the references andthey are all very happy withboth the product and thecompany,” Owen said.The price comes in under

budget as Leslie’s FinanceDirector Cheri Neu said that$23,000 was available in the

budget for the roof repair.

Also at the meeting, threepeople were re-appointed tocity positions.

Paul Schnipke was reap-pointed to the Leslie CityZoning Board of Appealswith a term to end June 30,2012.

Barbara Winslow was re-appointed to the LeslieDowntown DevelopmentAuthority with a term to endJuly 1, 2013.

Jeffrey Bell was also re-appointed to the LeslieDowntown DevelopmentAuthority with a term to endJuly 1, 2013.

The Leslie Weekly Guardian - Tuesday, June 9, 2009 Page 5

Community

Bible Baptist Church4691 S. Hull Rd.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-9011

Bunker Hill Seventh Day Adventist3820 Williamston Rd.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-0659

Children of Christ - Israelite Society100 S. Main St.Leslie, Michigan 49251(517) 403-4641

Child’s Bible Church3985 Crain Rd.Onondaga, MI 49264(517) 589-5731

Congregational United Ch. of Leslie114 W. BellevueLeslie, MI 49251(517) 589-5226

Faith Assembly of God4020 N. Main St.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-9121

Felt Plains United Methodist Church3523 Meridian Rd.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-0217

Grace Lutheran Church212 S. ShermanLeslie, MI 49251(517) 589-0250

Grand River Community Church2443 Olds Rd.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-5448

Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall 5290 Churchill Rd.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-8883

Leslie First Baptist Church204 E. Bellevue St.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-8541

Leslie United Methodist Church401 S. Main St.Leslie, MI 49251 (517) 589-9211

Maple Grove Baptist Church6508 Cooper Rd.Pleasant Lake, 49272(517) 769-2220

Orthodox Monastery of Dormition3389 Rives Eaton Rd.Rives Junction, MI 49277(517) 569-2873

Rives Baptist Church2800 W. Berry Rd.Rives Junction, MI 49277(517) 569-3147

SS Cornelius & Cyprian Church1320 Catholic Church Rd.Leslie, MI 49251(517) 589-8492

Leslie AreaChurch Directory

The Leslie WeeklyGuardian provides thislocal church directory asa community service tolocal religious organiza-tions. If you do not seeyour group listed, pleasesend us an e-mail with

the information.

It seems a lot of people are tickedoff lately. Maybe you were hurt be-fore and it happened again. Maybeyou fear getting sick of the flu. Andlet's not forget our frustrating econ-omy with GM filing bankruptcy andthe impact that has had on our com-munity. I've noticed that the morethings don't go my way the quicker Iget ticked off.

In the 1976 film Network, actorPeter Finch flings open a windowand bellows, “I'm mad as ___ and I'mnot going to take it anymore!” Yes,he vented his anger but is that reallythe solution? Venting too often leadsto violence or abuse in order to feelbetter but then comes the fall out andthe guilt. More people just end upgetting ticked off.

So what is the answer? Can we“be angry but do not sin” as the Biblesays? Anger usually follows hurt,fear, or frustration. If we can find thesource of our anger and vent thatconstructively, we can control ouranger instead of it controlling us.

Those around us are less apt to gethurt if we just say we're hurt, afraidor frustrated instead of lashing out inanger.Did you know that Jesus predicted

that, in the end days, many peoplewould be offended? Offense leads tobetrayal and betrayal leads to anger.Offended people f quickly find theirlove growing cold. (Matt. 24:10,12)Jesus said, “love your enemies and

pray for those who persecute you”.When I get ticked off, I pray for peo-ple and give all the hurt, fear andfrustration to God. He then helps meforgive and reconcile with the onewho offended me. Try such prayernext time and you will find it easierto let go (of the offense) and let God(fill your heart with love for the of-fender). “For you shall go out withjoy and be led out with peace” (Isaiah55:12).

Pastor Bruce CrockettGrand River Community Church

Dalton & ZickBuilders(734) 323-4796

Siding - RoofingDecks - Additions

PaintingFREEEstima

tesLicensed & Insured

The Leslie Depot Diner

Monday - Saturday 6am - 8pmSunday 6am - 2pm

107 Covert Streetby the railroad tracks (517) 589-5230

Daily and Nightly Specials

~ New Owners ~Same Great Charm and Homemade Foods

Take Out Available

Ticked Off?By Pastor Bruce CrockettGrand River Community Church

Don’s Don’s Electric Electric ServiceService

Doing all types of electricalwork in & around Leslie for

over 30 years.No Job Too Small!Call (517) 663-4233

Don BiddingerOwner/Operator

State License & Insured

The Leslie Weekly Guardian - Tuesday, June 9, 2009 Page 6

Sports

By Michelle SpragueSpartan SpeedwayBrian Beckner scored his

first win of the 2009 seasonin the Boss Snow Equip-ment Pony Stock division, atthe Spartan Speedway, onFriday, June 5th. Starting in

the 12th position, B. Beck-ner had a lot of ground tocover and on the last threelaps, battled his brother,Wayne Beckner Jr., for thewin. The field bunched upafter the green flag flew andran in a pack for the first

three laps, sometimes three-and four-wide. GeorgeWyers took the lead fromBrad Harbenski with JoeBates issuing a challenge onlap three. Bates moved intofirst on lap six, as RichRoberts joined the fight.

Back in the pack, B. Beck-ner was methodically pick-ing off cars, making his wayto the front. On lap nine, itwas Bates, Roberts, Wyers,Edson Rowley III, and B.Beckner as the top five.Bates continued to lead as

Beckner picked off Roberts,and challenged for the leadafter caution waved whenRowley and Roberts got to-gether. Beckner took thelead on lap 16 but wasn’talone. W. Beckner Jr. tacked

Continued on Page 7.

Beckner takes the win at Spartan Speedway

Track:Boys Most Valuable – Gareth Gose

Most Improved – Tyler HarrisonCoach’s Award – Zach Bliven

Girls Most Valuable – Anna RuddMost Improved – Hailey WilletCoach’s Award – Kristen Seburg

Tennis:Most Valuable - Amy Kevorkian and Austin Davis

(First Double Conference Champions)Most Valuable - Schalla Benedict

(First Single Conference Champion)Most Improved Single - Chiaki Kajikawa

Most Improved Double - Raelynn Ries and Autumn Barrett

Coach’s Award Single - Katie Waskiewicz(Fourth Single Regional Champion)

Coach’s Award Double - Shelby Butcher and Lindsey Digg

Golf:Most Valuable - Brad Millican and Jon Fifield

Most Improved - Nick Sierminski

Softball:Most Valuable - Brittney FancherMost Improved - Emily KennedyCoach’s Award - Brittney Fancher

All-League Softball Team Members:1st Team: Kelsey Ries (first baseman)

Brittney Fancher (catcher)

2nd Team: Ashley Perrin (pitcher)Katie Wilpse (shortstop)Paxin Stern (third baseman)

Brittney Fancher and Ashley Perrin will play in the Lansing All-Star Game later this month.

Leslie Blackhawks Spring Sports Awards

Tuesday, July 7 – Friday, July 10Youth Soccer CampLeslie

For more information please contact:Matt Saul Phone: (248) 892-8811E-mail: Mattsaul8@gmail.comwww.michiganrush.com

5:00pm – 8:00pm at the Leslie Youth SoccerField (across from Woodworth Elementary)Cost: $80 Includes T-Shirt

The camp will aim to developthe individual skill andawareness of each player, andcan also be used to prepareteams for the up-coming fallsoccer season.

Faith Assembly of God invites you to attend itsMega Sports Camp!We’d love for your child to join us at Beyond the Gold,

Mega Sports Camp! All kids who attend will choose one of these sports to focus on –

Soccer, Football, or Cheerleading.But, that’s not all. Kids will also enjoy upbeat rallies filledwith energetic music, fun sports stories, object lessons,and Bible stories that will help them discover charactertraits that can help them excel in sports and in life.

All this sports fun takes place from June 14th – 18th at:Faith Assembly of God

4020 N. Main St.Leslie, MI 49251

We’ll start off everyday at 6 PM with Registration. After a fun-filled evening, you will be able to pick up yourchild at 8 PM. We will end our week on the evening of the

18th with a cook-out for the whole family!Bring a friend and join the fun!

Attend all 5 days or only those that fit your schedule!For more information please call 589-9121.

Rubino’s Lawn Care(517) 575-1533

Mowing - Trimming - Edging - Hedge Trimming

- Spring and Fall Clean Ups

Leslie, MI

Weekly - Vacation - One Time - Seasonal Contracts Residential or Commercial

- FREE ESTIMATES -Professional and Reliable

18 years Experience and Customer Satisfaction

The Leslie Weekly Guardian - Tuesday, June 9, 2009 Page 7

Sports‘Spartan Speedway’ from Page 6himself on his brother’sbumper and the two went atit for the remaining threelaps. Todd Metz Jr. andPatrick Denison made laterace runs to the front, and atthe checker, it was B. Beck-ner, W. Beckner Jr., Metz Jr.,Patrick Denison, and Batesas the top five. Bates andLex Jarecki won their heats.Matt Childers jumped out

to the lead, as Justin Lewis,Ian Schafer, Mark Carson,Jordan Lechota and JakePearson all battled for posi-tion. Schafer moved intosecond around Lewis tochallenge Childers for first,as Lechota made his way tothe front. Lechota made thepass on Schafer on lapseven, Childers bobbled onlap eight, opening the doorfor Lechota to slip into first.It was a battle royale for po-sition for the remainder ofthe eleven laps, but at thestripe, it was Lechota,

Childers, Schafer, Pearson,and Lewis. Lechota alsowon the heat.

The Andrew’s ChevroletSuper Late Models ran theircaution-riddled 40 lap fea-ture, as caution waved 10times during the event. Agreat race for the leadshaped up between PhilBozell and Jimmy Gallagherafter the green flag was dis-played. Jon McNett sat inthird and jumped to his sig-nature outside line to takethe lead on lap seven. P.Bozell and Gallagher dukedit out for second as McNettpulled away from the fieldwith Gallagher taking sec-ond on lap ten. Cautionwaved for a spin involvingAndy Bozell in fifth andChad Finley in fourth. Bothwere sent to the rear of thefield, moving Dave Ste-houwer and Donny Ritterinto the top five. Cautionwaved on the restart, and

again on lap sixteen andonce under green, McNettpicked up where he left off,checking out on the field,leaving Gallagher, P. Bozelland Stehouwer to fight it outamongst themselves by lap20. This three car battleraged on through lap 32when A. Bozell joined thetrio, just as Stehouwermoved around P. Bozell forthird. A. Bozell followedStehouwer through to sit infourth. A. Bozell jumped tothe outside of Stehouwerand took away third, as wellas making short work ofGallagher to sit in second.A. Bozell went to work,reeling in McNett but could-n’t make the pass before lapsran out. At the line, it wasMcNett, A. Bozell, Ste-houwer, Gallagher, and P.Bozell. Walt Obrinske Jr.and P. Bozell scored wins intheir heats.

The Performance NW

Sportsmans lined up fortheir 25-lap feature, withMatt Kirchen taking theearly lead over Dane Longand Jimmy Scavarda. Longwent to the outside ofKirchen for the lead, whileDamon Place charged intosecond from his sixth start-ing position on lap three.Scavarda and Ron Heeneyjumped into the mix, withHeeney taking away the sec-ond spot on lap 11. Scav-arda went to work on Placefor third, but couldn’t get itdone. After 25 laps, it wasLong, Heeney, Place, Scav-arda, and Kirchen as the topfive. Long tallied the heatwin for the division as well.

Bubba Brooks took acommanding lead in theValvoline Instant OilChange 35-lap Modifiedfeature, leaving Ron Parishand Bud Perry to duke it outfor second. Parish was ableto put a bit of distance be-

tween Perry and himself onlap 11, but caution on lap 12closed up the field, effec-tively wiping out Brooks’and Parish’s advantages. Onthe restart, Perry got a runon the outside of Parish, tak-ing away second, as Brookspulled away from him tohold onto first. Leroy Ellis,Wayne Haughton, and EarlMiles had a battle of theirown going on, with Ellisbreaking away to challengePerry for second. Perry gota good run on Brooks on lap19 and took the lead on lap20, while Ellis took a lookunder Brooks as cautioncame out. Perry, Brooks,and Ellis ran one, two andthree on the restart. Ellismoved into second butcouldn’t reel in Perry for thewin. At the checker, it wasPerry, Ellis, Brooks,Haughton and Miles. NyleWeiler, Ken Buchner andHaughton won their heats.

The Leslie Weekly Guardian - Tuesday, June 9, 2009 Page 8

Sports‘Baseball’ from Page 1The runs continued in the second inning. Kyle

Bryson drove in a run on a bunt and safelyreached first base when he beat the throw. AfterSmith and Manthei loaded the bases yet again ona bunt and a walk, and with Leslie already ahead3-0, Hopkins pulled starting pitcher Garret Cor-nell and replaced him with Nick Brummel. BrianBartman welcomed Brummel to the game with asingle to right field that brought Bryson andSmith home. Before the inning was over Man-thei scored from third base on a balk and theBlackhawks led 6-0.The Vikings put themselves in position to an-

swer the scoring of the Blackhawks in the bottomof the second inning. With runners on second andthird and no outs Hopkins’ second basemanCameron Laautenschleger popped out to third.Jansen handled the slow hit ball and made thetricky play look easy. Crowe tossed two morestrikeouts and kept the Vikings off the score-board.Bryson batted in another run in the third on a

single to increase Leslie’s lead to 7-0. Croweadded two more strikeouts in the third. WithHopkins’ centerfielder Dan Bala on second base,Cornell came to the plate. Cornell singled to leftfield, bringing Bala home for a run.

Cornell rounded first and tried to stretch hissingle into a double. Leftfielder Matt Cox, play-ing in the outfield for the first time all season,gunned the ball into second baseman Smith whotagged Cornell for the third out.

In the fourth Hopkins’ Cornell balked again,this time with the bases loaded. Bartman scoredon the play. Cox then drove Jansen and KorieGray in from third and second with a pop up thatdropped in for a hit and brought the Blackhawks’lead to 10-1. Crowe accounted for all three of the Vikings’

outs in the fourth. After fielding two ground ballsCrowe threw his eighth strikeout of the game.The fifth inning was the only hitless and score-less inning of the game for Leslie. In the bottomof the fifth Crowe struck out Bala and Brummellfor his ninth and tenth of the game. After Cornell walked Bartman to start the sixth

inning, Hopkins sent in relief pitcher BradTeusink. Ryan Masters batted in Bartman with ahard single up the middle to give the Blackhawksa ten run lead.In the bottom of the sixth with one out, Vikings

pinch hitter Chad Althouse went down swingingfor Crowe’s eleventh strikeout. Jordan Merrencame to the plate, also pinch hitting, and hepromptly went down swinging. Crowe’s twelfth

strike gave him 132 on the season to tie theschool record set in 1982 by current Head CoachMark Frohriep. The ten run lead after six inningsearned the Blackhawks the victory by MercyRule. Crowe’s two-hit performance and theteam’s solid batting sent the Leslie Blackhawksto the Regional Final. Leslie’s Regional Final playoff game versus

Grandville’s Calvin Christian High School (de-feated Lansing Catholic 6-3 in the RegionalSemi-Finals) gave Blackhawks baseball fans aglimpse into the future. Freshman Matt Cox started the game with im-

pressive throwing power and retired all three bat-ters he faced in the first inning, all on groundouts. Brian Bartman hit a single in the first, butwas left stranded on base.Cox recorded the first out of the second inning

by snagging a knee-high, screaming line drive.The Squires, playing on their home field, forgeda four run lead in the second inning. They builttheir lead by finding the gaps in Leslie’s defense,with aggressive base running and by capitalizingon the inexperience of the young Leslie team.But, the Blackhawks would not lie down andfought their way through the inning. Cox struckout Squires’ batter Joseph Kosten. Catcher CodyManthei combined with second baseman Bren-dan Smith to catch Jacob Vos on an attemptedsteal.The Hawks threatened but couldn’t score in the

bottom of the second, leaving Korie Gray andTravis Crowe stranded on second and third. The Squires added three more third inning runs

in much the same fashion as their four second in-ning runs. It was a theme that would haunt theBlackhawks for the rest of the afternoon.

At the bottom of the third inning the Black-hawks showed the heart and determination thatearned them the right to be playing in the regionalfinals. Manthei ripped a single into left field andlater stole second base. Third baseman NateJansen’s double to deep center sent Mantheihome and put Leslie on the scoreboard. RyanMasters continued the rally and drove Jansenhome with a single to centerfield. Masters ad-vanced to second base on a passed ball. The in-ning ended with him stranded there, but CalvinChristian’s lead was cut to 7-2.Travis Crowe returned to the mound in relief of

Cox at the top of the fourth. The second out ofthe inning came when Crowe struck out ToreyGroen. It was Crowe’s 133rd strike out of theseason, setting a new school record (with onemore K in the fifth Crowe finished the season

with 134 strikeouts). Manthei provided the throwand Jansen the tag for the third out of the inningwhen Kosten tried to steal third base. The inningended with the Squires still leading 7-2. Calvin Christian padded their lead with four

more runs in the top of the fifth. When Lesliecame to bat in the bottom of the inning AlecGreen came to the mound in relief of AustinGoodyke. Both Manthei and Bartman were robbed of hits

as their solid drives to the outfield were eachsnagged by the diving gloves of left fielderKosten and centerfielder Aaron Velzen. The fifthinning ended with Leslie behind 2-11.Masters moved to pitcher for the sixth inning.

The Squires did not let up and added two moreruns to increase their lead to 13-2. When Lesliecame to the plate at the bottom of the inning theyneeded at least two runs to avoid being merciedand a chance to bat again in the seventh inning.Jansen started the bid in impressive fashion andhit the ball to deep center for a triple. Mastersdrove Jansen in when he grounded out to short.Gray then grounded out to second. Crowe cameto the plated and doubled to left field. Coxshowed he was not ready to quit and safelyreached first base after hitting a grounder to thirdand beating the throw. With runners on the cor-ners and two outs, Leslie’s outstanding seasoncame to an end when Andrew Arras popped out.Final score 13-3, Calvin Christian.In the end it was the inexperience of the young

Leslie team that was the difference in the game.Said head coach Mark Frohriep, “the little thingskilled us. We played a solid team and we showedour age.” Assistant coach Bill Durfee added, “Wedidn’t do bad. We just got outplayed.” CoachFrohriep summed up the season by saying theywere, “a team that underachieved and caught fireat the end.” At the beginning of the season this squad was

not expected to do much. They showed whatthey were capable of with three post season winsand an appearance in the regional finals. NoLeslie varsity baseball team has ever advanced asdeep into the State tournament before.

The experience of four playoff games shouldpay dividends next spring when the four fresh-men and three juniors return for the 2010 season.Coach Frohriep said, “Our four seniors will behard to replace, but if 2 or 3 of this year’s JVplayers can join the varsity team and contribute,next year we should be right back where we werethis year.” The glimpse of the future looks bright.

Photo by Jeff MossPITCHIN’ - Travis Crowe pitches during theregional playoffs in Grandville Saturday.

Photo by Jeff MossBARTMAN’S UP - Leslie’s Brian Bartman isup to bat during the regional playoffs.

Photo by Jeff MossREADY FOR IT - Nathaniel Jansen getsready to catch the ball Saturday.

Picture Puzzler

This week’s Picture Puzzlerfeatures two Leslie High Schoolgraduates who are happily mar-ried and living somewhere on theWest Coast of the country.

Those who think they canidentify the people pictured inthis week’s Picture Puzzler areencouraged to E-mail us at Jen-n i f e r@ t h e l e s l i e w e e k l y -guardian.com with their first andlast name.The contest deadline is Friday

at 5 p.m.Correct guessers will have their

names entered into a randomdrawing with the winner receiv-

ing a $10 gift certificate to Wal-Mart Supercenter.

This week’s winner is D.J.Newman! He was the onlyguesser to correctly identify Jen-nifer (Brattain) Metcalf.

The Leslie Weekly Guardian - Tuesday, June 2, 2009 Page 9

Family Page

LOCAL SWEETHEARTS - Who are theselocal sweethearts who aren’t so local any-more?

Jennifer (Brattain) Metcalf

We want to hear about your family newsand share it with the Leslie community!Please send in your births, weddings,

engagements, obituaries, anniversaries,college news or military news.

Include a picture...it’s included in the price!

Just $10Give us a call!

(517) 878-8006

The Leslie Weekly GuardianThe Leslie Weekly Guardian

P.O. Box 22Leslie, MI 49251(517) 878-8006

Jennifer@theleslieweeklyguardian.com

Deadlines:Friday at 5 p.m. for news, display ads and classifieds.

Classified Ad Rates:$5 flat fee for 30 wordmax. ran for four consecutive weeks.It will be .10 per wordafter that. Add a pic-ture for just $1.

Publisher/Owner:Jennifer Shuster

The Leslie Weekly Guardianis published weekly online

every Tuesday. E-mail reminders are sent toall subscribers when thenew issue is published.

Obituary

Sports/ContributingWriter:Jeff Moss

Daniel Todd Gallaway Daniel Todd Gallaway, 39, of Mason, died Friday. Graveside services 2p.m. June 15 at Felt Plains Cemetery, Leslie. Arrangements by GorslineRunciman Funeral Homes, Ball Dunn Chapel, Mason.

Gibbs’Berries

Gale Road & Plains RoadEaton Rapids

Please call for more information:(517) 663-6083

-or- (517) 507-7068

PickedStrawberries

The Leslie Weekly Guardian - Tuesday, June 9, 2009 Page 10

Opinion/EditorialMy wedding anniversary to my husband Trav

is fast approaching.We have been married for eight years this

month. To some people, this may not seem very long,

but when I look back at all of our memories, setbacks and accomplishments, it almost seemstwice as long!

I can honestly say that second to parenting,being married is one of the hardest jobs you’llever have. On the other hand, the rewards youwill reap from this never-ending hard work willgreatly be worth all of the sacrifice.I am so grateful to have the love of my life in

my life, every single day. There is no one elsewho knows me as well as Trav. There is no oneelse who shares my wicked sense of humor, fla-vor for music or deals with my temper.So while I look forward to our special day and

the traditional viewing of the wedding video withthe kids, I go over the memories that live in mymind.I can still picture myself standing in the church

facing my husband-to-be, while the pastor tells

us how much work marriage will be. Now aftereight years and four kids, I now know exactlywhat he was talking about.I also remember how he told us no matter how

old, wrinkly, callused or stiff our hands got, toALWAYS hold hands. Well, our hands have gotten older (and Trav’s

are callused), but we still hold hands. It may justbe a gentle rub on the knuckles when one of ustries to “apologize” for a foolish argument. Itmight be a loose grip during a walk on the cam-pus of MSU. It also could be a tight grasp duringthe birth of our children. Whatever the reason, wehold hands and we will ALWAYS hold hands.I love you, “Bunny!”

SmallTown Girl

By Jen ShusterGuardian Publisher

The following is an editorial written by StateRepresentative Barb Byrum (D-Onondaga). Ifyou have questions about this commentary,please contact Rep. Byrum's office by calling(517) 373-0587. We recently learned the sad news that General

Motors – a staple of our community for 100 years– is filing for bankruptcy due in part to the globaleconomic crisis, which likely means tough timesahead for all of us. Cities throughout Michigan have been built be-

cause of plants opened by GM, Ford andChrysler. GM was the world's top manufacturerof vehicles for over 75 years, and at its peak, em-ployed close to a million people. Because the au-tomobile industry has been so important toMichigan's economy, our community is feelingthe brunt of the bankruptcies of Chrysler andnow, GM. It will be up to all of us to work againstthe potential negative effects as the auto industry

restructures, and there a number of ways we cando that. Despite GM's bankruptcy, I am confident that

the company is going to re-emerge a better,leaner, and stronger automaker. It is important forus all to support American companies, even inthese troubling times, if we want to fix our eco-nomic troubles. In the meantime, there are a number of things

we can do to help our local economy. One of thebest ways we can reinvest in our state and com-munities is to buy local. It is important that wemake our purchases from locally owned busi-nesses to not only protect and create local jobs,but also stimulate local economic growth. Whenwe shop at the local stores that make up the heartof our downtowns, we support our communityand keep it thriving. That is because small and lo-cally owned businesses account for more than 90percent of our state's employers. By providingbusiness to our local stores, we keep our neigh-bors employed and allow them to put food on thetable and help pay their mortgages.

If we can work together as a community, wecan help reverse the negative effects the reces-sion has had on our state. By buying local andreinvesting in our state, we can all have a part inmaking our community a better place to live,work, do business and raise a family.

CoffeeBreak

By Barb ByrumState Representative

Byrum stresses ‘buying local’ and ‘reinvesting in our state’

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“Coffee Break” is Sponsored by MyKahawaBar.com“Simply the Best Coffee In the World!”

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Shuster looks forward to eighth wedding anniversary

It was that time of year again; the fifth andsixth grade students had Olympic Day. On May29, the students enjoyed a fun-filled day of ac-tivities. They broke into 16 teams (two per class)all named after different cities of the world. Theteams included: Mrs. Phillips – Toronto/Paris,Mrs. Stock – Madrid/Detroit, Mrs. Reynolds –Baghdad/New York City, Mrs. Fenger – At-lanta/Moscow, Mrs. Murphy – Rome/San Fran-cisco, Mrs. Crawford – Hong Kong/Nashville,Mr. Corts – Los Angeles/Berlin.

Some of the activities included Team Walk,

Speed Bowling, Raging River (they had to getacross the gym using plungers, ropes and scoot-ers) and the Great Divide (teams used cardboard

mats to travel across a distance).The teams were scored on teamwork and how

well they played the games. Now it’s time for adrum roll…

The team that won in fifth grade was Mrs.Stock’s Detroit team. The sixth grade winner wasMrs. Fenger’s Atlanta team. It was a fun day andeveryone had a good time.

Several Leslie Middle School Students havevolunteered to take turns writing a weekly col-umn during the school year for The Leslie WeeklyGuardian.

Middle SchoolMinutesBy Matthew Moulton

& Shane CortsLeslie Middle School

Students

Fifth and sixth graders enjoy annual ‘Olympic Day’ at LMSOur wedding day back on June 23, 2001.