The Ludington Daily News from Ludington, Michigan • Page 1

Deny Use Of Lewis Street House As Facility By PAUL 8. PETERSON Managing Editor A request by Mason County Youth Facilities, to use the residence at 301 N. Lewis St. as a group home for adult mentally retarded was formally denied by the Ludington City Commission Monday night. Whether 1 or not the denial was necessary never did become clear during Monday night's meeting because some city officials indicated that the corporation had withdrawn its request in the face of mounting neighborhood opposition.

A public hearing on the special exception request was opened but quickly closed and the council immediately voted to deny the request, In turn, Mason County Youth Facilities requested that the city either rezone or grant a special exception permit so that the facility can be housed at 401 Ludington the former Danaher home now used as the Mason County Health Department. The Health Department is abandoning that address and moving its offices to the Mason County Department of Social Services' former Paulina Steams Hospital. By the time the council finished denying permission to we the house at 301 Lewis St. for mentally handicapped, the city commissioners had yet another conflict to settle. It was brought out during previous discussions that the house now is being used to accommodate elderly people who need a place to live but do not require medical assistance.

The owner of the home had never fulfilled the required procedure of seeking rezonlng or a special exception permit. As a result, a letter will be sent notifying the owner that a violation now exists and what steps he must take. The council did approve a request by Kenneth Harper to enclose a shadehouse so that It may be used as a greenhouse at 905 Pine St. There were no objections from the neighborhood. Ludington users of Cable Vision apparently are going to be in for a rate increase, an Increase that the city has stalled for nearly a year.

Cable Vision, acting under terms of its franchise from the city, has notified the city it intends to raise its rates so that the monthly fee will now be $6, the charge for one extra television set will be $1 a month and all additional sets will cost SO cents. The installation fee will be $15. Under the franchise agreement with the city, Cable Vision has the right to adjust its rates every two years but the firm's books must be presented to the city for auditing. So far, according to Commissioner Jack Ereon, the Cable Vision books have not been made available. Cable Vision presented to the city a check for $4,057 for its 1974 payment.

At the request of Ereon, and supported by the council, City Attorney John Claire will investigate the matter to see if the franchise agreement has been violated by Cable Vision. In other business Monday night, the council asked for bids on a number of pieces of equipment. The city intends to purchase two one-half ton pick-up trucks and a two-way radio for the payloader for the street department; two one-half ton pick-up trucks for the water department and a radio and a three-quarter ton pick-up for the sewage department, plus a radio. The city received four bids for a new police car and the bids were turned over to the fire and police and finance and purchasing committee for study and with the power to act. The bids were from Urka Chevrolet for Jim Held Chevrolet for Dittmar- Healy Ford for $3,954 and C.

W. Smith Sons for $3,988. Councilmen voted to add another $397 to a $1,000 appropriation made earlier so that Region 8 detectives may purchase some $8,000 worth of new equipment. The $1,397 is the city's share. Police Chief William Hartley told the council that he has completed steps to remedy a situation on all police cars so that another explosion, such as occurred last Friday night, will not be repeated.

The Ludington Class Size Comes Under Discussion At Meeting An Independent Newspaper Serving Mason County and Surrounding Area Copyright 1975 by Ludington Daily News, Inc. 7 VOLUME NO. 85, NO. 101 LUDINGTON, MICHIGAN, TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 1975 PRICE 15c By VANS STEVENSON Daily News Staff Writer A subject which has resulted in a wide division of viewpoints and full of sensitive and explosive ramifications was the subject of a public discussion with the Ludington Area Board of Education following Mon- day's regular session. Class size, which has more or less become a barometer in any school system, came under scrutiny and debate between administrators, teachers, board members and the public.

School Superintendent Don Baldwin reviewed a recent survey which compares the relative class size in the Ludington Area School District with all others throughout the state. The survey shows that Ludington averaged 20 students per teacher which is a "reasonable range" according to Baldwin. School Board Holds Off On Probationary Teachers ByVANSSTEVENSON Daily News Staff Writer The Ludington Area Board of Education Monday night voted unanimously not to enter into 1975-76 contracts with 20 probationary teachers in the district until after a June election when a millage renewal request is expected to be on the ballot. The board of education took the action on the recommendations of Superintendent Don Baldwin, who termed the measure a routine procedure. Baldwin said the board had been advised by its Lansing attorneys it should not enter into contracts with probationary teachers until it has the intention of carrying them out.

The resolution serves as an emergency protection measure for the school district if an expected millage request is turned down by school district constituents. Nine mills from the operating budget expired this past December and a renewal of that amount will likely face school district voters at a June election. The board has not as yet voted on a millage request to be placed on the ballot. Nine mills represent over $2 million in school district revenue. Ludington Education Association President Stewart Gartside, who was present at Monday's board meeting, questioned whether the board was following "established procedure" under the terms of the current Master Contract.

Gartside said that the LEA must be notified of proposed changes before they take place. Superintendent Baldwin responded by saying he didn't think the board was in violation and it has until April 14, 60 days before the end of the school year, to notify the LEA of the probationary teacher resolution. Baldwin emphasized that unless the board of education decided to reduce teaching staff or it became necessary because a millage request was defeated, it would not be necessary to carry out the terms of the probationary teachers motion. The group of 20 probationary teachers are primarily those (Continued on Page 2) LUDINGTON RANKED 169th out of 531 school districts in the amount of money on the average it costs to educate one student. School district constituents pay about $1,070 per year to keep one student in school.

Baldwin noted Mason County Eastern School District spends about' $1,190 per student while Mason County Central spends a little less than Ludington at $1,030 per student. He added the increased cost at MCE could amount to the busing transportation of many of its students. The suburban Detroit school system in Oak Park spends the most in the state at about $2,000 per student. While Ludington's average ratio of student to teacher is in a "reasonable its a different story in the elementary grades of the district. Out of about 70 classes in the elementary system, 23 classes have less than 20 students per teacher.

"It may seem obvious that some of the classes could be combined, but not necessarily," Baldwin commented. ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS Irv Prescott and James Burnett told the board there isn't a "magic number" for class size and there are many things that must be considered. (Continued on Page 2) LHS Girl Reportedly Caught Selling LSD In School Area DAILY NEWS PHOTO BY.RUSS MILLER JR. Harbison-Walker Expanding Ludington Operations Harbison-Walker Refractories Division of Dresser Industries, is in the process of a multi-million dollar expansion of its high purity periclase production facilities at its Ludington and Hammond, Indiana, plants. Costing in excess of $5 million, expansion will result in a 35 per cent increase in Harbison's production of high purity periclase.

The above photo taken at the Ludington plant shows the framework for the new calciner and surrounding building. Periclase is an important refractory oxide and is an essential ingredient of linings used in BOF and electric arc steelmaking, for copper converters, for cement and lime kilns, for glass tanks, for foundry furnaces and for various other high temperature processes. Scottville Churches Will Have To Pay For Water By RICHARD L. DANCZ Daily News Staff Writer SCOTTVILLE-Churches in this city have been getting water at no charge for many years, no one seems to know how long, but that will come to an end beginning in April. The city commission Monday night, voted to follow the new water ordinance which states that there shall be no free service.

Claiming that "Water is a sale of a product and is not like taxes," the commission set April 1 as the beginning of the billing with payment due on July 1. "This hasn't been anything illegal," City Manager Rodger Bennett told the commission, "it has just been something, a precedent, that has been established practice beginning who knows how long ago." i' Bennett said that the parsonages of the five churches in the city have been billed for water and have paid their bills, but that the church proper has somehow been passed by. New city attorney Lee Kowalski told the commission that "a precedent gains strength as time goes by" and that if the precedent remains, the water ordinance should be amended to include the exclusion. Otherwise, the ordinance should be followed. It was also noted that churches outside the city limits, which use water wells now but which may use water off the new pipeline when it is completed, would have to be excluded from payment if the current status is maintained.

Commissioner Dorothy Fox cast the lone negative vote in the 6-1 verdict to follow the ordinance, claiming that some people who may have objected to the "no free service" clause had not seen the ordinance, The ordinance was on public display for one month, was published in the Mason County Press and a public meeting was held, it was pointed out by other commissioners. In other business: Chessie System has announced that they will probably close the Scottville Depot and use the services of the freight agent in Ludington because of little traffic. The commission voted unanimously to object to the closing of the depot and will inform the Chessie System and the Michigan Public Service Commission of their objection. hiring discrimination charge has been filed against the city by Kenneth Williams who was one of over a dozen applicants for a position in the public works department. The charge was filed through the (Continued on Page 2) Sale of LSD on Ludington Senior High School grounds and sale of marijuana at Franklin School are under investigation by school and law enforcement authorities, the Daily News'has learned.

A 16-year-old Ludington High School girl was apprehended last week for apparent sale of LSD on school grounds, Assistant Principal Larry Sholtey told the Daily News Monday night. Franklin School Principal James Burnett acknowledged this morning that "there has been a marijuana contact in a classroom at Franklin School. Sholtey, in reporting the alleged LSD sale at the high school, said that, acting on a telephone tip, he observed the girl selling what was first believed to be mescaline to other students on the grounds. Sholtey approached the girl inside the school and found her to be in possession of suspected drugs. The suspected drug was sent to Michigan State Police Crime Lab in Holland where it was identified as LSD.

Law enforcement sources say that it has very frequently been the case that what drug users in this area thought was mescaline has turned out in State Police testing to be LSD. "This school will not permit individuals attending this (high) school to sell drugs and anyone caught will be recommended to be expelled," Sholtey told the Daily News. At Franklin School, Principal Burnett says, "We have a problem and we are right in the middle of trying to work it out." Local law enforcement agencies are investigating these and other reports of drug sales and use in and around area schools but have chosen to release nothing at this time because they say it could hinder their investigations. Sources also told the Daily News a high school-aged youth was treated at Memorial Hospital over the weekend for an overdose of possible LSD and vodka, but Memorial Hospital reports that the youth was treated only for an overdose of alcohol. The Daily News has been conducting a six-month-long investigation into the drug problem in Mason County and finds the problem to be acute, particularly in Ludington Senior High School and 0.

J. DeJonge Junior High School. Complete resultes of the findings will be published within the next several weeks. South Viet Nam Suffers Worst Setback In Years Police Believe Baldwin Victim Knew His Killer SPECIAL EASTER POTLUCK SUPPER WALHALLA TOWN HALL Friday, March 21 6:30 p.m. Sponsored by Walhalla Chamber of Commerce EVERYONE WELCOME Young and Old Alike BASKETS ANDSURPRISES FOR THE KIDS.

Bring own table service and dish to pass Colfee and soil drinks will served. Shillingersof Ludington Inc. "Pant Shop" DENIM SHIRTS INDIAN SHIRTS FANCY SHIRTS COLORED T-SHIRTS 1969 Mobile Home On 2 lots in Village of Custer, completely set-up, well and septic. INQUIRE NATIONAL BANK OF LUDINGTON BALDWIN believe a Southfield salesman knew the killer who gunned him down while on a weekend camping trip in a state forest near this Northern Michigan community, "We don't feel we have some lunatic running loose because they went to a great deal of trouble to kill someone," said Lake County Sheriff Robert Johnson. "We feel the assailant knew who he was shooting," Johnson added, "and when he left, left them both for dead." Daniel Barnett, 37, a salesman for a Southfield arts supply firm, died, and his companion was.

wounded Saturday when a man fired a rifle point blank 11 times into their two-man tent. Barnett and a client, Bruce McAllister, 45, of Farmington, were attacked in the Bray Creek Campground of Pere Marquette State Forest, northeast of Baldwin. Barnett was struck in the neck and died almost instantly. McAllister was shot in the elbow and chest and listed in fair condition at a Grand Rapids hospital. The killing was the first in history in a Michigan state campground.

Police said they believe the killer knew Barnett and McAllister and may have followed them from Detroit or waited in the campground until they arrived. Barnett, the father of two daughters, had been a sales representative for eight years with George N. Sepetys Associates Inc. of Southfield. McAllister is the art director at Medlrum Fewsmith, a client.

Families of both men said they knew of no enemies the pair might have had. SAIGON (UPD South Vietnamese troops abandoned the Central Highlands today, retreating from three provinces in the worst setback for anti- Communist forces in Indochina since the loss of North Vietnam. Military sources said President Nguyen Van Thieu ordered government troops to evacuate the rocky, mountainous region after the highlands became "indefensible." The pullout from the Central Highlands, a keystone of American involvement in the Vietnam War, was one of the most significant moves in the long Indochina conflict. Diplomatic sources described the withdrawal from Pleiku, Kontum and Darlac Provinces as the worst loss for anti- Communists in Indochina since the fall of North Vietnam in 1954. Military analysts said the 11- day-old Communist offensive may now drive eastward from the highlands toward the South China Sea in an attempt to split South Vietnam in half.

The military command in Saigon admitted moving government forces out of the highlands "for tactical reasons," but denied giving up the vast, hilly region where the borders of South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos converge. The Weather Reed City Official Nabbed, Police Officers Suspended Mostly cloudy with possible showers this evening. The lows tonight will be in the upper 20s to 30. Wednesday it will be rainy, possibly mixed with snow, and not as warm with a high in the mid to upper 30s. EXTENDED FORECAST Chance of rain Wednesday night, clearing Thursday and becoming mostly cloudy again with a chance of showers Friday.

Temperatures will be near normal until Friday when a cooling trend will set in. Will Designate County Roads For Snowmobiling their meeting, Friday, the Mason County Road Commission met with the Michigan State Police, sheriff's department and the Department of Natural Resources, at which time the Road Commission decided to designate Mason County roads for snowmobiling routes for a trial period of one year starting in the fall of 1975. The signs required will be put up at entrance roads to the county. This is being done to create a safer condition under which people may enjoy snowmobiling in Mason County, and the fact that the snowmobiling public has become better informed as to the laws and safety of snowmobiling. REED CITY (UP1) The big question in legal circles and the coffee shops in Reed City, population 2,290, is: Is it wise for two policemen to arrest the boss? Officers Ted Platz and Larry Finkbeiner were suspended with pay Feb.

28 after they arrested City Manager Ralph Westerburg on a drunk and disorderly charges and held him in jail overnight until he put up $50 bond the next day. The charge was dropped by the prosecutor's office. Police Chief Philip Rathburn suspended the two policemen but reinstated them over the weekend. Rathburn said he was informed that the city charter does not give him authority to suspend the officers without authority from the city manager in this case the man they arrested. Westerburg could, under the charter, according to a councilman, uphold the suspensions but declined to do so.

The case is in the hands of Osceola County Prosecutor James Thompson who said Monday that he is the incident and will make a recommendation to the council this week regarding the incident." Thompson also said he was probing several other incidents involving arrests by the two officers alleging "abusing police authority." Wants Historical Marker For Ill-Fated Carferry The National Maritime Union has requested the city to intercede for it with the federal government so that permission may be granted to erect a Michigan Historical marker commemorating the crewmen of the ill-fated Pere Marquette No. 18. A letter from Ray Shorts, a member of the NMU, explained to the city commission Monday night that the union wishes to have the marker erected so that those who died when the PM 18 sank in 1910, along with the survivors and the ship, can be honored. The NMU wants the marker near the walksvay to the north breakwater but this is federal property and the union has asked the city to request permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use the property.

The city council's parks and recreation committee will study the request. Carrs Firemans DANCE CARRS COMMUNITY HALL March 22 9 p.m.'til Music By The Raiders REFRESHMENTS AND DOOR PRIZES WATCH CHANNEL 12 TONIGHT 7p.m. School Program Our Overseas Exchange Students i ATTENTION HOWELLWIRE EMPLOYEES Those who are due wages are asked to meet at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, March 22, 1975, at the Danish Hall on S. Madison Street for a progress report.

Reg ion Seven A.I.W. AFL-CIO THE COUNTRY INN Overlooking Round Lake MID-WINTER PARTY! Escorted Ladies During March May Enjoy Dinner At Half-Price EVERY WEDNESDAY EVENING From 6 p.m. tolOp.m. TO ALL OF OUR FRIENDS: Your concern, love and prayers have helped us more than you will ever know It will be many days before we will be able to appreciate fully all of the cards and letters that we have received expressing sorrow in the loss of our beloved Bill. The outpouring of love from relatives, friends, fellow church members, neighbors and coworkers lias helped to get our little world turning it indeed did stop for a moment when Bill died.

We are heartbroken but not defeated. Your prayers and God's love will see us through. M.C.E. Class of you. Art and Eleanor Haynor Tonilee and the children, Sheri and Bobby Mr.

and Mrs. William Evans.