Battle Creek Enquirer from Battle Creek, Michigan • Page 3

LOCAL FRIDAY, NOV. 25, 1988 BATTLE CREEK ENQUIRER 3A: hare, merchants say No shores of By LAURENCE CHAKUR Staff Writer T' ''ilf'fv Sill Battle Creek retailers are finding good supplies of extra help for the Christmas shopping crunch. But retailers elsewhere, particularly in ment areas, are boosting wages and offering special hiring perks to attract holiday workers. Some new hires are recommended by current employ- ees, some are walk-in applicants, others already hold jobs and are looking for extra money. The seasonal workers cross most age groups.

"We have no major (hiring) problems. It's about the same as the last two years," said Mike Jewett, manager of J.C. Penney at Lakeview Square, who has hired about 75 seasonal employees. "There haw not been the horren-; dous problems here that I have read about in other loca-' tions." Locally, an informal survey of retailers found no pay or benefit incentives offered to snare holiday workers. But these workers often qualify for employee discounts and special shopping days offered to regular employees.

At Penney, new employees get a 40 percent discount on work clothing and a 35 percent cut on all items during special employee shopping day, Jewett said. At Hudson's, in addition to the usual job advertise-" ments, receipts let customers know the store was hiring, seasonal help, personnel manager Kay Clark said. And employees received a paid day off if they referred good applicants who worked a set amount of time, she said "We were pleasantly surprised this year. We not only have gotten people but were able to get quality people we were looking for," said Clark, adding that about 50 employees were hired for Thanksgiving weekend and another 20 will be hired for December. The mart store at 5500 Beckley Road has hired about 25 new employees for the holidays, store manager Dan Rockman said.

"We have been blessed with a lot of good applications this year," he said. "We don't add seasonal help and are able to flex within A our organization (with part timers) from 20 to 40 said Roger Reed, manager of Sears at Lakeview Square. "When we hire someone, quite frankly, we don't lay them off on Dec. 26." To retain part-time help, the company offers employees medical benefits after a year, Reed said. Meijer's Thrifty Acres on Beckley Road has hired 50 to 75 workers for the season, company spokesperson Jenni-.

fer White said. "We feel we are in good shape." Bronson native among first to pilot Stealth By BILL MILLER Regional Editor BRONSON For a pilot, there's probably no greater; -status than flying a fighter plane so advanced and topf- Photo by Niel Drake Doris Williams, left, Dorothy Scott, Lamonica for meals for shut-ins at Upton Avenue Original Guy and Wilbur Watson prepare leftover turkey Church of God. Light turnout for turkey in programs feeding needy msttrocTea itsvjs briefs Trial Dec. 1 in shooting, kidnapping A Detroit man will stand trial Dec. 1 on charges stemming from two July shootings and a kidnapping.

Leo E. Altman 39, is charged with seven counts of assault with intent to murder, one count of breaking and entering an occupied dwelling with intent to murder, one count of kidnapping and a felony firearms charge. Authorities allege Altman barricaded himself in the home of his sister-in-law, Rosalyn Swanson, of 902 N. Clinton Albion, after shooting Loyd Chapman, 1 7, and Henry Wheeler, 34 about 3 a.m. July 31.

Altman allegedly fatally stabbed a Detroit grocery store owner the day before and then allegedly kidnapped a couple and forced them to drive him to Albion. He is being held in the Calhoun County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bond. Be ready to cope with snow, snowplows After Thanksgiving passes, can snow accumulation be far behind? As the Public Service Department prepares for snowplowing of city streets, it released these tips for residents: Shovel or blow snow to right of a driveway so it won't be plowed back into drive. Move your car off the street so the plow can get the snow moved immediately. Avoid shoveling or blowing snow from the driveway or sidewalks into the streets.

Not only is this a driving hazard, it is against city law. For safety's sake, motorists should yield to snowplows at intersections and corners. Don't tailgate heavy snow equipment. Stay a minimum of two car lengths behind the plows, which make frequent, sudden stops. Don't pull out in front of plows.

The trucks are heavy and slower to stop than cars. Grant to help develop health information center Battle Creek Health System has received a 1 50,000 grant from an anonymous donor for the development of a Health Information Resource Line and Center expected to become operational in January 1989. The program will allow the general public to call a number at BCHS for immediate access to information regarding health care issues, prevention, problems or concerns. Information may be provided through brochures, articles or video tapes which will be available on a loan basis. The service is being developed to serve people in Battle Creek and surrounding communities.

Four in at-large contest go to state Junior Miss MARSHALL Four contestants at a Junior Miss at-large program have won spots in the' state competition. At a program held recently in Marshall, Julie Ging of Farmington Hills, Maria Simos of Garden City, Robin Olson of Roscommon and Kathy Gar-chow of Milford were selected as at-large Junior Misses. The at-large competition is for young women who have no Junior Miss programs in their areas. The winners, who are all seniors in high school, received no scholarship money. The state Junior Miss scholarship program will be held in Marshall on Dec.

20-21. G-A school superintendent narrowed to two candidates GALESBURG If all goes as planned, officials say, the new superintendent of the Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools will be on the job by the first of the year. The choice for a new superintendent has been narrowed from 42 applicants to two R. Nick Johns of Arlington, Iowa, and Dennis McCrumb of Sparta. Six candidates were interviewed.

A special meeting is planned Monday at the board meeting room to discuss the visits. Narcotics Anonymous meets Sundays at northside church Ex-drug users and persons trying to kick the habit are invited to attend Narcotics Anonymous from 3 to 5 p.m. each Sunday at Washington Heights Community Ministries. Narcotics Anonymous is a self-supporting group of individuals who meet informally and talk about problems associated with their addictions, how to stay clean and other matters related to their drug habit "Those who have kicked the habit and have stayed clean tend to provide positive models for those who have just begun to recover," said Darryl Robinson, program coordinator. Narcotics Anonymous is patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous.

Persons participating are not required to give their names, Robinson said. secret that it has never been seen public. A Bronson native, U.S. Air Force Maj. Brian Wilber, has the right stuff.

He's among the first 10 Air Force pilots to fly the Stealth fighter, a close relative to the B-2 Stealth bomber unveiled earlier this week in California. Both aircraft are dark-colored flying wings made of materials that make them nearly By ANNE MclLREE Staff Writer Brian Wilber Maj. cue Mission, with about 35 people feasting on three turkeys with all the trimmings. "We had 35 people, said Herbert Goben. "Normally we have between 60 and 80.

I really expected more than that." Neither Watson or Goben could attribute the lower turnout to any particular reason. Franklin Neighborhood Center served about 85 meals, with additional meals also being taken to shut-ins, said Tim Knowlton, who with his wife, Lisa, helped serve the guests. Knowlton thought the number served was about the same as in years past. Attendance varied Thursday at three programs serving Thanksgiving dinner to needy or elderly persons. This was the first year that Wilbur and Jewel Watson and others served a free Thanksgiving meal at Upton Avenue Original Church of God, 270 Upton Ave.

Wilbur Watson said the church served about 75 people. "I thought there might have been more," he said. Watson added that meals were also taken to shut-ins. He said that church members thought the dinner went well and hope to continue the practice next year. Attendance was also low at the Haven of Rest Res Fatal crash added to family's woes By JANE PARIKH Staff Writer invisible to radar.

Although the government acknowledged as far back as 1980 that Stealth aircraft were being developed, the Air Force did not release any information about it until a picture of the F-l 17A Stealth fighter was published a few weeks ago. Wilber, 38, who's now stationed at Langley Air Force Base, said he flew the plane from 1983 to 1985 during a four-year tour of duty at Nellis AFB, Nev. The plane was first flown by test pilots before Air Force flyers took it on for more rigorous, long-term testing. He couldn't talk specifically about the aircraft, but said that "as any new airplane is being brought on, (flying it) is a very frustrating and rewarding experience. There are a lot of highs and lows, yet you feel like you're accomplishing something." Wilber has 2,300 hours flying time in the T-37 and T-38 trainer, the A-7 and the 0-2 forward controller aircraft; He also has a commercial pilot's license and flies small planes.

His love for flight started when he was a Bronson High School student "It intrigued me, I thought it was something I really wanted to do. The Air Force said I had to have a So I worked at the Coldwater airport, pumping gas from the time I was 1 6 until I got out of college in exchange for flying time." Wilber graduated from high school in 1 968, and earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the: University of Michigan in 1972. He joined the Air Force" in 1973, and during his first assignment in Thailand took" part in the evacuation of Saigon. He and his wife Debra, from Washington state, have four children. The family visits his parents, Garth and June Wilber, in Bronson at least twice a year.

And on many of those visits, he slips over to Branch County Airport to take up a little single-engine plane, just for the joy of it warren were in good condition at Leila this morning. State police are still investigating the accident. Damon described his mother as a "pretty nice person" and his sister as a good mother, in spite of the hard lives they both had, which included the brutal murder of a son and grandson, David Manwarren, in 1977. David Manwarren, his wife, Gloria, and a son, David Emory, 3, were found shot to death on Dec. 4 in their Battle Creek home.

Another son, Terry Manwarren, IV2, survived. Damon said his sister and his mother never quite recovered from the pain and shock. "They both took it hard," Damon said. "I was close to David myself and I don't think any of us ever got over it." Bonnie Manwarren had been a diswashef at Arlene's Truck Stop since 1977. Arlene McCoy, owner of Arlene's Truck Stop, hired Bonnie Manwarren as a dishwasher in 1977.

"She was a hard worker There's" nothing she wouldn't do if she was asked," McCoy said. "She seemed to worry about her kids alot" Bonnie Manwarren and her mother, Ethel Damon, were on a Thanksgiving mission when their lives ended abruptly in an accident about 3 p.m. Wednesday. Manwarren, 52, and Damon, 78, of 80 Warren were on their way back from picking up Randall Manwarren, their grandson and great-grandson respectively, from Pine Hills, a home for boys near Mt. Pleasant, when the station wagon they were in crashed into a concrete abutment on M-66 near Baseline Road and caught fire.

Bonnie Manwarren and her husband, Ray, were Randall's legal guardians. She wanted her grandson home for Thanksgiving with his family. The driver of the car, Robert Allen, 45, of 93 Poplar also died in the accident Allen was described by Man warren's brother, Richard Damon, as a family friend. Randall Manwarren, 1 5, his sister Roselyn Manwarren, 5, and Barabara Foreman, also passengers in the vehicle, survived. Randall Manwarren was treated at Leila Hospital and released Wednesday.

Foreman and Roselyn Man Clinic clings to life after federal rug pulled out trcco christcnson 8 Five part-time staff members are paid, but the clinic has been put together with donated equipment and staffed with donated time by doctors, nurses and counselors. None of that seemed to matter, Whitten said. The government wanted just numbers. Whitten said federal officials won't return phone calls or answer letters about the decision to end funding. About $4,500 in federal money left over from this year, combined with next year's $41,800 local match will enable the clinic to stay open until sometime next spring.

Although Whitten and clinic director Linda Wood are angry about the decision of the federal bureaucrats, they said Battle Creek is rallying to keep the clinic. Members of several agency boards are writing letters to government officials and seeking money for the project as Whitten, Wood and other local officials attempt to find ways to finance operations. U.S. Senators Donald Riegle, D-Flimy-and Carl Levin, D-Detroit, U.S. Rep.

Howard Wolpe, D-Lansing, state Sen. -John J.H. Schwarz and state Rep. l. William Martin, both R-Battle Creek, have supported the clinic.

-I. The Battle Creek Coalition for the Homeless, a group of representatives I from several agencies and organizations formed last month as part of the visit of author Jonathan Kozol, has taken the -clinic cause as its first project. "I feel proud of Battle Creek and what' they have done," Whitten said. "I feel a sense that we can't let the clinic die." 7 Trace Christenson is an Enquirer staff writer. His column appears on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The future seems bleak for a Battle Creek medical clinic that opened last spring to treat the homeless. The hours for the clinic have been cut so remaining money will last longer, and the community seems unwilling to let the clinic close without a fight. Operated by the Visiting Nurse Services of Southern Michigan the clinic, at 156 E. Michigan opened in -mid-March and since then has treated 140 different people an average of three times each. But Sally Whitten, VNS executive director, said the decision by the federal government to eliminate funds for the clinic was apparently made after only four months of operating and based on the number of people who used the services.

"They called in July and they didn't ask me how it was going, they asked how many people," Whitten said. "It was a numbers game." She said the decision was not fair since the clinic started from scratch after approval of a 1988 grant for $1 19,000. Local contributions were $39,700. Other, similar clinics in larger Michigan cities were already operating when the federal money was provided, so their numbers looked better. Elaine Kulhanek is Metro editor arid Bill Miller is Regional editor.

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