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PAGE 6                                                         ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS OF MICHIGAN                                          January 19, 2023


                                                    PLYMOUTH - SUMPTER
                                                    PLYMOUTH - SUMPTER





        Local legislator named chair of education committee



           State Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-                                                             Koleszar understands the critical
        Plymouth) was named chair of                              ”                                 issues facing our schools, and he
        the House Committee on                      There is a lot of work ahead of us,             will listen to the voices of his fel-
        Education earlier this month.               and it is an honor and a privilege              low educators when it comes to
        Koleszar served as president of                                                             crafting education policy. We
        his local Michigan Education           to be entrusted with this great responsibility.      look forward to working with
        Association chapter at Airport                                                              Rep. Koleszar, as well as lawmak-
        Community Schools where he                                                                  ers from both parties, to improve
        taught social studies and English  tive to end the downward spiral  across the aisle make him the  our schools and provide
        for 12 years before joining the  non-educators created. There is  ideal choice for chairman of the  Michigan educators with the
        Legislature in 2019.           a lot of work ahead of us, and it is  Education Committee. I'm proud  resources they need to help
           “As a teacher, I worked     an honor and a privilege to be  to appoint him to that position  every student succeed.”
        through an ever-changing and   entrusted with this great respon-  and excited to see the results he  Koleszar represents the 22nd
        increasingly challenging land-  sibility. I look forward to working  produces for students in every  House District, which includes
        scape that the Legislature creat-  with our partners in education in  corner of our great state,” said  the public school districts of
        ed for our public schools,” said  every corner of this state, so we  Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit.)   Livonia,  Northville  and
        Koleszar.  “From the budget cuts  can once again return Michigan  “We are thrilled with Rep.  Plymouth-Canton. He graduated                 Matt Koleszar
        during the Snyder administra-  to its position as a top 10 state for  Koleszar's appointment as chair  from Saginaw Valley State
        tion to counterproductive stan-  education and destination for  of the House Education      University in 2006 with a bache-  in English studies for teachers.
        dardized testing requirements to  educators.”                 Committee,” said Paula Herbart,  lor of arts degree in secondary  Koleszar maintains his
        the security risks our students  “Matt's experience as a      president of the Michigan     education and history and from  Michigan teaching certificate
        face within the classroom, I   teacher and legislator and     Education Association. “As a for-  Eastern Michigan University in  and resides in Plymouth
        chose to run for state representa-  proven track record of working  mer teacher himself, Rep.  2011 with a master of arts degree  Township with his wife, Kim.
        State police announce increased speeding enforcement




           Since the COVID-19 pandemic                                snow, slush and slick road condi-
        began more than two years ago,             ”                  tions that make speeding even
        law enforcement agencies across                               more dangerous and crashes
        Michigan have reported an          Speeding continues         more likely.”
        alarming rise in speeding and                                    In Michigan, the number of
        fatal crashes.                            to be a             traffic crashes rose from 245,432
           To combat this trend, dozens        critical issue         in 2020 to 282,640 in 2021, an
        of municipal, county and                                      increase of 15 percent. There
        Michigan State Police law              in Michigan.           was also a rise in fatalities (1,131
        enforcement agencies across                                   in 2021 compared to 1,083 in
        Michigan will conduct overtime                                2020), she said.
        speed enforcement through Feb.                                  According to the National
        28.                                                           Highway     Traffic   Safety
           In 2021, there were 237 speed-  Michigan Office of Highway  Administration, local roads are
        related fatalities on Michigan  Safety Planning, said the goal of  more dangerous than highways
        roads, an increase of 18.5 percent  increased enforcement is to  for speeders. In 2020, 87 percent
        from 2020, when 200 people died.  change these risky driving behav-  of all speeding-related traffic
        Nationally in 2020, 11,258 fatali-  iors and save lives.      fatalities occurred on non-inter-
        ties involved crashes in which   “Speeding continues to be a  state roadways.
        one or more drivers were speed-  critical issue in Michigan that  Recent insurance industry
        ing, an 18 percent increase from  leads to many needless crashes,  studies show that approximately
        the 9,478 fatalities in 2019,  serious injuries and fatalities on  112,000 speeding tickets are
        according to state police reports.  our roadways,” Bower said.  issued each day, or about 41 mil-
           Katie Bower, director of the  “With the arrival of winter comes  lion per year.
        Driver is



        killed by


        fast train




           An 89-year-old Sumpter
        Township man was killed last
        Wednesday, Jan. 11, when a train
        struck the vehicle which he was
        driving. The man was pro-
        nounced dead at the scene,
        according to police reports.
           The accident took place as
        the man was driving on
        Rawsonville Road south of
        Bemis, according to official
        reports of the incident. The
        investigation is ongoing, officials
        said and is being handled by the
        Washtenaw County Sheriff's
        Department, Railroad Police
        and Michigan State Police.
           While the roadway was closed
        for several hours, it reopened
        the same day to vehicular traffic,
        police said. The 89-year-old was
        the only occupant of the vehicle.


        Emergency


        siren is now



        operational



           That loud, piercing shriek
        now being blasted from Sumpter
        Township emergency siren num-
        ber nine is music to the ears of
        many local residents.
           The siren had been inopera-
        ble since last August, caused pri-
        marily by supply chain delays in
        receiving replacement parts nec-
        essary for repair of the alarm.
        The siren, located at Sherwood
        and Arkona, is now repaired and
        back online, officials said.
           All 14 of the township emer-
        gency sirens are tested at noon
        on the first Friday of each
        month, officials said and are no
        cause for alarm, but ensure the
        efficiency of the alerts in case of
        a natural disaster.
           For more information, call the
        non-emergency line at the
        Sumpter Township Police
        Department, (734) 461-6898.
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