To Gratiot County Citizens:

The Gratiot County Clerk’s Office will be mailing out 2,800 juror questionnaire forms soon. The names are selected from a random computer draw of all Gratiot County residents who hold a Michigan driver’s license or state ID. Jurors are important and necessary participants in our justice system.

The mailing contains a two-sided questionnaire form that must be completed, signed and returned within 10 days. A three member jury board begins reviewing the Juror Qualification Questionnaire forms in late May to determine eligibility in accordance with Michigan statutes.

Once qualified, the names are placed in a data bank and another random computer draw selects juror names to be placed on panels from Sept. 1, 2011 through Aug. 31, 2012. Jurors typically only receive one letter requesting their service per year. Selected jurors receive a letter from the designated court indicating specific instructions on when to call in to report for jury service. The letter typically arrives 21 days before the service date.

A Jury Duty Brochure and a Frequently Asked Questions letter are also included in the mailing to assist individuals in completing their forms. In all cases both sides of the forms must be completed, signed and returned to the Clerk’s Office as each form must be accounted for and tracked. Additional mailings are required for each form not returned.

Questions can be e-mailed to the Gratiot County Clerk’s Office at gratiotcountyclerk@yahoo.com or leave a message after 5 p.m. at 989-875-5297.

Carol A. Vernon
Gratiot County Clerk

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To the Editor:

Mr. Denman and his comments about the effectiveness of the drain consolidation covering 84 miles in Gratiot County, has my hackles up. Of course those who live furthest from the termination point of this project should have increased drainage and be able to increase their yields to pay the additional 6-7 dollars more on their taxes per acre for 20 years.

But where do they think this water will end up? I’ll tell you where, right here on our farm and other farms that are by the Maple River. The Maple River cannot handle this much extra water without flooding the surrounding fields. How is this going to increase our drainage and boost our yields? Yet we are going to be stuck paying the bill for the next 20 years.

I wonder if Mr. Denman, Mr. Apple, Mr. Hrable, Mr. Carey and Mr. Bebow have been down and taken a look at the river following the recent rains. Or seen the flooding in the low lying areas. Then just imagine what water from 84 miles of drain pouring in this area would look like.

Until something is done to increase the flow of the Maple River and dikes to keep the surrounding farms from flooding, we will be the ones drowning from the excess water flowing into this area.

It’s not that we don’t want drainage, but work has to be done on the river first. We don’t want to be a dumping ground for water from this huge and expensive project and we certainly don’t want to pay for a project that will only cause us harm.

Jerry and Janet Vanek
Ashley

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To the Editor:

I think that Carl E. Boog, (the letter to the editor the week of April 21) shouldn’t point fingers at anyone!

He and his family was the four, in Elba Township, that signed to get their ditches cleaned so they would drain better.

How can he show his face when so many good farmers might lose their land because they can’t pay for the Drain 181 cleaned.

So look in the mirror, Carl before you throw stones!

Sandy Kay
Land Owner
Ithaca

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To the Editor:

In the April 28th Editor’s Corner, editor Greg Nelson calls the threat of a dangerous global warming “a bunch of bunk.” I agree. Why? Because God’s promise is:

“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease,” Genesis 8:22.

God’s promises ALWAYS come true, especially as seen in the birth, life, and crucifixion of Jesus, with every detail thereof perfectly fulfilled. Why did God send Jesus? To save us from the place of real “global warming,” namely, eternity in Hell! Jesus often warned of Hell and vividly described it in Luke 16:19ff.

How truly wise to read the Bible, which warns of “global warming” and teaches us how to be saved from it, especially when we know God’s promises ALWAYS come true!

Scriptures often speak of Heaven as being a gift for us to receive and of how to receive the gift (Rom. 6:23, Eph. 2:8-10, I John 1:9, 5:11-12). Having received Heaven as a gift, we are new creations – and we go out seeking others to be saved (II Cor. 5:14-20; Matt. 28:18-20).

In contrast to Hell, Heaven is a place where the saved have fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11)! Surely, then, for our own and for our children’s (Deut. 6:4-7) and for others’ sake, we need to be much concerned to warn of the unending remorse and suffering of “global warming” to come – and of how to have Life (John 10:10)!

In witness of Him who came AS PROMISED to save us from “global warming,”

Sam Wiederhold
Alma

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Dear Editor:

Poo-pooing the validity of climate change as Greg Nelson did in his column last week is highly short sighted.

Whether you believe in the science of climate change or not, it is hard to argue against empirical data that show the impact industrial civilization has had on the planet. Today some 2.5 billion people (36% of the world’s population) in India and China want the same energy-rich standard of living that we have in the U.S. and Europe (17% of the world’s population). This simple math says we need more energy, soon. Why not sustainable energy?

The science of climate change is anything but bunk. So is the science behind opposing theories. You certainly cannot debunk the science of population growth. No matter how you put 7 billion people into perspective, it makes the world’s resources seem not-so endless.

Michigan consumers export $24 billion a year for energy, mostly to coal-producing regions. Sustainable power from wind, solar and biomass sends those dollars down the road, not out of state. Wind turbines keep farmland in economic production. Biomass power promotes sustainable land management and local jobs. Solar seems perfectly scaled for small commercial and residential applications. Biofuels present a new and promising future.

The science on both sides of climate change is unproven. Only time will tell which is right and which is…maybe less right. Acting now, with what we know, is prudent. The expanding worldwide thirst for energy demands we diversify resources, conserve, and become more efficient in our practices and through technological advancement. We can do this domestically, we can do this locally, and in the process help maintain our quality of life.

Gary Melow
Ithaca