95 per cent federal funding Sheriff department pushes for $60,000 crime unit The Tuscola County Sher- just over $3,000. eight-foot van equipped with of foot and tire prints at the "It's something that we unit. He is optimistic that the iff's Department hopes to Sheriff Hugh Marr is push- modern crime detection and crime scene, lift latent finger- to every one of the 11 local counties with their large ur- really need," Marr said. grant will be approved, but police agencies in the county increase its arsenal against ing hard for the unit. He says evidence preservation tools. prints, take and develop pic- "With our crime rate contin- .ban populations, Marr main- an ever-increasing crime rate if the grant application is says there's a good chance as well as the State Police. tains some of their crime The mobile unit would be used tures at the scene and allow uing to rise, we have to have some items, such as the with a mobile crime unit approved, funding would be- primarily in all crime search officers to render composite According to figures sup- problem spills into the rural all the help we can get. Even added police car, may be cut. plied by the sheriff in the areas. designed to help detect and gin next July 1 and the project operations, specializing in drawings of suspects. with the State Police Post in preserve evidence. The proj- could be operational in the "We expect to hear some- grant request, the crime rate In addition, a large amount gathering evidence at the Marr maintains the unit is the county, our crime rate is thing to the effect that the ect, which includes a van-type county by next fall. scenes of breaking and enter- badly needed. He says offi- rose 33 per cent between 1973 of seasonal tourist traffic into still going up." grant's being considered and 1974, with increases re- vehicle, equipment and per- The County Board of Com- ings, arsons, armed robber- cers don't have the time to Marr says the primary use and through the county com- sonnel, is expected to cost missioners, bristling under around February," Marr corded so far this year. Marr pounds the problem, he says. ies, homicides, larcenies and maintain the public safety of the mobile unit would be to said. "If we get our funding over $60,000. recent criticism that it isn't bank robberies. and still do an adequate job of cites a need for more techni- The unit is similar to a detect, preserve and protect starting July 1, it'll take about cal investigation techniques Ninety-five per cent of the doing enough to help law Marr says the unit would be investigation. evidence. The van alone is mobile crime van now in use cost, however, would be enforcement agencies do three months or so to get it to help offset a lack of ade- in Lapeer county, Marr said. available for use by all village According to the grant ap- estimated to cost $8,000, with outfitted, so we should be picked up with federal dollars their jobs in the county, has and city police forces in the plication, salaries of the two quate manpower. Federal funding for the total personnel costs to oper- ready to go by fall." Marr said part of the reason earmarked for such projects agreed to participate in the county as well as the Michi- officers who would be re- ate it at $33,241.74 annually. grant is funnelled through the if the county receives a grant program. Marr emphasized that the Mchigan_Office-of-Gr-imina! gan _State_PpJice. JJujrecLtaj)perate-the--mobile - In-the-gr-ant-request—Marr--'-Sheriff's - department" WuTd" -for-which it applied. The •••"The" projectMarr~hopes to"" " Equipment in the van would unit are pegged at $12,500 tics is Tuscola county's geo- Justice Programs in Lansing, is also asking for a police car not have sole use of the unit graphic position. Located county's share would total impk H includes a 20 by allow officers to take castings each. for detectives who operate the and must meet state guide- and that it would be available next to Genesee and Saginaw lines before it is approved. CITY CHRONICLE CASS CITY, MICHIGAN-THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1975 Twenty Cents SECTION A TWENTY-TWO PAGES Ware undecided Althaver, two trustees SENDS ATRUCKLOAD OP tv R r *" tv ** ii 11 P*!1* Trt Tur %/ » Sw** Ji > li'v #»* f s«. o^y }j i^,/ g g ' W I f|C to seek re-election DETROIT ZOO! With nominating petitions battle. lasting two years. choose three village council scheduled to begin circulating Terms of both clerk and Nominating petitions are trustees. Terms of Richard soon, nearly all Cass City treasurer are two years. currently available for pros- Burdon, Harry King and village office holders whose Assessor Dan Erla said he pective challengers. Peti- Leroy Stapleton are all sched- terms expire next March plans to seek re-election to tions, bearing at least 20 valid uled to expire in March. have said they, plan to seek another two-year term. signatures, must be returned Gagetown trustees will be re-election. Only trustee Under the revised state law to village offices by 4:00p.m., elected for four-year terms. James Ware indicated he is which village trustees voted Dec. 29. Nominating petitions bear- undecided about seeking an- to accept in 1973, village If a primary is needed, ing signatures equal to one other term on the village elections are held every two balloting will take place Feb. per cent of the total village council. years, with the president and 16, with the general election population must be returned Trustees who have said half the six-man council slated for March 8. to Clerk Mrs. Elery Sontag by they plan to seek four-year standing for re-election. Trus- 4:00 p.m. Dec. 31. terms are Richard Hamp- tee terms are four years with GAGETOWN Petitions may be picked up shire and Nat Tuttle. Hamp- terms of village president, at the village hall or at 6574 shire was first elected in 1973 clerk, treasurer and assessor Gagetown voters will Gage St., Gagetown. for a two-year term. How- ever, a change in local election procedures added a year to his term and extended terms of all councilmen to four years. Tuttle, who was appointed to council in July, 1973, to ».replace Bernard Ross who --tjOft^**" "^^ r *• resigned, will also be seeking a four-year term of his own. KINGSTON ELEMENTARY school students prepared to give 200 bales of hay destined for Ware said late last week he the Detroit Zoo a rousing send-off last week. The hay, which wiii feed one bison for one year, is hasn't made up his mind about another stint on the part of a bicentennial project. School officials said the students became interested in the council, where he has served project after they learned that the zoo is financially strapped. (Neitzel Photo). on committees involving park and street development, since 1973. Ware has been actively involved in such projects as the new municipal swimming Owen-Gage voters to decide pool and has stressed con- tinued street improvements during his term. Meanwhile, Village Presi- dent Lambert Althaver an- nounced he plans to seek re-election to another two- fate of $ 1.6 million bond issue year term. "As far as I know, I will run again'/Althaver said last week. Clerk-treasurer Mrs. Celia House has announced she Voters in the Owen-Gage the village of Gagetown would plans to seek re-election as School District will go to the receive a valuation increase treasurer only. The clerk's polls Saturday to decide the of 18 per cent if the bond issue slot so far provides the only fate of a school bonding Concluded on page 12. opening for a real political proposal and, according to some, the fate of their district as well. Erickson sees the proposal transfer their land to neigh- Voters will be asked to as a chance for school boring districts who say approve a $1.675 million bond supporters to insure the Owen-Gage facilities are Kingston kids issue that would construct a district's future existence. poor. new high school building to "The junior-senior high Still others say if the replace the present 1913 school building proposal is district goes under, commun- facility. Present plans call for probably the first realistic ity organizations such as the new classroom space totaling opportunity that the voters Owen-Gage Senior Citizens MAIL VOLUME at the Cass City Post Office is running at about 37,660 square feet and includ- have had to reflect their Club might disintegrate due help Detroit Zoo ing seven classrooms and a opinions since the separate to a lack of local interest. its normal holiday pace, with the peak expected sometime this new gymnasium. districts of Owendale and There'll be one fat, happy money to pay for the gasoline week. Here, postal worker Pat Rabideau fixes postage on School officials say the Gagetown have merged to OPPOSITION bison at the Detroit Zoo for to truck the load to Detroit. Christmas packages while postmaster Grant Glaspie looks on. proposal can be floated for a form the Owendale-Gagetown the next year, thanks to the Kramer said the donation total of 5.4 additional mills. If area schools," Erickson re- Opposition to the bond issue efforts of Kingston Elemen- was one part of a larger proj- approved, major construction cently stated in a newsletter has been vocal.