Behind the Headlines

Are you frightened by the cost of candy, costumes, parties and decorations for Halloween?

Chat with Paula Wethington of Monroe on a Budget about how to keep your holiday expenses on the frugal side. Go to monroenews.com or follow #trickortreat hashtag on Twitter at 8 p.m. Wednesday Sept. 30.

She’ll have tips on buying fall decorations, costume ideas that won’t break your budget, how to manage the candy expenses for trick-or-treat, cheap tricks for the kids to carry their candy, and information about free or low-cost Halloween events in Monroe County.

Here’s a link to her holiday archives.

Here is a list of the Memorial Day observances in Monroe County, Mich.

I (think) I have them all now. Every time I thought the list was done, another notice showed up.

The problem with notices arriving late is I can’t get them a spot on Community Page. That section is done anywhere from one to five days in advance, depending on holiday and weekend printing schedules.

— Paula Wethington

By Danielle Portteus
Buckle up and drive sober during the Thankgiving week. I received this news release today…

Officers will patrol Monroe County for drunk and unbelted drivers during the Thanksgiving holiday.
Law enforcement across the state will be conducting daytime safety belt enforcement zones and nighttime impaired driving enforcement patrols Monday through Nov. 30, a news release said.
The Office of Highway Safety Planning administers federal traffic safety funds for high visibility enforcement due to reduced traffic injuries and fatalities. Almost 150 agencies in 25 counties are receiving federal funding for the additional Thanksgiving patrols. Additional patrols will take place in Lapeer, Livingston, Monroe, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne counties.
“Traditionally, Thanksgiving is a time for family gatherings, which lead to additional traffic on the roadways,” said Michael L. Prince, director of the Office of Highway Safety Planning. “Michigan law enforcement will be out to ensure motorists buckle up and drive sober so everyone makes it home for the holidays.”
During the past five years, Michigan has averaged 15 traffic deaths during the Thanksgiving holiday period, the news release said. During Thanksgiving weekend in 2007, 11 people died in Michigan traffic crashes, according to the Michigan Department of State Police, Criminal Justice Information Center. Four of the people killed were not wearing a seat belt and one involved alcohol.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, safety belts are proven to reduce the risk of serious injury or death in a crash by 45 percent in a car and 60 percent in pickup trucks or sports utility vehicles.
For a list of planned Thanksgiving patrol dates, times and locations, visit www.michigan.gov/ohsp.

By Stephanie Ariganello; stephaniea@monroenews.com

It seemed like a good idea at the time – but then, it always does.

Last week as leap day was approaching I was trying to think of what kind of story was warranted. Inevitably my thinking went back to my own leap day experiences – particularly two leap days ago, in a far away land.

Flashback to the year 2000 (thank you Conan and Andy – I can never say that even in my head without desiring a flashlight and shrill-voiced man). I was still living in Marquette and knowing my time was coming to a likely end there, I decided I would do something special to mark my last year.

I’m not sure where the inspiration came from but sometime – actually it was in 1999 – I decided I would swim in Lake Superior at least once each month of the year. I believe it had something to do with a large glob of people constantly asking – you mean you can swim in Lake Superior? For more than two weeks out of the year? Ever the sassy one, I thought it would be kind of nice to be able to say I swim in it year round. And I love Lake Superior. I should mention this. Thinking back now of late night skinny dips under the northern lights – well, it’s not something most people ever get to experience.

I began in May 1999. It was unseasonably warm and my friend Mari and I went to the beach, for the first time in a long time without wearing boots. Though we tromped through some snow in the woods in our flip flops, it was quite nice once we hit the sand at Little Presque. The thing about up North is that you have to take advantage while you can and before the flies start hatching.

We ended up swimming. I felt awake for the first time in months, the snow cleared out of my winter soul. It was easy enough to uphold the swimming at least once a month throughout the summer. The lake tends to stay somewhat warm into the fall – at least warmer than the air for the most part. September and October were beautiful. November, not so much. The lake hadn’t frozen yet, but for all intents and purposes, my swim was mostly just a dunking. There was not a whole lot to be done.

December, well, it was actually quite nice. There’s a whole long back story here that I won’t go into. But the swim was after a long, sweaty ska-core show. A bunch of us went down to the lake but only a few intrepids went in. It was a little icy, so that made it more difficult. We were at city beach, the towering red lighthouse and coast guard station still visible in the dark.

January of that next year, we had to go to the power plant outtake that didn’t really ever freeze all the way. That was also just a dunking. It was definitely obligatory. I don’t really remember this one – and in fact thought I may have missed it, but was reading one of my journals from back then and had it there. It was right after we had come back from Christmas break.

February. I thought I had missed February. Everything was frozen. The winter had worn out it’s welcome. My commitment was waning and I gave up. I was saved by one little fact – it was a leap year. On the 29th of that year it was freakishly warm – it felt to be about 78 degrees and the lake ice had loosened up. It was one of those days where everything fit into place. It provided a second chance, a spare day.

After all this, it should have been easy to finish out the year. The cold, most challenging months were gone. But nope. March. That’s what killed me. I ended up going home for Spring break and never made it to old GitcheeGoomie in the time that I had. My one blemish on a year’s record.

But that 29th was more than just an extra day to get a swim in – it’s been a benchmark of sorts. It’s been a tether throughout the years since then, reminding me of who I was then and how it’s lead me to here.

By Paula Wethington / paula@monroenews.com

Yes, the crew at NORAD is continuing its annual Santa Claus watch. You or the children can see what’s going on at NORAD Tracks Santa.

(FYI: this site has been updated quite a bit with animation and videos as compared to previous years’ editions. Some older computers or slower connections may have problems.)

By Paula Wethington / paula@monroenews.com

Last night I watched one of the one-hour specials on The History Channel about the history of Christmas: Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas.

I knew that many of the customs and traditions we take for granted today were not introduced to America, or in some cases observed anywhere, until the mid-1800s. But I didn’t know why Christmas was overlooked or even outlawed as a holiday festival in earlier years of this country. (Answer: Christmas festivities in that era were more like what we see today at Halloween or Mardi Gras).

One of the comments in the video production that I found interesting is that while many people struggle with religious vs. secular observances of the Christmas holiday, the two aspects contribute to and support each other. Without secular observances such as Santa Claus making department store appearances, the Christmas holiday would not be as popular or as pervasive in our culture. But until Christmas morphed into a family-friendly holiday, many religious people wanted nothing to do with the raucous festivities formerly associated with Dec. 25.

If you’re interested in this topic, the History Channel has additional features on its web site. Enjoy!

Christmas is called the most wonderful time of the year. But what do you call that awkward week between Christmas and New Year’s?

<>I had this conversation with some friends over Christmas dinner this past weekend. It seems you belong to one of two groups: in the office or out.

<>My wife–who works at an elementary school–has the week off, while I and many others are back at work.

<>It’s a tough week to function 100 percent in the office. Many of our regular contacts and sources are out on vacation or otherwise out of the loop.

<>A quick stop at the mall reveals where many of these vacationers are. The stores were flooded with post-holiday bargain hunters, gift card shoppers and return line loafers. Though it reminds you very much of the Black Friday shopping phenomenon after Thanksgiving, it has a different feel to it.

<>However, as I sit in the office and others sit at home, I do find some common ground. This is one of those interesting times of the year when you get a breather to look back on the year and look ahead to what will be coming down the pike in January.

I just turned in a story about a subdivision in Monroe, where two sisters have been locked in a friendly battle of Christmas decorating. They were hilarious! I also contacted one of the neighbors to talk about the rivalry. After we talked about the sisters, she told me what’s been going on at her house. Unfortunately her story didn’t make it into print, but that’s what blogs are for, right?

Her husband had enlisted a neighbor’s help in putting up the Christmas lights. While putting up said lights, the husband reportedly let loose a string of expletives. Swearing aside, they finally got the display finished. That was the weekend following Thanksgiving.

Since then, whenever the couple would return home, a different strand of the lights would be blinking inexplicable. Until the wife got a call.

Yeah, they said, we’ve been messing with Steve. We remove a bulb and switch it, which causes the chosen strand to blink. If he gets really upset, we’ll stop doing it.

The wife reported that this has been driving her husband crazy. He just can’t figure it out, particularly why a different strand seems to be affected every few days. She’s kept quiet about it until now.

So, it may seem to be a little malicious to keep up the charade, but it’s the kind of story I love. Aside from a little frustration, it’s one of those situations where there’s really no harm done, but those involved will be closer at the end of it and for years they’ll be fondly remembering the migrating blink of the lights.