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Sturgis approves Doug Terry as interim city manager
Commissioners unanimously approved Doug Terry’s agreement and he will start work on July 20. Once Terry begins, he will have a week of overlap with current City Manager Andrew Kuk.
Despite the unanimous approval, Commissioner Jeff Mullins said he remains disappointed in the fact that they were there in the first place and said the city was spending over $300K on a process that shouldn’t be happening. Mullins included the $170K to be paid to Terry, the full year salary that will be paid to Kuk as part of his separation agreement, and the costs to pay an outside firm to help the commission find a new manager.
“Those are just the tangible numbers that are in front of us. We shouldn’t be here in this spot and it disappoints me that we are because Andrew is very much capable of doing his job,” Mullins said. “I’m very sad that we’re in the position that we are in that made him make the decision to walk away.”
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Hyperscale to present to Dowagiac residents at Monday meeting
On Monday, July 13, Hyperscale Data Inc. will present its plants to Dowagiac residents and City Council members during a City Council meeting. Due to an expected large turnout, the venue has been moved to the Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center at 57072 Riverside Drive at 6 p.m.
The final regular agenda item reads: “Presentation from Hyperscale Data, Inc. regarding their plans for 415 E. Prairie Ronde & receiving public comment and questions regarding those plans.”
Listen: Good Grief. Podcast, Episode 2
In the second episode of the Good Grief. podcast, Watershed Voice’s Aundrea Sayrie shares the deeply personal reason behind her passion for grief education, healing, and emotional wellness.
“Grief is not one thing. It is not one emotion. It is not one dimensional. Looking back, I realize grief has been a quiet companion for much of my life. Not only through death, but through survival.”
Three Rivers commissioners give SAFEbuilt another chance, table housing corporation bylaws
Mayor Angel Johnston, who has been highly critical of SAFEbuilt at recent meetings, said her experiences with them were one of the reasons she ran for mayor.
“One of the reasons I ran for mayor is because of the horrible experiences I’ve had with your company,” Johnston said to SAFEbuilt representatives at Tuesday’s meeting. “I’ve priced out contractors for people that can replace you and it’s not going to be that hard.”
Despite the criticism, commissioners generally agreed they were willing to continue working with SAFEbuilt while monitoring whether customer service improves.
What the Supreme Court’s transgender sports ruling means for Michigan
The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld state laws that bar transgender girls and women from participating on girls’ and women’s sports teams, ruling unanimously that the laws do not violate the federal civil rights law Title IX.
Michigan does not have a statewide law prohibiting transgender students from participating on school sports teams. Instead, the state has civil rights protections that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression.
As a result, legal advocates say Tuesday’s ruling does not automatically change how Michigan schools handle transgender student-athlete participation.
Letter to the editor: A libertarian leaning voter for Abdul El-Sayed
Jason Gatties of Dowagiac writes, “In an era dominated by intense partisanship, Michigan needs a senator who looks past party politics to focus on pragmatic, systemic reform. While we may disagree on some federal regulations, El-Sayed’s fundamental approach aligns with core libertarian & moderate values: dismantling government protected monopolies & eliminating corporate welfare.”
Local meeting primer: Sturgis City Commission
Commissioners will look to finalize a contract to make Doug Terry the city’s interim city manager replacing Andrew Kuk once his resignation becomes final on July 24. Commissioners interviewed Terry during their June 22 meeting and voted to extend him a conditional offer pending a contract agreement, background check, and reference check. Terry was the lone candidate as the other potential replacements the city reached out to were unable to apply due to prior commitments.
