Monthly Archives: December 2015

The Friends of Jackson Seniors has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Jackson Community Foundation’s Unrestricted Community Needs Endowment Fund. Diane Derby, Chair of the Friends of Jackson Seniors Board, said the grant will be used to help purchase a Meals on Wheels delivery van. The Meals on Wheels program for Jackson County delivers over 235,000 meals a year for 1,145 homebound older adults. Delivery vans are an important part of getting meals to seniors throughout Jackson County. The Friends of Jackson Seniors supports services that are provided through the Jackson County Department on Aging, and the Meals on Wheels program is the largest program at the agency. For more information people are encouraged to go to the Friends website at www.MealsOnWheels-JacksonMI.com or contact Marce Wandell, Department on Aging Director, by phone at 768-8651 or by email at mwandell@co.jackson.mi.us. The Friends of Jackson Seniors and Department on Aging shared comments from Meals on Wheels participants in a release.  They include: "I haven’t eaten this well in years”, “These meals really help us a lot”, “I depend on the meals, they are good and fill me up!”, “Thank you for this service. It allowed me to stay home alone and eat well.” and “I…

Mother Nature is ending 2015 on a blustery note, with an ice storm and high winds expected Monday, less than a week after a Christmas Eve windstorm cut power to more than 188,000 Consumers Energy customers. “As we complete restoration late tonight and early Monday, we are moving crews, making sure they get proper rest and restocking supplies for this next round of weather,” said Mary Palkovich, vice president of energy delivery. “We will be ready for whatever Mother Nature throws our way.” Consumers Energy is wrapping up storm restoration in northern Michigan while it prepares crews and material for Monday’s weather. Current forecasts call for the most freezing rain in western Michigan. Ice accumulations of at least a quarter inch put weight on power lines and can cause outages. High winds, with gusts as high as 55 to 60 mph, are also forecast in west Michigan late Monday. Freezing rain is expected to enter southwest Michigan mid-morning and move north and east. More snow than freezing rain is expected in northern Michigan. In addition to internal preparations, the company’s public safety liaisons have reached out to county emergency management and 9-1-1 dispatch centers in western Michigan. Consumers Energy works closely…