See how Lapeer West and Almont fared in the high school football playoffs, page 1B

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Voters to decide Lapeer races, charter amendment proposals

Millage, bond renewals also sought by LCS, MCC
BY JEFF HOGAN 810-452-2640 jhogan@mihomepaper.com

Steven Cole Auctions Family Owned 35 Years

Farm Auctions Estate Auctions Fundraisers Appraisals and More

LAPEER COUNTY Many Lapeer County residents will go to the polls on Tuesday in the Nov. 5 general election, though the majority of the ballot proposals are central

to City of Lapeer residents and residents in the city and townships served by Lapeer Community Schools. In Lapeer, Mayor Bill Sprague is running unopposed for the seat. Sprague was appointed mayor in September 2006 after thenmayor Chuck Treece

resigned, as has been reelected twice since. Also on the ballot for city commission is Elaine Gates, 52, a paralegal and office manager for her husband, Bernard Jocuns, a trial attorney in Lapeer. Gates, however, is being
SEE ELECTION, PAGE 15A

www.AuctionStreet.net 810-397-3199

Fired VA employee files suit

County named in whistle blower act complaint
BY KRYSTAL JOHNS 810-452-2601 kjohns@mihomepaper.com

For

Duty & Honor

Photo courtesy of Don Nelson

Local graduates (left to right) Brad Szczesny, Dustin Pockrandt and Kyle Nelson were sworn in to the Marine Corps in September before they were shipped out to basic training in California.

Local men enlist in United States Marine Corps

BY JACOB HUNSANGER 810-452-2609 jhunsanger@mihomepaper.com

LAPEER COUNTY They left their homes as sons, brothers and friends. They left their homes as boys. They will return as men, and as Marines. Three Lapeer Community Schools graduates, Kyle Nelson, Dustin Pockrandt and Brad Szczesny, decided after high school that they wanted to do something better with their lives, something they could be proud of doing and that would help serve their country, so in September all three enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and were sworn into full time active duty.

They left their families in Lapeer, who have now become friends and supporters, for basic training in California. Kyle Nelson, 20, is the son of Don and Cheryl Nelson and a 2012 graduate of Lapeer East High School. Dustin Pockrandt, 18, is the son of Jason and Jennifer Hoeft and a 2013 graduate of Lapeer East High School. Brad Szczesny, 18, is the son of Char and Tim Westman and Dennis Szczesny and a 2013 graduate of Lapeer West High School. Their parents, who couldnt be prouder of the young

men, said they knew each other through school and hockey, but it was joining the Marine Corps that really brought all three together. Even before officially enlisting through the Lapeer recruitment office, the boys were studying, training and working out together for months to prepare for boot camp. That brought them together as close friends, and when the emerge from boot camp on Dec. 6 as Marines, they will have not just a friendship

but camaraderie built through hard work and duty.

From local boys to men of duty

All three boys were described by their parents as hard working, smart, but not necessarily the best students in high school. It had nothing to do with intelligence, however, it had to do with motivation and drive. They were looking for something to challenge them, to motivate them, and something they felt was worth doing. They found that in the United States Marine Corps. Pockrandt was the first to decide he wanted become a Marine. His parents said that
SEE MARINES, PAGE 14A

LAPEER The County of Lapeer is the defendant in a lawsuit filed in Genesee County by a former Dept. of Veterans Affairs employee, Renee Verbeke. On Sept. 20, Verbeke filed a complaint that the county violated the Michigan Whistle Blowers Protection Act. According to the complaint, Verbeke was hired into the department on June 10 as a veterans benefits counselor, and was discharged from her position on Sept. 12. Verbeke is claiming that she reported to Leonard Schaffer, the chairman of the Lapeer County Veterans Affairs Committee that the department was not processing veterans benefits claims and appeals properly, which is a violation of the rules and regulations promulgated by the United States Dept. of Veteran Affairs. The Lapeer County Veterans Affairs Committee oversees the activities of the county Dept. of Veterans Affairs and its director, Debra Worden, who was Verbekes supervisor. Verbekes complaint also claims she reported to Worden that the county was violating the rules and regulations of the United States Department of Veteran Affairs concerning the processing and/or appeal of veterans benefits claims, reported her concerns
SEE LAWSUIT, PAGE 14A

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Elaine Gates for Lapeer City Commissioner

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