‘Walking dead’ no joke in Gresham

Leader Correspondent

GRESHAM — Eighteen Gresham High School students donned black clothes and wore frightening face makeup Thursday as part of an Every 15 Minutes program, designed to educate teenagers in a dramatic way about making good choices and the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Every 15 minutes someone in the U.S. dies as the result of an alcohol-related crash, according to the program’s website (www.every15minutes.com).

All morning at 15-minute intervals, the “Grim Reaper” — embodied by Misti Moede — escorted students from classrooms to the office for their “makeovers.” That’s when their obituaries were read on the P.A. system. The students returned to class wearing stickers that said, “Today I was killed by a drunk driver” and were supposed to remain silent the rest of the day.

Mary Clauss was the makeup artist whose realistic and dramatic details were causing a bit of a scare among some younger students.

While the made-up students looked scary, they were nothing like what can be seen at real crashes, where victims might be found with parts missing or with debris imbedded in them.

Myron Oestreich, EMS and Injury prevention Coordinator for the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, accompanied the Reaper on her rounds. He and Scott Brown, school liaison office for the S-M Tribe, coordinated the project.

In afternoon sessions, Oestreich and Shawano County Deputy Chris Gamm were scheduled to speak to students about the importance of using seatbelts and the hazards of impaired driving.

“We remind them the decisions they make now might affect countless people for the rest of their lives,” Oestreich said. “We use statistics and real crash photos to bring the point home about what can happen when you make bad choices with alcohol and drugs.”

Gresham Guidance Counselor Jordan Opperman also participated in the afternoon sessions.

Similar events have been held at area high schools, mostly recently at Bowler High on April 11. Often, they take place just before prom season as a reminder to students to act responsibly. The Bowler prom was April 12, and according to Oestreich, there were no arrests for drunk driving or underage drinking over that weekend. The Gresham prom is Saturday.

The Bowler and Gresham programs were funded through a three-year highway safety grant from Indian Health Service (IHS).

‘Walking dead’ no joke in Gresham

Leader Correspondent

Controversial rental properties thrive in gray area of zoning rules

The controversy over a residence being used as a rental property in the town of Wescott is just the latest flashpoint in an ongoing debate pitting homeowner rights against a tourist-driven economy.

Property owners gather to learn about county’s comprehensive plan

More than 100 people, most of them property owners, crowded into a classroom at Shawano Community High School Thursday night to hear what the Shawano County comprehensive plan could mean to them.

New gardening group sprouting up in the area

A new gardening group is planting itself in the Shawano/Menominee county area.