Craig Bigger's space shuttle

Pictured is a clip from the Dec. 6, 1998 edition of the Cadillac Evening News. Craig Bigger holds an air-pressure powered KISS space shuttle for launching.

 Cadillac News clipping

Dec. 6, 1923

Regular meeting of the City Commission, held in Commission room on Monday evening, December3, 1923, at seven-thirty o’clock. Mayor Johnston presenting. A petition from Carl L. Maurer and six others asking that a sewer be constructed in Hersey street from Maple street to Lester street was presented and referred to the general manager. A petition from George and twenty-one others asking that a post light be placed in the center of the block by the pump on the south side of Granite street was presented and referred to the General Manager. A petition from George C. Stewart and fifteen others asking that concrete pavement be constructed in West Bremer street from Lake street east to North Mitchell street was presented and referred to the General Manager. A petition from S. V. Spencer and farce others asking that a sewer be constructed in Stimson street from Lester street east approximately three hundred feet was presented and referred lo the General Manager. A petition from Guy O. Game and twenty-three others asking that a sewer be constructed in Selma and West Division streets was presented and referred to the General Manager. A petition from Floyd Dahley and seven others asking that a sewer be constructed in Lynn street from Hobart to Cobb streets was presented and referred to the General Manager.

Dec. 6, 1973

Although it looked like Dial-A-Ride for Cadillac had run out of “gas” Monday night, fuel for approval of the system was found Tuesday and the Michigan Department of Highways and Transportation will get the signal to go ahead with plans. Monday night, Jerry Geile of the state agency outlined the program and its anticipated costs for the City Commission, but the commissioners did not take official action during the public meeting. They met in a quick session after adjournment of the public meeting and unofficially voted 3-2 against undertaking Dial-A-Ride as a city governmental project, instructing the city manager to inform Geile to that effect. By Tuesday noon, when the four city commissioners and the mayor met for lunch, one of the men who voted against the system Monday night indicated he would change his vote to yes, putting the majority in favor. Monday night’s yes votes were cast by Mayor Raymond Wagner and Commissioner Larry Rogers. Commissioners Walter Grubba, Robert Pranger and William Jannenga voted no. Tuesday noon, Jannenga said he would switch, and he told the Evening News the change was made after he had done some additional thinking on the matter and weighing his earlier decision. Jannenga admits Dial-A-Ride is a “calculated risk” for the city, but he feels the city should venture into it. Commissioner Grubba told the News he would not change his vote. He said, between now and three years from now the city could use the funds which would be expended in the mini-bus plan for many other needed projects including street repairs and installation of sidewalks where there are none now. Commissioner Pranger also said he would not change his vote, agreeing with Grubba that the city could better spend the money on other things. Pranger charged that Dial-A-Ride is “Milliken’s pet project” and a belief that the city had better chances for consideration in possible future projects for which state funding would be available if the city “went along” with this project was “ridiculous.” Pranger said he believes decisions should be based on each individual item’s merit, and a project as “big as this” should not be undertaken with future favors in mind. City Manager Donald Mason, Tuesday, said he had not yet relayed the Commission’s latest action to Geile, but when he did, he would probably indicate that two unofficial votes had been taken, explaining which was the latest, and that official action would have to wait until the Commission’s next official meeting, Dec. 17. Geile said Monday night that Gov. Milliken wanted the Dial-A-Ride programs put into effect as quickly as possible. Three cities were approved for the systems recently and about 10 others were on a priority list, so it wouldn’t take long to start implementing a system in Cadillac, he indicated. Geile, who said Cadillac could probably operate on a three-bus system, quoted figures for a four-bus system. He said the first year’s cost would be about $160,000 which would be paid by the state except for $1,000. The second year’s cost would be about $128,000 which would be the responsibility of the city to pay. Application could be made for one-third of this expense, Geile said An average 50-cent fare is charged for rides with senior citizens getting a break of 50 percent during “off-peak” hours, he said. Geile indicated that, on the basis of the 50-cent fares, a system could pay its own way with an average of 300 riders a day. Routes are not established in a Dial-A-Ride system. Rather, pickups are made on the basis of telephone requests, although these can be “standing” requests, calling for rides between one’s home and place of employment on a daily basis, allowing for picking up others on the way each day, Geile explained.

Dec. 6, 1998

Students at Cadillac Middle School have been dodging rockets during class. Ninth-graders in the physical science classes designed bottle rockets with compressed air and water as part of a project partnered with units they studied on energy and astronomy. On Friday, they launched their creations on the east side of the middle school. Some rockets traveled up to 120 feet, while others exploded shortly after launch. Some students erupted into shrieks as the formerly sky bound creations crashed to the ground. “We were told we had to use a two-liter bottle and whatever we could to make it go as high and as far as it could go,” said ninth-grader Courtney Blackmer. “Some people used cones, fins, and duct tape.” Blackmer claimed that she and partner Liz McLeod had the highest rocket, while students Gilbert DelBosque and Jason Gamble said they had the best. “We had the best rocket, the best design and the best put together,” DelBosque and Gamble said. “We used two two-liter bottles together, taped them up and put contact cement on.” Matt Bendelow, a physical science teacher at CMS, said the students had a test run Wednesday, then made changes before Friday’s launch.

“These are supposed to be the best they came up with. Some exceeded 100 feet and a couple have gone about 120 feet,” Bendelow said. “The rocket that went the highest was about four-feet tall.” Bendelow said the best design was a tall rocket with a long, narrow, rigid nose cone. He said some kids cut bottles and joined them together, but the pressure blew them apart. Stability is the main issue. Once they go up and start to tumble, they lose momentum, Bendelow said. “It’s fun because we’re not in the classroom, and we can talk,” Blackmer said.

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