Grand Traverse Herald, Traverse City, MI

Taking a New Year's plunge
Susan Townsend welcomed 2009 with a splash. Accompanied by her husband, George, and family friend Kristen Krantz, 13, the Traverse City resident donned her bikini New Year's Day for a dip in West Bay.
New volunteers always welcome
Classes start this week for two area maritime organizations, offering volunteers multiple ways to contribute.
Hockey moms hit the ice
"C'mon Mom!" Friday night, the face-offs at Centre Ice featured four house teams of enthusiastic female players who play hard and have fun doing it.
Man aims to motivate American youth
Radiating optimism and a can-do energy, Bill Schramm is a long way from a jail cell, dropping out of high school, addiction and homelessness. After spending his early teenage years on his own taking care of himself, by age 17 he was ejected from foster care.
Six receive scholarships through program
Slices of pies coupled with generous donations combined earlier this month to provide scholarships to six area youth in the Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative program.
TC West grad works for change
"Be the change." Margaret Mimnaugh's correspondence carries the words of Mahatma Gandhi as both a homage to and reminder. A member of the Peace Corps serving in Uganda since February, the 2003 TC West graduate is in her own way striving to live up to the sentiment.
4 invited to march in Inaugural Parade
The opportunity of a lifetime faces dire fundraising deadlines. Four members of the Manistee Mounted Search and Rescue Patrol have been selected to participate in the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Parade for Barack Obama on Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C.
Program offers New Year's revelers free rides
Since 1986, Alert Cab has provided free rides home during the holiday season for revelers who should not be driving.
Groomers blaze the snowmobile trails
In the Grand Traverse region, an army of about three dozen volunteers ride the trails nights and weekends to groom the paths for fellow snowmobilers.