Today in history: Needle found in local youngster’s candy | News

The business outlook in Cadillac steadily is improving. Industrial, banking and retail business all reflect a strong upward trend. Possibly the most interesting development industrially is the rapid progress being made on the foundations for the proposed new malleable iron plant west of the Mitchell-Diggins Iron Co. furnace. Manager R.E. Teetor today announced that he hoped to complete the foundation work this week. A crew of nearly a score of men started laying out the foundations Oct. 11. Owing to the generally level character of the land there progress has been rapid. Not a pick has been used, something unusual in putting down foundations for a plant 500 by 120 feet. Some charcoal refuse has been found on one end of the site which is being scraped away to provide a more firm foundation for the floor of the new plant. The announced plan merely is to provide the foundation this fall. If business continues to improve there is little doubt but that the plant will be erected here this year. When completed it is expected to furnish employment for possibly 120 skilled laborers. The industry has been discussed for two years and it finally came to Cadillac due to the continued energetic efforts of Secretary C.R. Smith and other officers of the Cadillac Chamber of Commerce. Another encouraging industrial development is the starting up of steam this week at the Detroit Panel and Veneer Co. plant. Some new machinery is being tested out there. While operations probably will not be started before Oct. 15, the general market conditions are so much more favorable that the management hopes to resume operations soon.

Halloween pranks in the Cadillac area were few and far between, but those reported were whoppers. One instance of tampering with trick or treat “goodies” was recorded by Cadillac City Police, and the near victim was a policeman’s son. Patrolman Lyle Reddy discovered a needle in a miniature Clark candy bar in his son’s Halloween bag at 12:12 a.m. today. Reddy had just returned home from work prior to finding the needle. Reddy said there was no injury. Police are investigating the “prank.” Farm machinery was strewn along streets in Missaukee and Osceola County communities. Six to eight pieces of farm equipment were left in the streets of Falmouth and McBain, Missaukee County Sheriff’s officials said. Tractors also lined the streets in LeRoy, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Department reported. Sheriff’s officers also said that their cars were struck by manure-filled plastic bags.

Mercy Hospital in Cadillac is becoming more user-friendly. Mercy is in phase one of a remodeling project that includes constructing a new canopy over the front entrance, said Shari Spoelman, community relations director. Construction on the $260,000 canopy project, which will extend 55 feet farther from the current entrance and 35 feet to the west, starts Monday. Construction is expected to be completed in about three months. “The covered drop-off helps meet the needs of our customers,” said Jack Harriff, chief operating officer. “Our weather can be very uninviting, with rain, snow and wind. This canopy will make picking up and dropping off patients a much more comfortable.” During construction, visitors will not be able to use the main entrance. Ambulatory patients and visitors are asked to use the side entrance east of the main entrance, just off the front parking area. Those who are unable to negotiate stairs can enter through the emergency entrance. Patient registration will remain in its current location. “We will beef up staff for outside traffic during the construction period,” Spoelman said. Mercy is calling the renovation an “overall face lift.” A second phase includes continued renovation of the main lobby.