Category Archives: Ascension

Ascension Parish took another step into the virtual age when the Parish Council meeting in Donaldsonville was live-streamed through YouTube on Thursday night.

Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa said the council going forward will live-stream all council and committee meetings. That will come in addition to existing cable-access broadcasts and video replays already posted on YouTube.

Matassa said the mark of open and transparent government is keeping pace with technological advancements.

As more people cut the cable cord and turn to video streaming services, we want to ensure the public continues to have access to council meetings, Matassa said in a statement.

Martin McConnell, parish government spokesman, said Friday that parish workers live-streamed the councils previous meeting in Gonzales in July as a test run, and it worked well. Thursdays meeting was no different, he said.

They did live stream, and it was successful, McConnell said.

Parish government began operating the Ascension 21 cable access channel in 2006. The channel appears on Eatel and Cox Cable.

Live-streaming can be reached at http://www.youtube.com/ascensionparish Viewers should press subscribe and will be notified when meetings are live-streaming or have been archived on YouTube.

Follow David J. Mitchell on Twitter, @NewsieDave.

Read more from the original source:

Ascension Parish Council begins to live stream meetings on YouTube - The Advocate

TULSA He sat in his Sequoyah High School classroom, wondering what would become of his next 12 hours. Further in town, in a stuffy courtroom, Ryan Helsley was having his short-term future pleaded over.

Same went for some of his closest friends and teammates.

Turns out, Nov. 2, 2012 was an unusual day from beginning to end.

A small collection of Sequoyah football players was having temporary court injunctions filed on their behalves, after the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association ruled that Sequoyah players had violated its summer camp policy. The governing body over Oklahomas high school sports had all but neutered Sequoyahs 2012 football season.

The Indians were 8-1 and steamrolling to the Class 3A playoffs with the likes of Brayden Scott at quarterback and Kyle Helsley at running back. Mix in Ryan Helsley, all over the field, Karter Woodruff, Robert Smith, Cody Hooper, Nick Kingfisher, Greyden Elrod and others, and the Indians were well-equipped to wreck havoc on the 3A playoff field.

The Helsley brothers, and their Sequoyah teammates, were granted permission to play in the regular season finale by Cherokee County District Judge Douglas Kirkley. The Indians went out and ambushed Lincoln Christian on Thompson Field, 63-40, thanks to Kyle Helsleys 265 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries.

It would be the last time Sequoyah fielded a football team during the 2012 campaign. The OSSAA released a 3A playoff bracket the next day, leaving the Indians off while forcing Sequoyah to forfeit all of its victories it had amassed during the season.

Nearly a year later, the state supreme court ruled the OSSAA acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner, while interpreting and enforcing its rules. By that time though, it was a moot point related to the Indians run that season.

It still irks Ryan Helsley to this day.

At the time, it was heartbreaking, Helsley said. We knew how good we were, and we had a chance to do something special.

Thus, Helsleys football career was over. But as it turns out, baseball has worked out quite well for the Sequoyah graduate.

After a collegiate career at Northeastern State, Helsley was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. On Tuesday night, he made his Double-A debut with the Springfield Cardinals, throwing 92 pitches over four innings while not factoring into the decision in what became a 5-4 Tulsa win.

Its been an awesome journey so far, said Helsley, who gave up one run on five hits with six strikeouts and four walks against the Drillers at ONEOK Field, where several hundred loyal Sequoyah followers flocked on Tuesday.

Monday was trade-deadline day for major league ball clubs, but it was a relatively quiet day for the Redbirds. With trade winds swirling, minor league promotions went under the radar, much like Helsleys promotion from Single-A Palm Beach in Florida.

I got the call-up, and I looked at the schedule and saw the team was here in Tulsa, Helsley said. I called my mom and was a little emotional, just because I hadnt seen them in so long since I was so far from home. But it was a great blessing to be able to debut here in front of my own family.

Helsley, a 6-foot-1 right-handed hurler, began his rapid ascension through the Cardinals minor league system in 2015 after being drafted in the fifth round by St. Louis. In 2015, he pitched at the rookie-league ranks in Johnson City, Tennessee, and that segued into a 2016 season at Class A Peoria last year.

In 17 starts last season, Helsley registered a 1.61 earned run average while logging 109 strikeouts to only 19 walks. That was enough to vault him onto the top 30 list of St. Louis prospects, where he currently resides at No. 25.

For now, Helsley will look to stick with Springfield through the end of this season and re-evaluate from there.

Im going to pitch while Im healthy and make every start I can, said Helsley, who toted a 2.69 ERA in 16 starts for Palm Beach earlier this season. I just want to pitch every five days and see where it goes from there.

And as for the injustice levied by the OSSAA, Helsley sees it as nothing more than a memory now.

For the ruling to come out a year (after we graduated), it was already in the past, he said. It sucked. You think back on it and think, what if? Weve all moved then, even though it sucked then. But it is what it is.

View original post here:

Helsley's ascension to the pros infused with heartbreak, triumph and promise - Tahlequah Daily Press

DONALDSONVILLE The proposal by the group A Better Ascension to eliminate the elected Ascension Parish president position in favor of a more autonomous, appointed parish manager won't make it to the ballot this fall as the plan's backers had hoped.

Ascension Parish Council Chairman Bill Dawson announced Thursday night he is establishing a council committee to hold at least three public meetings on the plan before the full council decides whether to put the measure before the voters. One of those meetings will have to be in west Ascension.

Reading from a statement, Dawson said the committee will have the "specific task of publicly vetting the charter amendments proposed by A Better Ascension." Dawson said the new committee will be composed of the entire 11-member council.

Backers of the A Better Ascension proposal want to make major changes to the parish home rule charter, which is Ascension's plan of government, to create the new parish manager position in a bid to improve efficiency and insulate the parish executive from political back and forth.

The creation of the committee by Dawson means three groups will be holding public meetings on A Better Ascension's plan in the coming weeks and months, including another Parish Council committee and A Better Ascension itself.

GONZALES With an attempted bribery indictment hanging over the head of Ascension Parish Pr

Amendments to the home rule charter require a vote of the public. At least two-thirds of the council, or eight members, must vote to put proposed charter changes on the ballot.

The proposal would mean the parish executive would not be directly elected by voters, as the parish president is now, but would be selected by the Parish Council after nomination by a separate committee of primarily business leaders.

The proposal has already drawn opposition from sitting Parish President Kenny Matassa, his 2015 election runoff opponent surveyor Clint Cointment, and some council members. But other members expressed openness to the idea.

Dawson had said earlier there was likely a window to get the measure on the November ballot if the council had been able to vote on the proposal by the end of this month. But Dawson said Thursday the committee of the whole chairman won't make his first progress report to the Parish Council until mid-September.Dawson has named Councilman Travis Turner as chairman of the new committee and Councilman Aaron Lawler as the vice chairman.

Separate from Dawson's initiative, Councilman Daniel "Doc" Satterlee also called for discussion of A Better Ascension's proposal before the committee he chairs, the Council Strategic Planning Committee, which meets 6:30 p.m. Aug. 10 at the Parish Courthouse Annex in Gonzales.

A Better Ascension, the nonprofit group of business people pushing the measure, is also planning public meetings later this month.

JHudson, a spokesman for A Better Ascension, said before the council meeting Thursday that the group's members respect "the process and are looking forward to sharing our message of professionalism, accountability, and efficiency throughout Ascension."

"Ultimately, the charter belongs to the people of Ascension," Hudson said. "Their voices deserve to be heard regarding these changes."

A Better Ascension is composed of business leaders from Ascension, including Eatel Corp. President John Scanlan and LABI political action committee director and Republican pollster and strategist John Diez Jr., a Gonzales native.

Follow David J. Mitchell on Twitter, @NewsieDave.

Read more here:

Proposal by A Better Ascension to change parish executive will go ... - The Advocate

Greg Fischer Editor-in-chief @AscensionEditor

Louisiana's Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) elected new officers at a Leadership and Orientation Seminar held July 24-25, 2017 at the Louisiana State Capitol, according to a recent LYAC press release.

St. James native and Ascension Catholic student Nydia Cooper was elected Historian. Cooper is an exceptional student judging from a June 23 LYAC press release, which reads:

"Cooper is a 15-year-old honor student at Ascension Catholic High School in Donaldsonville, Louisiana. She is currently in the National Honor Society; seven-year member at large with St. James Parish 4-H; Vice-Grand lady for St. James Catholic Church Junior Catholic Daughters; State 4-H Citizenship Board Member; Diocese of Baton Rouge Youth Board Member; St. James Parish 4-H Impact Club (Junior Leaders) Member; State 4-H Co-Op Camp Treasurer; St. James Parish 4-H Shooting Sport Team Member; Member of Ascension Catholic High School band, powerlifting team and tennis team. Nydia has a 3rd Degree Level II black belt in Taekwondo. Recently, Nydia placed runner-up in the category of photo illustration with the Rochester Institute of Technology."

Other newly elected LYAC officers are: President Marian Luzier, Walker High School, Walker; Vice President Reed Broussard, Teurlings Catholic High School, Youngsville; Secretary Ruby Roberg, West Feliciana High School, St. Francisville; Parliamentarian Jesse Landry, West Feliciana High School, St. Francisville; Communications Officer Katie Hall, Ouachita Christian School, Monroe.

Under this leadership, the council gets to select issues to discuss with Louisiana legislators for the upcoming 2018 Regular Session of the legislature.

"The goal is to get legislation sponsored, introduced and passed next year," according to the press release. "Now in its tenth year, LYAC facilitates the communication between youth and the legislature and gives students the unique opportunity to be involved in the workings of state government."

ACHS senior Micah Daggs also serves on the council.

Originally posted here:

Ascension Catholic youth named LYAC historian - Post South

The former Marine general is unlikely to succeed in his new job, even as his appointment contributes to the decay of American civil-military relations.

Donald Trump is not much of a man. He feels sorry for himself, he whines, he gropes women; he bullies the weak. He brags and he lies. As a young man, this self-proclaimed athlete collected five draft deferments rather than wear his countrys uniform. He doesnt even work out. The motto emblazoned on Trumps bogus coat of arms should probably be faithless, which makes it odd that he has picked as his chief of staff a general steeled in a service whose motto is ever faithful. (The Trump coat of arms wasreportedly liftedfrom another family, with the motto integrity replacedinevitablybyTrump.)

John Kelly, retired Marine four-star and new White House chief of staff, has been throughout his career everything Trump is not: He has endured more than Trump could imagine, and has displayed virtues that Trump may not understand and certainly has not exhibited, among them candor, courage, and discipline. Which is why some observers have welcomed Kellys hiring as evidence that perhaps the president is learning, that maybe now we will have a disciplined White House that will focus on the business of public policy. Maybe the early morning tweets will diminish or evenstop.

Trumps pick of Kelly is probably better understood in a broader and darker context. That includesa speechthat he gave the same day to New Yorks Suffolk County Police Department calling on cops to bang suspects heads into squad cars; the brusque, uncoordinateddismissalof transgender service personnel by presidential tweet; aspeecha week earlier at the commissioning of USSGerald R. Fordurging sailors to lobby their representatives; a harangue to 30,000 Boy Scouts that includeda rant about loyalty, and that earned him an astonishing rebuke from the head of the Boy Scouts of America; and a longer history of toying around the edge of inciting violence, to includethe assassination of his opponentin the lastelection.

As the coils of the Russia investigation grow tighter, as his failures in Congress mount, Trump reaches for what he knowsdemagoguery of the rawest sort. He reaches as well for what he thinks of as his base, which includes (he believes) the military, many of whose leaders are actually quietly appalled by what he represents. He has picked Kelly not because of his political or administrative skills but because he thinks of him as a killera term of praise in his lexicon, which is why he likes referring to his secretary of defense as Mad Dog Mattis, a nickname the former general rejects. Kelly will not organize Goon Squads for Trump, but the president would probably not mind if he did. More to the point, Kellys selection, and that of a foul-mouthed financier from New York as Trumps communications director, tells us not that Trump is planning on moderating his behavior, but rather on going to the mattresses. He just may have picked the wrong guy for that mission, thatsall.

Kellys decision to take the job lends itself to multiple explanations. It may be an irresistible call to duty by someone who thinks of the president mainly as commander-in-chief; it may be an act of deep, quiet patriotism by someone who intends to shield the country from Trumps lawless worst; it may reflect personal ambition, or mere hankering for as difficult a management challenge as one could imagine; or it may reflect a sneaking admiration for the boorish businessman who has successfully slapped around the politicians of left and right that many officers, and Marines in particular, despise as cowardly and corrupt. Kelly once handed a ceremonial saber to the President while unfunnily suggesting that he use it on the press. In April, hesaidthe following: If lawmakers do not like the laws theyve passed and we are charged to enforce, then they should have the courage and skill to change the laws. Otherwise they should shut up and support the men and women on the front lines. A less supine Congress might have noticed the discourtesy and reacted sharply to being told to shutup.

His occasionally contemptuous attitude towards the press and Congress, though, is only one reason why it is highly unlikely that Kelly will succeed. Trump will remain Trump, and the various denizens of the White House are unlikely to treat Kelly with much more deference than they treat one another. He will discover that he is no longer a general, or even a cabinet secretary, but a political functionaryneither more norless.

There was a reason why he spent 42 years on active duty rather than run for mayor of Boston. He probably already knows, but if not he will soon learn, that he will be as dispensable as his predecessor, that Trump hates any of his subordinates being too powerful or too visible. And worst of all, he will soon find himself wrestling with the moral corruption that being close to this man entails. You cannot work directly for Trump while adhering to a code of honesty, integrity, and lawfulness. Sooner or later Kelly will have to defend the White Houses jabber about fake news, alternative facts, and witch hunts. He will have to ascribe to Trump virtues that he does not possess, and deny the moral lapses and quite possibly the crimes that he hascommitted.

There is one further reason to find this appointment depressing. It contributes to the continuing decay of American civil-military relations. Those of us who were relieved to see James Mattis as secretary of defense, H. R. McMaster as national-security adviser, and Kelly himself as secretary of Homeland Security, felt that way partly out of appreciation for the virtues of all three men, but also, very largely, out of relief that their sanity might contain their bosss craziness. But it is inappropriate to have so many generals in policy-making positions; it is profoundly wrong to have a president regard the military as a constituency, and it is corrupting to have the Republican Party, such as it is, act as though generals have if not a monopoly then at least dominant market share in the qualities of executive ability and patriotism. It is unwise to have higher-level positions in the hands of officials who have openly expressed disdain for Congressnow a dangerously weak branch ofgovernment.

Trump, who has no idea how many articles there are in the Constitution, neither knows nor cares about any of the niceties of civil-military relations. To their credit, Kelly, Mattis, and McMaster have thought long and hard about these issues. But like any of us they have their individual limitations, and like any of us, their characters can be eroded by the whirlpool of moral and political corruption that is Donald Trump. The Marines live by a hard code, and John Kelly has endured tests of character more difficult than most of us can conceive. But his hardest tests lie ahead, and neither he nor anyone else can be sure that he will passthem.

Go here to read the rest:

The Downsides of John Kelly's Ascension - Defense One - Defense One

Back to school

Ascension Parish public school students return to class on Aug. 9.

Drivers are reminded to slow down in school zones and keep a watchful eye out for children at bus stops.

Let the learning begin.

The Human Rights Celebration for Church Women United begins at 9:30 a.m. Friday at St. Landry United Methodist Church, 3209 S. St. Landry Ave., Gonzales. The theme is Kindling New Fires of Hope.

St. Landrys pastor, Constance Saizon, also is the president of Church Women United.

The Donaldsonville arts, crafts and farmers market is set from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday in Louisiana Square.

Rewind performs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday in Crescent Park in Donaldsonville. The free concert is part of the Donaldsonville Downtown Live @Crescent series.

Call (225) 445-1383 for details.

The Ascension Parish Chamber of Commerce is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Ascension Parish Fire District 3, 18345 Bluff Road, Prairieville, at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

RSVP online at http://bit.ly/2u5E75t.

St. Elizabeth Hospital is offering an Alzheimers Lunch and Learn with Marcia Kirk and Dana Territo in the Sister Linda conference room at noon Wednesday.

The Lunch and Learn will focus on Laughter Yoga, a practice involving prolonged voluntary laughter. Studies indicate voluntary laughter may have medically beneficial effects to cardiovascular health and mood.

Registration is required for this free program. Call (225) 621-2906.

Rouses Market is hosting Ask the Experts: Managing and Living with Arthritis in the second-floor mezzanine of its 14635 Airline Highway location in Gonzales, on the corner of Airline and Duplessis, at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 10.

The speaker is Dr. Robert Moukarzel, an orthopedic surgeon with St. Elizabeth Hospitals Orthopaedic and Sports Clinic. A dietitian and certified orthopedic nurse also will be on hand to talk about foods and ingredients that reduce inflammation and promote joint health.

There is no charge to attend, but registration is required. Call (225) 673-4255 or (225) 621-2906.

Advance registration is being accepted for a free small business seminar at Ascension Parish Librarys Gonzales Branch at 1 p.m. Aug. 16.

A senior business consultant from the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at Southern University and A&M College-Baton Rouge will help attendees determine the feasibility of their ideas and discuss how to get a small business loan.

Call (225) 647-3955 to register.

Contact Darlene Denstorff by phone, (225) 388-0215 or (225) 603-1996; or email, ascension@theadvocate.com or ddenstorff@theadvocate.com. Deadline: noon Monday.

Excerpt from:

Around Ascension for Aug. 3, 2017 - The Advocate

MacKenzie said Ascension hired FreemanWhite, a consulting and design company in Chicago, to evaluate its Michigan hospitals and recommend improvements over the next several years.

In November, St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital will break ground on a $48.1 million expansion project. The expansion, the largest in the hospital's history, will expand the east tower of the hospital from four to seven floors, convert 75 rooms into private patient rooms and renovate 42 other private rooms.

"They went to Macomb and characterized it as a very hard-working hospital for the amount of space contained in it," said MacKenzie.

St. John Macomb Hospital and St. John Oakland Hospital merged in 2007, and the hospital operates two campuses, one in Warren with 376 licensed beds and the other in Madison Heights with 159 beds.

By opening another 15 new private beds, St. John Macomb campus will have 220 private rooms, or 58 percent of the hospital's total beds. The project is expected to be completed the summer of 2019. The hospital also is launching a $2 million fund-raising campaign.

"The volume has been increasing and exceeding the capabilities of the hospital," she said. "We increased the building from four to seven floors. It is a bed tower."

An osteopathic hospital, St. John Macomb-Oakland trains 200 residents in 20 specialties, making it one of the largest osteopathic training programs in the country.

Providence-Providence Park Hospital in Southfield, another two-campus hospital with the second campus in Novi, is planning a three-year, $15 million renovation project to upgrade and renovate several service areas.

MacKenzie said upgrading at the Southfield campus will include critical care units, medical/surgical units and the birthing center. In addition, new flooring, wall coverings, painting, lighting upgrades, and upgrades to nursing stations and patient furnishings throughout inpatient units and patient rooms will be done.

"The renovations at Providence Hospital and the addition of more private rooms at St. John Macomb-Oakland will improve efficiency and safety, as well as provide a more pleasing environment for healing for patients and families," MacKenzie said.

Ascension Health Michigan is part of St. Louis-based Ascension Health, the largest nonprofit health system in the U.S. with 141 hospitals. Ascension Health Michigan operates 15 hospitals and hundreds of related health care facilities that together employ more than 27,000 people.

In fiscal year 2016 ended June 30, Ascension Health earned $753 million in operating income for a 3.4 percent margin. Through nine months of fiscal 2017, Ascension earned $1.39 billion in net for an 8.1 percent margin on revenue of $17.1 billion, according to Ascension's audited financial statements.

Excerpt from:

Ascension plans $63.1 million in capital projects for Macomb-Oakland and Providence hospitals - Crain's Detroit Business

Football is back

Man, its hot probably way too hot to even think about football. But like it or not, the time is now. I remember those hot August days in shorts and helmets, hitting the practice field back at East Ascension in my sophomore year.

Well, thats what its going to be like for the young men who hit the practice field for the Ascension Christian Lions starting Aug. 2. Its two times a day as they get in physical shape and prepare to build stamina for those Friday nights that will be here before you know it.

The football program is still considered pretty young as the fledgling team took to the field back in 2009 and struggled just like any beginning team might be expected. The fact is, Ascension Christian is still a small private school and that limits the pool of prospective players to choose from.

Until a few years ago, most players had to play on both sides of the ball, which demands much more physical stamina. That took its toll on the Lions team but not their determination to be a competitive football team in time. In their first four years of existence, the gritty Lions had four 0-fers under their belts and an 0-26 record.

In 2013, took the reins as head coach for the Ascension Christian Lions with one goal in mind.

I wanted our kids to be able to play football in high school. We hadnt won a game in four years and we were struggling with numbers as a small school. Basically, we were just trying to keep the program alive, Puryear said.

Well, in his first year the team struggled to what most would consider a dismal year with a 2-7 record.

I feel like we developed more with each game and established that we could play football. We were in a tough district. So we accomplished a couple of things. We put the program in the right direction and we won or first game in team history, Puryear said.

In 2014, the team went 3-7 with one more win that the previous year. In 2015, the Lions surprised everybody and even themselves with a 6-4 season record. That set pretty high expectations, especially from the fans, to do even better the next season, but could they produce?

For the 2016 season, Puryear and his Lions were looking for a team motto that would define the path forward for this program that would stick.

I picked up a book by Hall of Fame Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelley that talked a lot about culture of a program that stuck with me. So our motto became Culture Beats Scheme, the coach said. Because of our low numbers, some of these kids are playing football for the first time, our lack of size and speed; we took on the culture of strong work ethics. We really had to learn to do the little things well.

That strong work ethic paid off in spades as the Lions went 8-2 on the season on the arm and running ability of senior quarterback Peyton Ballinger.

The guy threw for over 2,700 yards and our receivers, especially Ian Carter, caught the ball extremely well, Puryear said. The number of breakout players we had exceeded my expectations. Most of our senior class had been with me since the start of my career as freshmen. It all came together for a memorable season.

The very thing that created the opportunity for the successful season will be the big thing Ascension Christian will have to overcome in the 2017 season.

Were going to have to replace about 4,000 yards of offense this year. Losing Peyton Ballinger and Ian Carter, who led the state in receiving, along with our running backs leaves a big hole. The backbone of our defense is gone as well. Nick Schexnayder on the defensive line and Dylan Capiel in our linebacking corps gave opposing offenses fits, Puryear said.

Because the team has developed the work ethic of the culture beats scheme attitude, Puryear is confident that the Lions will be very competitive in 2017.

We have two quarterbacks working for the offense. One is Zack Diez and the other is Erik Varnado. Zack has played quarterback before in his seventh through ninth grade and Erik is just a good athlete who helped our team last year as a ninth-grader, he said.

Diez is a freshman, and Varnado is a sophomore. Their abilities are somewhat unknown.

Tyler Cambre is a junior who will play both ways as a slot receiver on offense and strong safety on defense. Another sophomore who will help at the running back position is Byron Hansley. Two bright spots on the defense helping the Lions defense at the linebacking position will be seniors Landon Ortego and Brennan Tramonte. One tough break for the Lions will be the loss of 6-foot-2-inch, 318-pound Eric Sims at the right offensive tackle. Sims tore up his knee playing soccer and will be out for his senior year.

The Ascension Christian Lions will have a tough time exceeding their 8-2 record from last year but the program has developed into something that will last for a long time. Good luck, Lions!

The summer heat has kicked in on all burners. So has the fishing in our great state known as the Sportsmans Paradise. Its a title that has been earned over the years as one would be hard pressed to find a better place to fish in terms of numbers and opportunities.

The Atchafalaya Basin is on the fall, which means the Spillway is getting red hot, as well as the Lake Verret area. Early morning is always good for some top-water action in terms of poppers and hollow body frogs. As the day goes on, the action usually picks up fishing plastic baits. June bug has been the choice of color.

Bayou Black and the marsh has been on the map as the best place for the last month but things have slowed down a little as the water has fallen. Its still very good with top water baits early but the action heats up on the points as the day goes on.

A big-time congrats goes out to two of Gonzales own professional anglers as Greg Hackney finished in ninth place way up north on Lake Champlain at a recent tournament. The Hack Attack steadily improved his weight each of the three days as he brought limits of 17 pounds, 18 pounds, 11 ounces and 19 pounds, 3 ounces to the scales for a total of 54 pounds, 14 ounces and earned a check for $12,000.

Gerald Spohrer stayed really consistent with his weights of 17 pounds, 13 ounces, 17 pounds, 2 ounces and 16 pounds, 4 ounces for a finishing weight of 51 pounds, 3 ounces and a 28th place finish. His earnings for the trek up north were $10,000.

Read more:

Ascension Athletics for Aug. 3, 2017 - The Advocate

Crittenton Hospital in Rochester has a new name.(Photo: Daniel Mears / Detroit News file)

Rochester-based Crittenton Hospital Medical Center was named Ascension Crittenton Hospital on Tuesday, becoming the first of 15 Michigan hospitals to be unified under the Ascension name over the next 12 months.

The nearly 50-year-old Ascension Crittenton Hospital was acquired by the Catholic health system in October 2015. Ascension is the largest nonprofit health system in the United States.

This is an important step forward for our hospital and the communities we serve as we work to enhance our commitment to providing compassionate, personalized care for all, Margaret Dimond, president and CEO of Ascension Crittenton Hospital, said in a press release Tuesday.

The name change nearly coincides with Crittentons 50th anniversary. The hospital treated its first patients on Aug. 15, 1967. Major exterior hospital signage was changed at entrances and in key internal areas to reflect the new name of the hospital.

Crittenton is the first hospital nationally to adopt Ascensions new naming and logo under an initiative announced in September to strengthen the sprawling health systems identity across 2,500 sites, including 141 hospitals. Ascension Crittenton has approximately 1,000 associates, 500 doctors and 290 beds.

By connecting the care we provide, we make it easier for patients and communities to find the care they need, when and how they need it, Nick Ragone, an Ascension senior vice president and chief marketing and communications Officer, said in a press release.

Other hospitals in the chain include St. John Providence in southeast Michigan; Borgess Health in Kalamazoo; Genesys in Grand Blanc; St. Marys of Michigan in Saginaw and Standish, and St. Joseph Health System in Tawas.

kbouffard@detroitnews.com

Read or Share this story: http://detne.ws/2tWAXSh

See more here:

Crittenton Hospital in Rochester gets new name - Detroit News - The Detroit News

Ascension Crittenton Hospital in Rochester Hills on Tuesday became the first hospital in the 141-hospital St. Louis-based Ascension Health family to receive a new name under the nonprofit health system's rebranding strategy.

Over the next 12 months, 14 other Ascension hospitals in Michigan will add Ascension to the beginning of their names, Ascension executives said in a statement.

For example, Providence Hospital in Southfield will soon be known as Ascension Providence Hospital and St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit will become Ascension St. John Hospital.

In 2018, the name of metro Detroit's five-hospital St. John Providence Health System name will be retired and folded into the management of Ascension Health Michigan.

Last September, Gwen MacKenzie, Ascension's senior vice president and Michigan market executive, told Crain's about the health care rebranding and management integration plan that will tie all properties under one surname and reporting structure.

Ascension medical groups, nursing homes and other sites of care also will prominently feature the Ascension name. Ascension's other 126 hospitals in Wisconsin and 22 other states will also change their names in the coming year.

Other regional Ascension hospital groups include Borgess Health in Kalamazoo; Genesys Health in Grand Blanc; St. Joseph Health System in Tawas City; and St. Mary's of Michigan in Saginaw.

Last year, Ascension eliminated local hospital and regional boards and created the Southeast Michigan Hospital Board, the West Michigan Hospital Board, the Mid-Michigan Hospital Board and the Michigan Market Board that oversees all Ascension properties in the state.

Originally posted here:

Crittenton Hospital in Rochester Hills is first to be renamed in Ascension Health system - Crain's Detroit Business