By Judy Reed

A local restaurant abruptly closed its doors last week and the owner told employees, many of them teenagers, that she has no money to pay them.
Jonelle Woods, owner of Rosie’s Diner, 4500 14 Mile Road, told employees on Saturday, October 1, that the diner would be closed on Monday and Tuesday for repairs. But it never reopened.
Rebecca Klompstra, a long-time waitress and day manager at the restaurant, said she got a telephone call from Woods Tuesday morning asking her to come in so Woods could talk to her. When she got there, Woods’ car was in the lot, but the door was locked and her key didn’t fit. Not only that, the place was gutted.
“There was no restaurant equipment, the tables and chairs were gone, the grill, the refrigeration unit, everything. I knew right then we were done,” said Klompstra.
She said Woods told her she had gotten a phone call that morning saying she couldn’t reopen. When Klompstra asked her about their paychecks, Woods said that her money was all “frozen.”
“I told her that she had to pay those kids. They’ve worked their butts off for her, working after school and weekends,” explained Klompstra. She noted that it’s not just wages, but tips, too. “She owes some of them $500-$600.”
Woods called a meeting that night with the teens, and told them to make sure she had their correct address, and that when she got the money, she would pay them. But when Klompstra stopped in on Wednesday and talked with her again about the paychecks, she said Woods told her it wasn’t going to happen, that there was no money.
Klompstra knew things had been going downhill for Woods, but had no inkling anything like this was going to happen. She said that the last couple of utility bills were paid after a utility worker came to the door and said he was shutting off the power if it wasn’t paid right then. “I had a restaurant full of diners and had to get her on the phone and get a credit card number so we wouldn’t get shut off,” said Klompstra.
Jim Putnam, a line/prep cook at Rosie’s, is another worker hit by the closing. Putnam retired from General Motors when the 36th Street plant closed. Because the plant shut down, he qualified for the No Worker Left Behind program, which helped supplement his income from Rosie’s, to help him transition back into the workforce. Not only does he lose his Rosie’s paycheck, but he loses the grant as well. “I’m out about $1,500,” he said.
Putnam said he knew something wasn’t right about closing for repairs. “When I left a week ago, Jonelle didn’t say anything. When they closed, she didn’t even call me. She called and thanked my wife, but didn’t talk to me.” He said the closing won’t hurt him as much as the kids. “Some of them live from paycheck to paycheck and use it for car payments and college tuition,” he said.
The full-time adults should be able to file a claim for unemployment. But the teens don’t usually qualify for that. According to the state of Michigan, however, they should be able to file a claim with the wage/hour division on the state’s website. Jack Finn, who works for that division, said whether the claims are granted depends on the solvency of the business. “If the business is not solvent, then they are like unsecured creditors,” he explained. That means that they might not get paid if Woods files bankruptcy.
The property is listed as belonging to Woodcock Real properties, out of Bloomfield Hills. That company is owned by Jon Woods, Jonelle’s father. He is an accountant at Plante & Moran.
We called Jonelle Woods’ cell phone got a message that the number was changed or disconnected. A call to her father’s office had not yet been returned at press time.

Andrew signs his letter of intent at Celebration Cinema with 39 other West Michigan college bound athletes. From Left: Rebecca Klompstra, Andrew Klompstra, and Chuck Klompstra.

Cedar Springs senior Andrew Klompstra has signed his letter of intent to play football at Grand Valley State University. He is the third Cedar Springs football player to receive a scholarship to play college football in the past 4 years and the first at GVSU.  Andrew was selected All-Conference and All-area this past football season as well as Academic All-State HM.
Coach Brian Busen says that he will miss Andrew, and his leadership and work ethic that he grew into over his high school career.
“I am very proud of Andrew. He has worked hard and is very deserving of this great opportunity. I look forward to see the growth and improvement in college for Andrew.  Andrew is not only a great football player but he is also a great student and I think GVSU is a perfect fit for Andrew both academically and athletically,” said Busen.

CS senior Andrew Klompstra and Coach Busen.

“I wish Andrew and GVSU great success, with the exception of the Ferris State game!”

Ryan Dines shoots a short jumper while Andrew Klompstra and Alec Hanmer go for the rebound.

The Cedar Springs boys varsity basketball team hosted Forest Hills Northern last Friday in an OK Blue showdown. Last year the teams faced off twice, with each team winning at home by 3 points.
The huskies got out to a quick 5-0 lead before the Red Hawks could get off a shot. Ryan Dines got things going for Cedar with a pull-up jumper to make it 5-2. An Alec Hanmer 3 pointer brought the Red Hawks to within two midway through the first quarter, but that was as close as Cedar would get. Tyler Covell drove down the baseline and made a lay up in traffic to finish the first quarter scoring for the Red Hawks and the Huskies led 17-7.
Hanmer began the second quarter with a jumper followed by an Andrew Klompstra free throw. Then Kyle Chaney drove the lane for a lay up. Later, Chaney entered the ball to Derek Ash who made a spin move from the post for two. Point guard Jason Gingrich got on the board late in the second quarter with a 3-pointer to make the halftime score 28-17 in favor of the Huskies.
In the third quarter, Gingrich stole the ball, was fouled and made his two free throws. Then a Klompstra lay up cut the Husky lead to 28-21 with 6:40 left in the third. Then the Red Hawks went scoreless for the next 7:48. During that time Cedar missed 8 straight shots from the floor and was 0-3 from the free throw line. The score was 36-21 Huskies when Hanmer hit a 3-pointer with 6:52 left in the game to end the scoring drought.
Trey Reed hit a short jumper to make the score to make the score 39-26 with 6 minutes left. Then the big Friday night crowd was thrilled when junior Justin Hanes canned a three pointer from the wing to score his first ever varsity points. Then after a Klompstra field goal, Hanes hit another three to cut the Husky lead to 11 points. After a Husky bucket, Gingrich scored the final points of the game with a pull up fade away jumper in the lane to make the final score Forest Hills Northern 47, Cedar Springs 36.
Hanmer led the Red Hawks with 8 points to go with 2 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Gingrich had 7 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals. Hanes ended with 6 points. Klompstra had 5 points and 7 rebounds. Ryan Dines had a nice all around game with 2 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and zero turnovers. Kyle Chaney had 2 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Trey Reed and Derek Ash both had 2 points and 2 rebounds, and Tyler Covell finished with 2 points.
The Red Hawks have this week off. Their next game is Tuesday, January 25 at home against the two-time defending league champion Comstock Park Panthers.  The freshmen game is at 4 p.m., followed by the JV at 5:30, and the Varsity at 7 p.m.