SONGER's IN THE NEWS

SONGER , MELISSA C.

Sailor in and out of consciousness after crash - Douglas Michael Hill

Douglas Michael Hill, of Knoxville, Tenn., has been in and out of consciousness, and in addition to the loss of both legs below the knee, he is suffering from a punctured lung, a crushed pelvis and blood on the brain, said Hill’s cousin, Jenna Curtis, who lives in Chattanooga.

“It’s a miracle he’s alive,” Curtis said when asked about his prognosis.

Hill and his passenger, Joshua Schwantal Songer, 19, of Clarksville, Texas, were injured Monday about 2 p.m. when the red Ford Mustang they were in crashed into a metal guard rail on southbound I-5 at the transition road to state Route 94, California Highway Patrol Officer Ken Jackman said.

The car was demolished and both men were ejected.

Despite initial statements from officers at the scene that the collision may have involved racing, investigators are treating the accident right now as a single-vehicle crash, Jackman said.

“We are still at the preliminary stages of this investigation,” Jackman said. “We have a lot of work to do before we say it was a speed exhibition.”

Jackman said that according to witness statements the car was traveling between 60 and 90 mph, but based on the damage to the car and the skid marks, it was most likely exceeding the 65 mph speed limit, Jackman said.

Alcohol was not a factor, Jackman said.

At least one witness told officers that one and possibly two other vehicles were seen speeding in the area at the time. Hill’s family members, however, don’t believe that he was racing.

“It is alleged that street racing was involved but we would respectfully ask that no one rush to judgment or speculate. He is not associated with any street racing groups and we understand that his cause for sudden speed was simply him trying to ‘make the ramp’. He was following two friends in a unfamiliar city,” Hill’s mother, Cynthia Johnson, said in a written statement.

She and her sister arrived in San Diego on Tuesday, Curtis said.

There is an entry on Hill’s Facebook page that talks about racing, but Curtis said it refers to legal drag racing, not illegal street racing.

Hill has not been able to talk about the accident.

He works as a surface sonar technician and has been in San Diego since December, Curtis said. The family declined to say where he is stationed. He joined the Navy right after graduating, which was his goal all through high school, his cousin said.

Hill is expected to remain hospitalized for several months. Songer was released from the hospital Tuesday, Curtis said.

Ocie Taylor Songer was in town recently. She told The Corona Historic Preservation Society about her experiences in early Corona. She arrived is 1896, the very begining of this little hamlet. Her father was the offical founder. She lived here until her death in 1971, at age 94. Of course she had some tales to tell. She knew all the early residents as well as many that came later to make their mark on Corona.

Ocie was portrayed by...moi, me and myself. I enjoyed it so much. Ocie left all her scrapbooks, the family bible, family papers and documents to the public library. At the Heritage Room the documents are in a special collection that can be browse through. It was such a pleasure to be able to tell her story and know that everything was as she saw it, because the information all came from her own pen.

When I visit her grave I always tell her that I hope she is pleased with me for keeping her alive in Corona. She did so much in the way of writing Corona's history as it took place. I want to keep it going.

One thing she said in a letter (written in her hand) was that "the older ones are going and the young ones don't care about Corona's story."

I always think that whatever I say about Corona is also the story of every town in America. The faces and names are changed but the storiesare alike.

The news of yesterday is the history of today.
Posted by Diane Wright.

Tragedy hits couple with bright future
COPYRIGHT 2008 Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Byline: Dianne Williamson

COLUMN: DIANNE WILLIAMSON

Jennifer Ann Songer literally danced down the aisle at her wedding last year, inspired by the music of Bon Jovi and her love for the man who stood waiting at the altar.

You can take this world away

You're everything I am...

Jen and Travis Songer were rarely apart since meeting seven years ago as students at Clark University. And when Jen learned that she was pregnant six months ago, the young couple was somewhat amazed to realize that they would indeed have everything - love, rewarding careers, supportive families and a son they planned to name Maxwell Evan Songer.

"I envied her," said Jen's father, John Saporita. "She always knew what she wanted. When she was 10 years old she came home from school one day and said she wanted to be a scientist. And she became one."

But fate, with its cruel twists, would have other plans for this remarkable young woman. Tuesday night, she was driving east on Interstate 290 in Auburn with her husband when their Ford Focus went out of control and crashed into woods, trapping them in the car. Jennifer, 29, died at the scene. Travis, also 29, was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center - University Campus. He suffered a skull fracture, bruised spleen and other injuries, but is expected to survive.

As police continue to investigate the accident, the many people who loved the Songers are devastated that a woman with so much to live for could die so needlessly. Jen was a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UMass, where she served as a student mentor. After the accident, UMass colleagues and employees received an e-mail from Anthony Carruthers, dean of the graduate school:

"Jen was one of our most accomplished students," he wrote, noting that she had just learned that a scientific paper she authored would be published in a research journal. "She touched our lives in countless ways and had enriched our school immeasurably ... The faculty, students and staff of the GSBS are heartbroken by her passing."

The Songers lived on Hamilton Street and were returning home from a karate lesson in Webster when the accident occurred. Travis' family said he is heavily medicated but aware that he has lost his wife and unborn son.

"He keeps saying that Jen was his everything," said Travis' sister, Jocelyn Songer. "He loved her so much. They had something incredibly special, and he keeps saying that his son Max was going to be something. They would have made such great parents."

The couple complemented each other perfectly. As a scientist, Jen tended to see things in black and white, her father said. Travis, who also worked at UMass, was the lighter of the two - always joking around. Along with his identical twin brother, Evan, Travis kept Jen "happy and light," Mr. Saporita said.

Which is not to say that Jen was all business. She loved the New England Patriots and adored Christmas. She and Travis loved to hike the White Mountains and Grand Canyon. Travis' sister recalled one year in the White Mountains when they had to hop over rocks to cross a busy stream. Travis simply hoisted Jen on his back and gave her a piggyback ride.

"He'd do anything for her," his sister said.

When Jen became pregnant, she distributed pictures of the ultrasound. Both families were so ecstatic they joked they would steal the baby. She recently told people that she could feel Max kicking, but she wanted no one but close family touching her belly.

"Everyone was so excited for them," said Jocelyn Songer, her voice breaking. "It's amazing how quickly the whole world can change."

A memorial service to celebrate Jen's life will be held Dec. 18 at The French Club in Jewett City, Conn. Yesterday, her father laughed when he recalled the offbeat music that his daughter and Travis chose for their wedding - in addition to Bon Jovi, the newlyweds walked down the aisle to "I'm a Believer" by The Monkees.

Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer

Not a trace of doubt in my mind

I'm in love ...

"Jen and Travis had everything," Mr. Saporita said. "The only thing they didn't have was time."

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NuBac disc requires a minimally invasive surgery.

ONTONAGON -- We all at some point in time deal with back pain.  For people who have Degenerative Disc Disease, the pain in the lower back can cause serious problems.

Four years ago, Stephanie Wysocki of Ontonagon wouldn't have been able to a simple task like cleaning the floor.  That's because she suffered from Degenerative Disc Disease.

"Every minute of my day was lived in pain,” said Stephanie, “I couldn't hardly do anything except sit on my couch, I couldn't pick up my 2 year old son, I had a hard time even going for walks or sitting for a long time at work."

Stephanie knew she had a major problem.  So she came to Orthopaedic Surgery Associates of Marquette.  And it's a good thing; turns out she was a prime candidate for a new procedure.

Stephanie was implanted with a small artificial disc in her spine.

“The NuBac is a ball and socket type disc and you put it in the spine through the disc wall,” said Doctor Matthew Songer.

Dr. Songer developed the NuBac disc with Pioneer Surgical Technologies in Marquette.

Unlike spine fusion or total disc replacement, two procedures that reduce back pain, the NuBac disc implant allows for movement of the spine through a minimally invasive procedure.

"It relieves pain in 2 ways,” said Songer, “you remove the damaged or diseased disc and secondly, you put in an artificial disc that slips into the place of the previous disc and takes and bares the load of the spine and restores the spinal movement and function."

The NuBac disc is currently undergoing a clinical study with 400 patients, and if approved by the FDA, it could be used by doctors across the country by 2013.

As for Stephanie, the NuBac disc appears to be working.  She can now exercise and play golf with no back pain at all.

"The NuBac implants have made the greatest difference in my life,” said Stephanie, “they've given me my life back."

  for more information on the NuBac click here

ST. ALBANS, W.Va. -- A St. Albans mother is heading to prison for five to 18 years for robbing a local gaming parlor, with her two young children waiting in the car for her.

Melissa Ann Spencer, 29, pleaded guilty in August, admitting in court that she left her youngest children, aged 2 and 7, outside of Lewie's, located at Oak Street and MacCorkle Avenue in St. Albans, in July 2008, and then went inside to commit the robbery.

Spencer held a gun to the head of clerk Margaret Songer during the incident and took $1,500 in cash plus the clerk's cell phone and keys. Police later discovered the weapon was a pellet gun.

Assistant Prosecutor Don Morris told Kanawha Circuit Judge James Stucky, "She held the gun to her temple, and it felt cold and hard. She told her, 'Give me the money or I'll blow your f-ing head off.'

"It turned out to be a BB gun," Morris said. "But there's no way she could have known that."

Songer attended Wednesday's sentencing hearing but said she was too emotional to speak. She previously had given the judge a letter saying she remained traumatized by the event.

Morris noted that Spencer had a previous conviction for battery on a police officer from 2005, for which she received probation, and had been arrested for prostitution.

When Spencer's sentence was read, Songer smiled widely and nodded as she watched the crying woman remove a cross from around her neck and be handcuffed by a bailiff.

Before the hearing, Spencer sat outside the courtroom crying and grasping the hands of her mother and a family friend. She entered the hearing in tears, spoke briefly and apologized.

"I was not in the right state of mind at the time," she said. "I apologize to the woman, to my children, to society altogether."

Stucky listened to impassioned pleas from her attorney, John Krivonyak, her mother, Velvet Spencer of Charleston, and friend Ronald Crowder of Dunbar, who all said the young mother was working hard to earn her GED, get a driver's license and stay free of drugs and alcohol.

PRINCETON — A Kewanee man has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to burglary in Tiskilwa.

Matthew L. Songer, 27, entered his guilty plea to the Class 2 felony on Oct. 1 before Circuit Judge Marc Bernabei. In addition to the prison sentence, Songer was also ordered to pay court costs and restitution in an amount to be determined. The Oct. 1 2009 sentence will run concurrently with an obstructing justice sentence in LaSalle County.

In May 2009, the Bureau County Sheriff's Department received a CrimeStoppers tip stating Songer was selling stolen items at a Henry County sale barn. Upon investigation, the sheriff's department learned Songer was selling appliances and heating and air conditioning units at that sale barn.The items had been taken from the former Tiskilwa High School building, owned by James Shafer of Princeton. A warrant for Songer's arrest was issued June 9, and he was arrested June 19 in LaSalle County.

Songer was represented at his sentencing hearing by LaSalle County public defender Timothy Cappellini. Prosecuting the case was Bureau County State's Attorney Patrick Herrmann.

Songer has a 2003 felony conviction in Putnam County, for which he served three years in prison and was then placed on felony probation for obstructing justice in 2006 in Henry County. He also has misdemeanor convictions for theft and obstructing a peace officer.

Co-defendants Ricky Dennison and John Reining, both of Kewanee, have entered guilty pleas in the Tiskilwa burglary case. The case is still pending for a third defendant, Katie Lucas, also of Kewanee.

Learning to fly

Bland County Messenger: News
Tue Sep 22, 2009 - 03:47 PM
By NATE HUBBARD/Staff