Township $140K under budget

Brandon Twp.- The township board thought at the end of December they had spent pretty close to the penny on their 2010 budget of $1,767,834.37. In fact, earlier last year, they were concerned they were going over budget and were looking for areas to cut. But the final results of a township audit report presented […]

‘I feel like I am going to lick this?

Goodrich- Sherry Hempton suffered a mini-stroke last October. Two months later, on Christmas Day, her husband died. In February, she found a swollen lymph node and in April she started chemotherapy for stage IV cancer. She has health insurance through Genesee County for low-income individuals, but the medical bills are accumulating. Still, she is persevering […]

Additional, enhanced charges for Brandon Township man

A Brandon Township man is facing harsher charges for his role in a recent attack on local teenagers. Bryan Hanley, 44, was first arraigned on May 3 on three counts of felonious assault/assault with a dangerous weapon, punishable by up to four years in prison. However, after additional testimony was heard, on June 7 during […]

OUMC pastor moves to Ypsilanti

Ortonville- After nearly six years as pastor of the Ortonville United Methodist Church, Tim Dibble’s last sermon here will be June 12. Dibble was appointed by the bishop of the UMC’s Detroit Annual Conference to be senior pastor at the Ypsilanti First United Methodist Church. ‘This appointment was a big surprise,? said Dibble, who will […]

Alaska bound: Local qualifies for Iditarod

Next March, Joe Gutowski and some of the 28 dogs he keeps at his home in Hadley Township will compete in the Iditarod, the famous sled dog race in Alaska. Gutowski recently received notification he has qualified for the 2012 event, which covers more than 1,150 miles from Anchorage to Nome in sub-zero temperatures over […]

BHS Principal Ferguson steps down

Michael Ferguson thought he would have a career as a professional athlete and for a short time, he was a Major League baseball player. However, when he retires at the end of this month, it will be as the Brandon High School principal and he has no regrets. Ferguson played baseball on a scholarship at […]

CreekFest

Ortonville- The most ‘outstanding special event,? as named by Main Street Oakland County, is back. The eighth annual CreekFest will take place from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., June 4 in the village. The Downtown Development Authority-sponsored event celebrates waterways in the village and Brandon Township, primarily Kearsley Creek ‘We have many exciting things going on at […]

Village manager to retire

Ortonville- Larry Brown announced his retirement as the village manager during the May 23 village council meeting. ‘I am retiring at the end of August,? said Brown. ‘This (position) takes a lot of time and energy and I want to dedicate more time to my family.? Brown was hired as the village treasurer in January […]

Brandon yearbook ad sparks controversy

Brandon Twp.- Stephanie Ratliff never expected to see an advertisement for a problem pregnancy center in a high school yearbook, but that is exactly what caught her attention? and outrage? as her son, a freshman, paged through the 2011 edition of Wingspan. Ratliff picked her son up from school May 19 and in his hands […]

Skate park plans: Season passes, helmets

Ortonville- A village parks committee is being formed with the goal of ending long-standing problems at the Skate Park, as well as addressing more recent problems that have included fights involving large groups of people. Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Pete Burkett, commander of the Brandon substation, has offered to lead the committee overseeing the […]