Catching some rays: Solar power

Brandon Twp.- Tom Laviolette had to clear his driveway of snow this week, like hundreds of other residents in the township, and millions of Americans, after a massive storm moved across the country. However, he also had an extra task due to the storm’shoveling the snow off solar panels attached to his roof. Even with […]

Mary and George:Still dancing after 60 years

On a late summer evening in 1950, at a club called Knickerbockers in Flint, George Yancho asked Mary Christoph to dance. The song was the Blue Skirt Waltz, and she happened to be wearing a blue dress. They danced most of the rest of that night, and many nights after. He worked nights and she […]

Village sewer talks start again

Ortonville- Sewers have been talked about for years here, decades even. Septic systems have failed for village residents and business owners, and still, there are no sewers. Cost is the major obstacle and with the current economy, money would seem to be an issue now more than ever. However, the discussion on bringing sewers to […]

Local cable station to sign off at Brandon High School

Brandon Twp.- The local cable station needs a new home. OTV, the local cable access station (Channel 99), is looking for a new location to house its studio and broadcasting equipment. The OTV studio has been located at Brandon High School since the 1980s, in an arrangement with the district where the high school provides […]

Ball Street Bridge replacement could top 150K

Ortonville- The cost to the village to replace an ailing bridge could be at least $150,000, and possibly more, despite a grant that will cover 95 percent of construction costs. Leanne Panduren of Rowe Professional Services Company presented information and a timeline on the Ball Street Bridge Project to the village council during their Jan. […]

No year-round residents at Clearwater Campground

Brandon Twp.- For three months of every year, Ron and Connie Troy leave their home in the township for 24 hours every three days. The couple has owned for the past 10 years a ‘condo? unit, what Ron describes as ‘a fancy trailer,? located within the Clearwater Campground, 1140 S. Ortonville Road. When they moved […]

Brandon finance director ‘on leave of absence?

Brandon Twp.- Jamie Cowan is on a leave of absence as executive director of fiscal affairs for the Brandon School District. Superintendent Lorrie McMahon declined to elaborate further, including whether the leave is paid or unpaid, temporary or permanent. ‘The district can not discuss leaves of current or past employees,? said McMahon. ‘This is indefinite.? […]

STARS

Brandon Twp.- Parents can help their children become star readers by registering their students in the STARS tutorial program. Registration is now underway for the spring session of the program offered by Brandon Groveland Youth Assistance. The after-school program is open to all students in second through sixth grades in the district and will be […]

No park grant; sled lift opens Jan. 29

Brandon Twp.- The township board is sticking with a decision they made nearly two years ago to not seek any grants requiring matching funds. Board members agreed at their Jan. 18 meeting they would not apply for a grant that would have been used to decrease the township’s liability exposure on the sledding hill at […]

‘I couldn’t imagine anything different…?

Goodrich- Eleanor and Robert Barker recognize hard times. The village residents were born and raised during the Great Depression. Robert Barker’s mother died when he was a toddler and he was sent to live with an aunt. The current economy is bad they say, but they’ve been through worse, and for six decades, they’ve been […]