Ortonville- When a loved one dies, there are sometimes family or friends who are not able to attend the funeral or memorial service. Perhaps they live far away or are too frail to travel. Whatever the reason, there is now an option for the bereaved who can’t attend a funeral or memorial service arranged by […]
After surviving a bullet through his brain, Joshua Keel figures skydiving should be a breeze. His mother has other ideas. ‘No skydiving,? says Yvonne McClelland. ‘I want him to have both feet on the ground.? Keel, a 2008 Brandon graduate, isn’t quite ready for skydiving four months after being shot in Afghanistan. He uses a […]
The number of students in both the Brandon and Goodrich school districts fell again this year. After student count day Wednesday, it was revealed Goodrich has about 2,140 students, 43 less than the count of 2,183 in 2009. The elementary schools suffered losses, with Oaktree going from 491 students in 2009 to 455 and Reid […]
Brandon Twp.- The number of police officers here stays at 12 for now, but whether the township can sustain a police force that size remains in grave doubt. After months of budget workshops to reach concrete decisions on balancing the 2010 budget as well as to plan for budgets for the next three years, uncertainty […]
Ortonville- Furnace broken? Roof falling in? Septic system fail? It sounds like a really bad week, but if you are a village resident and facing even one of these crises, there may be help available. The village is offering four $1,000 grants to residents who need an emergency home repair. The program is offered with […]
Brandon Twp.- The fate of the township’s K-9 unit remains up in the air. The board split 3-3 on a vote to eliminate the Deputy II K-9 position during their Sept. 20 meeting. Supervisor Kathy Thurman, and Trustees Bob DeWitt and David King voted yes. Clerk Jeannie McCreery, Treasurer Terry Beltramo, and Trustee Cheryl Gault […]
Brandon Twp.- ‘Found? money is a pleasant surprise to many? whether it’s a $5 bill tucked in a jacket pocket or maybe $20 crumpled at the bottom of a wallet. School district officials recently were quite happy to experience ‘found? money? just over $500,000, discovered in a budget audit. Representatives from Lewis & Knopf, the […]
Brandon Twp.- With the exception of a slight increase in the library debt millage, residents will pay the same tax rates next year as they did this year. The township board voted 4-2 at the Sept. 20 board meeting to keep the general fund, police, and fire millage rates unchanged, and to raise the library […]
School attendance is important every day, but especially this Wednesday, Sept. 29? student count day. The first of two statewide student count days determines 75 percent of school funding. The second student count in February accounts for 25 percent of per-pupil funding. Schools depend on per-pupil funding from the state and with student enrollment on […]
Brandon Twp.- Lee Cleric had to stop driving two years ago after her eyesight deteriorated. The 81-year-old township resident’s only mode of transportation is the Edna Burton Senior Center vehicles. She depends on the van and bus drivers, Pat Reed and Janet Clair, to get her to her optometrist, dentist, physician, and chiropractor. The senior […]