Voter turnout soars in Brandon school election

Groveland and Brandon township residents turned out to vote May 3 in numbers that doubled and tripled the amount of voters from the election a year ago. For the Brandon school election, in which D’Anna Keeble was chosen for a seat on the school board and two millages were passed, 1,170 Brandon Township residents voted. […]

Memories of motherhood

Brandon Twp.-Nora Larsen has seen the joys and sorrows of motherhood in her long life. Larsen, 98, watched her own mother’s trials and has had many of her own, almost losing her life giving birth, seeing one child go off to war, and outliving both sons. But Larsen has also seen the joys of being […]

‘Main Street’ kickoff

Ortonville? The Main Street program has officially kicked off in the village. On April 26 and 27, several officials toured downtown and spoke with business owners and other members of the community about what they envisioned for Ortonville and how to make the visions reality. Nick Kalogeresis, program officer of the National Trust Main Street […]

New ‘Country Market’ opens May 7

Ortonville-Linda Byorth Detrio first developed the Country Market about 13 years ago and served as director for about three years. Now after a 10 year absence, she’ll be back at the helm of the village summer tradition but now with a new look. ‘The concept is that you don’t have to drive the kids to […]

Locals aid former residents after fire

Pontotoc, Miss.-This small town is nearly 900 miles from Ortonville, but distance doesn’t matter when helping hands are needed. Some local citizens came to the rescue when former Ortonville residents Jerry and Frances (Frick) Baldwin lost their home and everything in it in an explosion. Jerry Baldwin, 79, was changing a line on a gas […]

Divorce workshop offered at Brandon library

Half of all marriages end in divorce in the United States. Divorce, often complicated to begin with, becomes more so when children are involved, says Judith Margerum, a licensed psychologist and associate director of the Michigan Family Institute in Southfield. She hopes to help parents deal with issues of divorce and resulting effects on kids […]

Brandon student, council, adviser receive awards

Traverse City? Janet Soave listened as the names of nominees for the Patricia C. Boss Award were read. Her name was among them, but she never thought she would be chosen. The Brandon High School senior was at the Michigan Association of Student Councils (MASC) state conference. As Brandon’s student council president, she had been […]

Zelenak resigns as Ortonville village manager

Ortonville-Village Manager Paul Zelenak made it official last week? he is leaving to become the city manager of Bloomfield Hills. Zelenak signed a contract with Bloomfield Hills April 19 and background checks were finalized last Wednesday. He will begin his new position May 16. ‘It’s a tremendous opportunity,? Zelenak said. ‘Bloomfield Hills is a very […]

The lovable, huggable and profitable Alpaca

Brandon Twp.-Judy and Phil Maybee have a 20-acre farm. It has a pond, lots of trees, and buildings including their house, a workshop and a large barn. They have animals, too, but maybe not what would be expected in a barnyard. It’s a beautiful day and 20 fluffy heads turn in the sunshine toward approaching […]

The lovable, huggable and profitable Alpaca

Brandon Twp.-Judy and Phil Maybee have a 20-acre farm. It has a pond, lots of trees, and buildings including their house, a workshop and a large barn. They have animals, too, but maybe not what would be expected in a barnyard. It’s a beautiful day and 20 fluffy heads turn in the sunshine toward approaching […]