New look for pathways: Village sidewalk work begins

Ortonville- Residents will begin to see new sidewalks this week. The village council approved Orion Concrete to do the work by a 5-2 vote. Harold Batten and Mary Kassuba were the dissenting votes. Orion Concrete came in as the low bidder on the project, at $10.28 per linear foot for 4-inch thick concrete, and $11.399 […]

Funds needed for Village Skate Park

Ortonville- The Village Skate Park closes for the season Oct. 30. Now, let the fundraising begin. The skate park has been open for only two hours per day for several weeks after a myriad of problems, including profanity, indecent exposure, and other complaints from neighbors of the park. A Skate Park Committee that has been […]

DDA names new chairman, members

Ortonville- The new Downtown Development Authority board appears to be nearing completion. Robert Renchik is the new chairman of the DDA and Robert Flath’s appointment to the board was approved by the village council Oct. 22. Tim Palulian also announced this week that he accepted an invitation to join the board. Renchik, 54, is a […]

Brandon school budget balanced, pending employee negotiations

Brandon Twp.- After facing a projected $1.4 million deficit for most of this year, school district officials are now anticipating not only a balanced budget for 2012-2013, but a $50,000 increase in the fund balance. The anticipation needs to be tempered, however, as School Board President Kevin McClellan said the budget that Finance Director Steve […]

Looking toward the future

Ortonville- About 40 people came to give input and share ideas on what they would like to see in the village during Future Days on Oct. 20. Village Manager Ed Coy was very pleased with the turnout. ‘The folks that came all had ideas and opinions and they were all equally valuable,? he said. ‘Our […]

Beets, Beats and Eats returns

Ortonville- The seventh annual season of Beets, Beats & Eats kicks off in the village June 15. The event takes place every Friday night at Crossman Park during the summer and features a variety of local vendors, acoustic musicians, and a dinner each night provided by local restaurants, churches, or community organizations. Dinner cost ranges […]

Cancer fundraisers scheduled

Two local residents can use support from the community in fighting their battles against cancer. Charlene Helmle, 47, was first diagnosed in 2008 with stage 2 breast cancer. The single mother of two sons, Kyle, 21, and Joshua, 18, had a lumpectomy and underwent chemotherapy. Faced with the prospect of losing her hair, she shaved […]

Brandon seeks to increase number of on-call firefighters

Brandon Twp.- Firefighters wanted. Fire Chief Dave Kwapis requested the township board approve the hiring of three paid on-call firefighters during the June 4 board meeting. ‘We are at the lowest we’ve been in 15 years for paid on-call firefighters,? he said. ‘We are well below the 40 we would like.? Currently, the Brandon Fire […]

Tips sought in break-ins; reward offered

Brandon Twp.- Police are requesting the public’s assistance in solving three break-ins that occurred at a local business in the last month. A reward is offered for information leading to an arrest of a suspect in the crimes, which occurred at the Boat Bar, 2000 S. Ortonville Road. According to police reports, the first break-in […]

GHS grad to play in PGA National

Playing in a major golf tournament is a dream for most golfers. It’s one that Bret Hartman will have the opportunity to make come true later this month. The 2001 Goodrich High School graduate finished in the top 12 at the Michigan PGA Professional Championship last year, qualifying him to play in the PGA National […]