Locals express ‘The Spirit of Ortonville? with photos

Ortonville- The Brandon Library. The A&W Restaurant. The Skate Park. The Old Mill. These places express ‘The Spirit of Ortonville,? say anonymous citizens who took part in a photo survey last February. Volunteers from the Main Street Design Committee handed out disposable cameras in February to six random people in town, along with instructions to […]

Where did the students go? Brandon District finds answers

Brandon Twp.- The district lost a staggering 254 students in the past year. Where did they go? The answer was presented during the Dec. 16 board meeting. A study of fall 2013 exited students reveals that 100 students actually moved out of the district. Another 70 students, all schools of choice? meaning they reside outside […]

Village receives clean audit

Ortonville- The village has received a clean audit from Lewis and Knopf. The certified public accounting firm bestowed upon the village the highest level of assurance possible for the village’s financial statements. ‘There were no control issues reported,? said Village Manager John Lyons. ‘We have a healthy fund balance.? That healthy fund balance is $601,800, […]

Village eyes Ball Street Bridge project again

Ortonville- Plans to replace the Ball Street Bridge in the village are moving forward again. Village officials had to rebid the project after it was discovered last spring that design plans had the new bridge being built over an artisan well. The Michigan Department of Transportation, which funds construction, would not approve a design plan […]

It’s a mystery’youth pens second book

Groveland Twp.- Gracie Harmon is just 12-years-old, but she is already the author of two books. Her latest, ‘The Sheppard Twins and the Mystery of the Three Thieves,? was self-published Dec. 1, using CreateSpace.com. ‘I’ve always read mysteries and I just really wanted to write one,? said Gracie. ‘It’s about twins and their cousins who […]

Library investigation moves forward

Brandon Twp.- Karl Haiser will conduct the first phase of a forensic audit of the library. ‘We are really focused on seeing if there was anything besides mismanagement going on,? said Library Trustee Ann Schmid. ‘We are going after restitution if we possibly can.? The library board approved the hiring of Haiser, a certified public […]

Next Step China

Growing up in Ortonville, Shea Grounds thought to herself, ‘There’s got to be more out there than this.? Now she knows there is. The 2011 Brandon High School graduate lived in China for three months and also visited Japan this year, widening her worldview far beyond what she had dreamed. ‘I saw shrines in Tokyo, […]

Village nature walking trail proposed by locals

Ortonville- A group of local citizens is researching the possibility of a nearly mile-long nature walking trail in the village. Lois Robbins and Rick McAvinchey, both members of the North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy, proposed the trail to the village council at the council’s Nov. 27 meeting. Members of the council voiced interest and support […]

Recall language denied a third time

Ortonville- The third time was not the charm. The Oakland County Election Commission denied for a third time petition language seeking to recall Village Manager Sue Bess during a hearing Nov. 27 in the courtroom of Oakland County Chief Probate Court Judge Barry Grant. Grant was joined in the unanimous decision to reject the language […]

Progress made on township park

Brandon Twp.- Construction workers took advantage of unseasonably warm temperatures last week to work on the township park at the corner of Oakwood and Hadley roads. ‘We’re behind on construction, but will be caught up in the spring,? said Brandon Recreation Director Fred Waybrant, as he surveyed the land-balancing crew from Roger Engels Construction working […]