Ortonville man sentenced to probation in IRS scandal

A 49-year-old Ortonville man who provided false Social Security numbers to casinos after winning millions of dollars was sentenced this week in federal court in Detroit. Christopher Aaron was sentenced Sept. 3 by U.S. District Court Judge Nancy G. Edmunds to six months home confinement and two years probation as a result of having been […]

Students, parents cope with peanut allergies

Brandon Twp.- Hannah Schroll was admitted to the hospital 13 times when she was in first grade in the Holly Schools. She had to be intubated three times to enable her to breathe. Still, her life-threatening peanut allergy is difficult for some to understand. Her mother, Wendy Schroll recalls the time a child touched Hannah […]

Get ready to Scrabble

Brandon Twp.- Za. Qi. Oi. No, they’re not words in a foreign language, they’re the latest additions to the Scrabble Dictionary? ‘Za? being a word for pizza, ‘Qi? is like chi, a positive sense of being and ‘Oi? an interjection, like ‘Oy!? These words and hundreds more are likely to show up on a couple […]

Ghost hunter to appear at township library

Brandon Twp.- Robin Lemkie hunts ghosts. She has looked for, listened for, and tried to sense spirits in homes, businesses, and cemeteries as founder of Ghost Hunters of Southern Michigan. She says that 90-95 percent of the time, she is successful in finding ghosts at places where she has been called to investigate the supernatural? […]

Getting through with a little help from her friends

Brandon Twp.- Kris Mathews was surprised and in tears when several friends showed up on her doorstep last Wednesday, but the real surprise was behind them, in the driveway? an orange Dodge Charger limousine. For the past several months, Mathews? friends and family have been there for her as she has battled breast cancer. Now, […]

‘Do you know what your child is watching??

Brandon Twp.- Teresa DeGrazia can’t stand the Rugrats. The cable television cartoon teaches children bad behavior, exemplified by main character Angelica, says DeGrazia, who also doesn’t like Scooby-Doo or Tom and Jerry, cartoons she calls scary and violent, respectively. A parent educator with Great Parents, Great Start, DeGrazia will be the speaker at a free […]

At home in America

Brandon Twp.- When Kay Hunt arrived in the United States 20 years ago, she remembers saying, ‘This is America?? in disbelief. Hunt and her cousin had just taken a 20-hour flight from Bangkok, in their native Thailand to Chicago, and then traveled to Kalamazoo, where they would both attend Western Michigan University. ‘We came in […]

Council suspends DPW employee

Ortonville- Department of Public Works employee Bill Prince was suspended for 30 days without pay effective immediately at Monday’s village council meeting. Councilmembers Aileen Champion, Kay Green, Harold Batten and Melanie Nivelt voted yes on the disciplinary action, while Council President Ken Quisenberry and Councilman Dan Eschmann voted no. Councilwoman Mary Kassuba was absent. In […]

Twp. man pleads ‘no contest? in baseball bat assault

A 19-year-old Brandon Township man is facing jail time after pleading no contest to multiple charges from a baseball bat assault last April. Nicholas Goff pleaded no contest in front of Sixth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Edward Sosnick on Sept. 5 to third degree home invasion, two counts of assault with intent to commit great […]

No beans about it? chili is a winner

Brandon Twp.- Verna Enerson describes her verde (green) chili as unique, with some ‘zing.? The dish, made with pork tenderloin, green chile peppers and chili powder, recently earned Enerson first place in the Michigan State Chili & Salsa Championship. The 60-something township resident will now head to Las Vegas for the 42nd Annual World Chili […]