Deep freeze chills spring sap flow so far

By David Fleet Editor Atlas Twp.-On Monday morning the wood-fired maple syrup evaporator in Jim Aseltine’s township sugar shack was cold. ‘We should be loaded with sap right now and we’re not,? said Aseltine, 85, who along with his wife Faith, for the past 42 years has coaxed thousands of gallons of sap each spring […]

KBH United caps off season as Metro League Champs

Despite a short bench, the Kearsley Brandon Holly United hockey team ended the 2014-15 season with a Flint Metro League title, led by Flint Metro Coach of the Year Steve Yuchasz. ‘Going into the season we set some pretty lofty goals, winning the Flint Metro among them,? said Yuchasz. ‘Right out of the gate we […]

Funding for school bus inspections axed

A certification needed to legally operate district school buses may by the latest casualty of Michigan’s budget woes. The Michigan State Police Motor Carrier Division is responsible for inspecting and certifying the safety of more than 17,000 school buses each year. The funding for the program is part of the K-12 school aid budget. The […]

Local veteran part of Detroit: Our Greatest Generation

In June 1944 Gerald Marsh, then an 18-year-old private, was wading through the blood-tinged waters of the English Channel onto Utah Beach’a key landing site for the American troops in Normandy. Marsh, an Ortonville native, was called to duty on July 16, 1943, shipped to Europe in February 1944 and assigned to the Fifth Armored […]

Flu school absences not yet to levels of closing

While several school districts statewide have closed because of excessive absences due to the flu, both Brandon and Goodrich School districts have remained open’so far. On Monday, the Goodrich District reported 265 students absent, about 12 percent of the population. ‘Our magic number is 546 students out or 25 percent of the population,? said John […]

MSP arrest pair suspected in home invasions

Two suspects wanted for a series of daytime burglaries in southwest Lapeer County, in addition to Brandon, Hadley and Metamora townships, were arrested following a traffic stop in Oxford Township. At about 3:30 p.m. Sgt. Joseph Vandermeulen, from the MSP Lapeer Post, stopped a gold-colored Honda near Baldwin and Oakwood roads. Troopers arrested Steven James […]

Summer’s ‘Cash for Clunkers? boom continues

Brandon Twp. ? It’s been a couple months since the government-sponsored ‘Cash for Clunkers? program helped jam area car dealers? showrooms, however, the surge of business has continued for at least one area dealer Joe Carrier, general manager of Randy Wise Ford, 989 S. Ortonville Road, had customers waiting to buy new cars in his […]

60 percent more for roads

An additional $50,000 in road funds will go a long way in improving Ortonville Roads. That’s what Ortonville Village Manger John Lyons expects if voters OK a sales tax hike this spring that targets road repairs statewide. If approved by voters at the polls on May 5, the current 6 percent state sales tax would […]

EPA burned up over wood smoke

For the past 11 years, Brandon Township resident Gary Morris has kept his 2,000 square foot home warm by burning wood. ‘The emerald ash borer killed a lot of trees, storms knocked down trees’there’s plenty of wood available,? said Morris, who about four years ago built a free-standing wood furnace that uses hot water, replacing […]

‘One Brandon?

Tim Pizzala knows football. At the helm of the Brandon Varsity Football team for the past eight years, Pizzala emphasizes the multiple aspects of building a solid athletic program. ‘The rigorous physical demands of any sport is important, but the community support, coaches and parents are really needed to make a team,? he said. ‘It’s […]