A $2,500 paycheck isn’t bad for 60 seconds of work. Jessica Laviolette, a 2006 Brandon High School graduate and sophomore psychology major at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was the recipient of that check when she won the grand prize in the first annual MIT elevator pitch contest in October. Laviolette says the point of […]
Brandon Twp.- In the current economy, job eliminations, wage freezes or cuts, and reduced hours and benefits are common. Township employees have taken some hits, with reduced benefits and eliminated jobs. Now, candidates for public office next year may be offered half of the current compensation given and the recreation department is facing more reductions, […]
Brandon Twp.- Bully, n.’a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people. According to bullyingstatistics.org, ‘statistics show that bullying is on the rise among young adults, teens and children. The rise in these bullying statistics is likely due to a form of bullying seen in recent years called cyber bullying. […]
Groveland Twp.- After 38 years of working in the insurance industry, the last 20 years as the owner of the State Farm agency here, Connie Brewer is retiring at the end of this month. ‘I have been so blessed over the years to have worked for a good company and to have come to Ortonville […]
Sharon Bergman isn’t fighting cancer. She isn’t battling cancer. What she is doing is healing cancer. ‘I don’t want to be in a battle, I want to be in a healing place,? said Bergman, 49. ‘I want to be positive. It’s a struggle, but the focus is on healing, wellness, beauty.? During the past year, […]
More than two years after Duane Emery Kuerbitz was accused of sexually abusing the mentally incapacitated man for whom he was guardian in Brandon Township, the case is finally reaching its conclusion. Kuerbitz, 50, pleaded guilty on Sept. 26 to one count of criminal sexual conduct, first degree, as well as one count of being […]
A 23-year-old Brandon Township man has been arraigned on a charge of animal cruelty after punching, choking and throwing his mother’s dog. Scott Appleton was arraigned Jan. 4 in front of 52-2 District Court Judge Kelley Kostin on the misdemeanor charge, which carries a possible sentence of up to 93 days in jail, a $1,000 […]
Monica DeAngelo describes her recent mission trip to Costa Rica as ‘an emotional roller coaster.? ‘My eyes and heart were taking in so much all at one time,? said DeAngelo, owner of Cutting Edge Salon in Goodrich. ‘It’s hard to control your emotions, because you want to cry. There is so much to be done […]
A former church youth leader has pleaded guilty to exposing himself to a child at a Brandon Township campground. Curtis Burkhardt, 44, pleaded guilty to one charge of indecent exposure by a sexually delinquent person Sept. 28 in front of Sixth Circuit Court Judge Rudy Nichols. The felony has wide-ranging sentencing guidelines, from one day […]
By Susan Bromley Staff Writer Ortonville- Mark Bell and Joe D’Anna brought in just $37 the first Tuesday they were open for business as Papa Bella’s Pizza, 425 Mill St. ‘We wondered what we had gotten ourselves into,? recalls Bell. Business quickly grew through word-of-mouth, however, and this week, the independent hometown pizza place celebrates […]