Cable coordinator working without contract for nine years

Ortonville- Greg Normand has been cable coordinator for the local cable access station, Channel 18, for just shy of a decade, all without a written contract describing what is expected of him. The township board has decided that is long enough. At their July 6 meeting, the board unanimously voted to have a written contract […]

Budget outlook takes turn for worse

Brandon Twp- The township’s financial status is not as bad as boardmembers first believed. It’s worse. Township Treasurer Terry Beltramo painted what Supervisor Kathy Thurman termed a ‘bleak picture? during the July 6 board meeting as he presented the current treasury report and projections for the remainder of the fiscal year. Beltramo said he is […]

Police: Keep dogs leashed in public

Ortonville- Police are reminding residents to leash their pets following recent attacks in the area by dogs against people and other animals. ‘Always keep your dog on a leash when they are out in public? for your safety, their safety, and the safety of other people and animals,? said Sgt. Pete Burkett of the Brandon […]

St. Anne youth on a mission

A mission trip turned out to be very timely as youth and adults from St. Anne Church in Brandon Township arrived in Pennsylvania June 21 to find the area of Greenburg devastated by a flood. ‘The water had gone up about 25 feet and the town hadn’t flooded in 50 years,? said St. Anne Youth […]

Swartz Creek resident new SLUMC pastor

Brandon Twp.- Tomorrow morning, July 5, LuAnn Rourke will preach her first sermon at Seymour Lake United Methodist Church, 3050 Sashabaw Road. The new pastor replaces former pastor Debbie Line, who has been reassigned to Davison. ‘I hope the congregation will see me keep growing in all the ways God has equipped me to do […]

Survey: ‘community-wide hauling contract?

Residents of Brandon and Groveland townships, as well as several other northern Oakland County communities, would benefit from community-wide waste hauling contracts. This is the conclusion, in part, of a months-long study of waste hauling services conducted by Resource Recycling Systems of Ann Arbor and paid for through a Capital and Cooperative Initiative Revolving Fund […]

Village council OKs budget, no raises

Ortonville- The village, like other municipalities and businesses in the current economy, has decreasing revenues and increased costs, but the budget will be balanced for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010. The council unanimously approved the village budget during their June 22 meeting. The budget has estimated revenues of $600,579 and expenditures of the […]

Joint sewer deal with county unlikely

Another idea for bringing sewers to the Village of Ortonville and parts of Brandon and Groveland townships appears to be dead in the water. Village and township officials have entertained the possibility of a joint sewer venture with Genesee County during the past few years. The topic was brought up again in February, with representatives […]

Local bound for Oxford University

Brandon Twp.- In a tumultuous economy, Lynsey Crain was looking for a way to make her resume stand out, so she applied to the prestigious Oxford University in England. ‘I thought if I applied and got in, that would be the niche to put my resume in a separate pile,? said the 21-year-old township resident. […]

BHS grad, runner, gets over the Wall

For many, seeing the Great Wall of China is a lifelong dream. Justin Walker has not only seen the Great Wall of China, he has experienced it in a way few can– he walked, ran, and climbed it during the Great Wall Marathon May 16. As if that weren’t enough, the 1999 Brandon High School […]