May 5 election to feature multiple millage and bond proposals
Jackson County voters will head to the polls on May 5 to weigh in on several millage renewal and bond proposals aimed at supporting fire and police protection, emergency services, and school district improvements. The ballot includes a mix of…
Five candidates to run for mayor of Jackson; two to run for treasurer
By ELIZABETH FERSZT and KATHRYN PALON Contributing Writers According to the City of Jackson website, five candidates have filed to run for mayor in the 2026 election. Jackson candidates for mayor are Christy May Davis, Derek J. Dobies, Shalanda Hunt,…
Family Fare — A Place We Come to See Our Friends
By Maggie LaNoue, Contributing Writer On a warm, breezy Thursday afternoon, more than 100 people lined up outside the Family Fare grocery store at 1406 N. Eaton St. in Albion before the celebration began. The first 100 customers would receive…
Trees, sewers, and a building that may not survive: Albion Council’s busy April night
By MAGGIE LANOUE Contributing Writer ALBION — About 24 residents filled Albion City Council chambers on Monday, April 20, for a meeting that touched on nearly every aspect of city life — from tax filing to tree planting, from downtown…
Mike’s Musings: Artemis II gives me hope that Mars colony is possible
Artemis II isn’t just another spaceflight, it’s a statement about who we are, what we value, and whether we still have the will to push beyond the edge of the known.When astronauts swung around the far side of the Moon—the…
HISTORICAL NOTEBOOK
By Frank Passic DONNA MONTRAN—ALBION’S BATHING BEAUTY This week I’d like to feature another Albionite that appeared in the movies. She was actor, dancer, and “bathing beauty” Donna Montran (1893-1976). Madonna “Donna” Montran was born in Albion on February 20,…
Multiple arrests made after Wall Street shooting in Jackson
By KATHRYN PALON and ELIZABETH FERSZT Contributing Writers Three men have been arrested in connection with a shooting that wounded one person during a gunfight between two groups on Wall Street, according to Jackson Police Chief Christopher A. Simpson. Police…
Jackson YMCA project receives 2026 AGC Build Michigan Award
Jackson, MI — The Jackson YMCA’s renovation and expansion project has been named a 2026 Associated General Contractors Build Michigan Award winner. The honor was presented at the AGC Annual Meeting in Detroit, where representatives from Granger Construction, Colliers Engineering…
Albion Moves Forward on Trees: Community, College, and City Join Forces By Maggie LaNoue, Contributing Writer
On April 1, a community email landed in dozens of inboxes with a subject line that pulled no punches: “Albion Tree Apocalypse Now!” It described streets lined with red Xs, Victory Park looking like “a war zone and logging camp,”…
5th Precinct Meeting Covers Infrastructure, Transportation and Dementia Awareness
By Maggie LaNoue Contributing Writer Albion’s 5th Precinct meeting, chaired by Council Member Vivian Davis, drew up to 50 residents Tuesday evening with questions about roads, water service and leaf pickup, while also welcoming new City Manager Dr. Sheryl Mitchell…
Mike’s Musings: Here’s why a printed weekly newspaper is important
Robert Tomlinson, our news director in Three Rivers, gave a terrific speech to the local Rotary Club about the importance of your local newspaper. I thought I would share a portion with you.“With our twelve weekly newspapers the mission is…
HISTORICAL NOTEBOOK
By Frank Passic M.F.K. FISHER WAS BORN IN ALBION Recently there was an incident at 202 Irwin Avenue in Albion that required the help of the Albion Department of Public Safety. It was in the news and the situation…
Testimony links murders of Anthony Owens Jr. and Emarion Flowers
By ELIZABETH FERSZT Contributing Writer Testimony continued Monday, April 6 in the preliminary exam of three co-defendants accused of open murder in the shooting death of Anthony Owens Jr., age 44; and the assault with intent to murder of Kenneth…
Final suspects apprehended in Hanover Horton area robbery
By KATHRYN PALON Contributing Writer The final two suspects in the Hanover Horton armed robbery case, Richie Jimenez, age 24, and James Goodall, age 25, were arrested this week, marking the conclusion of a months-long investigation. The apprehensions bring closure…
Infrastructure Under Pressure
Maggie LaNoue, Contributing Writer A larger-than-usual crowd filled Albion City Council chambers on Monday, April 6, drawn largely by concern over the city’s aggressive tree removal program. They stayed for a conversation that went much deeper — raw sewage backing…
Albion council meeting draws crowd, wraps early despite full agenda
By Maggie LaNoue, Contributing Writer With Mayor Victoria Garcia Snyder and Mayor Pro Tem Andrew French absent from the April 6 meeting, Council Member Lenn Reid nominated colleague Vivian Davis to serve as temporary chair — a motion that passed…
Mike’s Musings: Rescues are an Easter weekend miracle
There are moments when a nation is reminded, in the clearest possible terms, who it is and who it chooses to be. The rescue of two American airmen from enemy territory is one of those moments. Not just because it…
Survivors of last May’s porch shooting testify in court
By Elizabeth Ferszt Contributing Writer Dion Jamel Flowers Jr., 29, Montez White, 27, and Tyrek Rice, 26, co-defendants in the murder case of Anthony Owens Jr., were in 12th District Court for a preliminary exam March 31 in front of…
Pulaski’s Pottawatomi? What the bones say of past and future
By KEN WYATT Contributing Writer As Jackson approaches its bicentennial in 2029, and the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, there is a history too often ignored — our pre-history. We all know it: The tribal presence on the…
Gov. Whitmer appoints Judges Bates and Hughes to Jackson County courts
By KATHRYN PALON Contributing Writer Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday announced the appointments of Judge Allison Bates to the 4th Circuit Court in Jackson County and Nicole Hughes to the 12th District Court in Jackson County. “I am proud to…
