
Mike’s Musings: Airing the Grievances: The Worst of Washington’s Waste
Every December, Sen. Rand Paul releases his annual Festivus Report, a nod to the fictional holiday made famous by Seinfeld. The tradition includes an “airing of grievances,” and for taxpayers, there is no shortage of them.I just got the opportunity…
Clare girls wrestlers compete
By John RaffelCorrespondent CLARE — Clare’s girls wrestling team had three wrestlers compete in the Chippewa Hills Lady Warrior Invitational on Dec. 21.AnnMarie Green took first place at 235 pounds. She got a first-round bye and then she had three…
State-wide winter storm hits Clare County hard
By Genine Hayden This winter started early and it has given only a small reprieve for Christmas before coming back with a vengeance beginning Friday and hitting hardest Sunday night through Monday. About half of the residents in Clare County…
RED ICE: Over a hundred emergencies In 3 days
By Christopher Johnson According to Clare’s Fire Chief, Sam Eberhart, he has never seen a busier time for the city’s fire department than the week just gone.From 8 o’clock Friday morning until 6 o’clock Monday night, there were between 80…
Mike’s Musings: When Silence Walks Louder Than Shouting
In a world addicted to outrage, the most radical protest I’ve seen lately involved no slogans, no megaphones, and no demands shouted into the air. It was a line of Buddhist monks walking.I first noticed this on Facebook. The monks…
Clare wrestlers have busy month
By John RaffelCorrespondent CLARE — Clare’s wrestling team was 0-2 at the Mount Pleasant Oiler Tournament conducted earlier this month.Clare lost to Charlotte 52-12.For the Pioneers, Kyle McGraw (120) decisioned Braylon Rodriguez 11-8, Chris Green (157) lost 14-5 to Tyler…
May I Walk with You? POTENTIAL HOLINESS
At one time I held the belief that God created each person good, holy, and sacred and that they were called to be natural, just be themselves. It seemed that whatever could be justified as natural was good, holy and…
Farwell welcomes new parks and rec coordinator
By Christopher Johnson This past Saturday. Farwell enjoyed it’s second Winter Market with a return of baked goods, knit crafts, maple syrup and more. However, this also came and went with a bittersweet gravity, as it marked Tonya Rowe’s final…
May I Walk with You? CAREGIVER’S PRAYER
Recently, I have been focusing on being a caregiver. It seems that at some time in everyone’s life they get to have the role of being a caregiver for someone they love. While we think of caregivers as saints, the…
Christmas in Clare County: Making Whoville Proud
By Christopher Johnson Christmas is nearly here, and Clare County has been beyond busy with holiday cheer.That rhymed, and why shouldn’t it? Because the Clare Area Chamber of Commerce decided to celebrate this year’s season with a Whoville theme, inspired…
Carncross named Farwell interim superintendent
By Genine Hopkins At a Special Meeting of the Farwell Area Schools BOE held on Tuesday, December 16, the board, after careful consideration, offered Elementary School Principal Carrie Carncross the position of Interim Superintendent for the district. Tom House, the…
Stover a key athlete for Farwell
By John RaffelCorrespondent FARWELL — It was a memorable sports season for Clayton Stover and his Farwell sports teams.Especially for Stover, it was a fun football season with the Farwell Eagles displaying immense improvement.Stover was a junior with his first…
Mike’s Musings: We Need The Good News of Christmas
I was searching for words that would express an uplifting spirit this Christmas season. Too many of us, my self-included, consider the holiday season to be a distraction rather than a time to rejoice. Well my friend, Glenn Mollette happened…
Clare wrestlers fall to Cadillac
By John Raffel Clare’s wrestling team lost to Cadillac 42-33 in wresting action on Dec. 3.For Clare against Cadillac,Kyle McGraw (120) beat Noah Follow 18-3 for a technical fall, Kennedy Boxx (126) pinned Emily Bown; Chris Green (157) lost 3-0…
May I Walk with You? THE GREAT PHYSICIAN
Recently, the father of one of my friends passed away on his way to a doctor’s appointment. In our conversation it occurred to us that his father had a doctor’s appointment that none of us gets to postpone and an…
Lake 13 with dredging equipment captured in photo
By Christopher Johnson Lake 13 is one of Mid Michigan’s many idyllic lake communities that define the milieu of lakefront country life. Fishing and ice fishing. Boating and boat parades, fireworks over the water. Scenic ambience with a side of…
Fire, slick roads keep emergency personnel busy
By Christopher Johnson Briarwood Apartments Reports of a possible structural fire were met with a swift response from the Clare Fire Department this past Friday. First responders arrived at Briarwood Manor at roughly 10 AM, equipped with several fire engines…
County communities offer holiday events this weekend
By Genine Hopkins Now that Mother Nature has all but ensured we are having snow this December 2025, get ready for all the great events coming up in Harrison, Clare, and Farwell to get ready for Christmas!Friday, December 12th is…
Mike’s Musings: Why America Needs Controlled Borders, Not Open Ones
The debate over America’s border policies often gets tangled in national politics, angry cable-news segments, and social-media shouting. But beneath all that noise, the issue comes down to something our readers in Allegan, Clare, Van Buren, St. Joseph, Calhoun, Jackson…
Austionan explosive runner for Harrison
By John RaffelCorrespondent HARRISON — Clayten Austin had quite a productive season for Harrison as a running back and outside linebacker.He was a sophomore in his first year on the varsity. Austen learned during the summer he would be playing…























