Marion spends ARPA funds for recreation, new tractor
By John RaffelCorrespondent MARION – The Marion Village Council had a discussion at its monthly meeting last week on how to spend $45,000 on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) monies.A motion was passed to spend it this way: $1,000 for…
Marion to receive $4.3 million grant for water project
By John RaffelCorrespondent MARION – Marion Village Council president Flora Grundy reports Marion is getting almost $4.3 million in grant money for its water project. This project will include a new water tower, new wells, all new water mains, etc.During…
Vanderhoef arraigned on meth charges
By John RaffelCorespondent Todd Allen Vanderhoef, 44, of Marion, was arraigned in the 84th District court in Wexford County this week on one count possession of methamphetamine, second for subsequent offense notice and habitual offender second notice.He was given a…
Marion pulls away from Mesick, 50-6
by Ben MurphySports Writer If there was an 8-man football team that had a chance to dethrone Marion atop the West Michigan ‘D’ League standings, it would most likely have been Mesick. The visiting Eagles showed they were once again…
Obituary: James “Jim” A. Ackerman
James “Jim” A. Ackerman passed away peacefully surrounded by family on September 12, 2022 in St. Louis, MI at the age of 75. He was born October 28, 1946 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan to Ruth I. (Kever) Ackerman and James…
Obituary: Michael Jeremy House
Michael Jeremy (Mike) House passed away while vacationing with family and exploring the natural beauty of Northern California on Sunday, September 4, 2022. He was born in Midland, Michigan on October 13, 1982, the son of Thomas and Catherine (Haack)…
Obituary: Elizabeth M. “Betty” Balis
Elizabeth M. “Betty” Balis, age 93, of Clare, passed away on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, at Ascension St. Mary’s Hospital in Saginaw. Betty was born the daughter of James and Irene Healy on June 3, 1929, in Royal Oak, Michigan.…
Pat’s Bits and Pieces: Stupid warning labels…
A few years ago, while we were in the process of doing a home flooring project and just bought some filler (floor leveler) for cracks in the floor, we discovered that on the can there was a warning – “Do…
Mike’s Musings-Signs that keep us guessing
My son can attest to one of my biggest pet peaves- road signs that don’t make any sense. We drive a lot of miles together, and occasionally we find useless signs placed along roadways at taxpayers’ expense. I would be…
Inmates go on a two-day hunger strike
By Pat MaurerCorrespondentA hunger strike reportedly protesting the food at the Clare County Jail that started last Thursday only lasted a day and a half according to officials at the facility.Undersheriff Dwayne Miedzianowski reported that the “hunger strike,” which involved…
Ideal Theatre awarded nearly one million dollars for renovation
By Pat MaurerClare’s Ideal Theatre, closed since the beginning of the pandemic, is in the middle of a massive renovation to restore the historic landmark in Clare.Now the new owners, sisters who grew up right here in Clare, will have…
McBain drops lopsided contest to Beal City, 31-6
by Ben MurphySports Writer After a week one loss, the McBain football team had hoped for a bounce back win at Beal City on Friday. The Ramblers ran into a buzzsaw though, dropping the Highland Conference contest 31-6.“We had to…
Clare bounces back with lopsided win over Pinny, 76-6
by Ben MurphySports Writer If there was a bad taste lingering after their week one loss to Freeland, the Clare football team certainly got rid of it Thursday, Sept. 1 in Pinconning. The Pioneers took down the host Spartans 76-6,…
Postcard from the Pines: Fire!!
Fire is no stranger to Marion. It remade the look of our town a couple of times and has selectively changed every neighborhood at some time in our history. The fire whistle struck fear in the hearts of Marionites as…
Obituary: Bill Parkhurst
The following is the obituary that Bill Parkhurst wrote about himself before he died, quickly followed by the obituary his wife and kids wrote about him. Unorthodox and long, yes, but we have a lot to say about our sweet…
Obituary: LaVerne Rosena Barr
LaVerne Rosena Barr – Age 79 of Lake, Michigan passed away on Thursday, September 1, 2022. LaVerne was born to parents Clarence and Anna (Charter) Freed in Alma on November 18, 1942. Her first job was working for Wolverine World…
Pat’s Bits and Pieces: 911 Remembered
Sunday marks the twenty-first anniversary of the terrible tragedy of 9-11.Everyone over 70 remembers where they were, what they were doing and how they felt when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It was truly the end of our age…
Faces in the Crowd: Clay Dougherty
For those who’ve happened to swing by Marion Schools over the last couple of weeks, there’s a good chance they’ve seen one of the newer faces at the school: Clay Dougherty.Clay, a 2011 Farwell graduate, was recently hired to be…
County mulls health insurance for commissioners
By John RaffelCorrespondent MARION – Osecola County commissioners were presented with a proposal this week at its meeting for the commisioners to be provided with health insurance.Commissioner Roger Elkins, of Evart, said no action was taken.Elkins said county administrator Tim…
Unemployment drops 0.3 percent in Osceola
By John RaffelCorrespondent Osceola County’s unemployment for July was at 4.7 percent according to data released recently by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB).This ranks Osceola County in a tie for 24th place among the state’s 83…
