Greenville City Council approves $1.38 million street project
A short but significant stretch of residential roadway will be reconstructed later this year, while also addressing water and sewer issues beneath the ground. During the Dec. 16 meeting of the Greenville City Council, members voted unanimously to award a bid for a $1.38 million reconstruction project that will include a 2,000-foot section of Dodge, James and Grove streets.
Montcalm County commissioners organize for new year
The Montcalm County Board of Commissioners’ organizational meeting was short and sweet on Friday morning with no changes made to meeting dates/times, committee appointments or the vice chair position. The annual meeting clocked in at just 7 minutes with very little discussion for the routine business. All commissioners were present.
Edmore village manager a finalist for Lake Odessa job
The Edmore village manager is a finalist for the top post in Lake Odessa. The Lake Odessa Village Council voted 7-0 at their Dec. 15 meeting to bring back two candidates for the open full-time manager’s position for a second round of interviews at 5 p.m. on Jan. 6.
‘Community fire department’?
In the wake of the village of Sand Lake notifying three townships in three counties of the village’s intention to cease fire services, the trio of townships are looking into possibly creating their own community fire department. The Pierson Township Board, at a special meeting on Tuesday evening, voted unanimously to create a joint fire board with Ensley and Nelson townships and to gather information and evaluate options for developing a community fire and emergency services department.
Maple Valley Twp. hires new assessor
The Maple Valley Township Board has hired a new assessor, who also happens to be the assessor and supervisor of another nearby township. The Maple Valley Township Board voted 5-0 at their Dec. 9 meeting to hire Andrea Roberts as the new assessor after assessor Amanda Toomey gave her notice, according to Supervisor Bruce Deur.
Central Montcalm superintendent rated ‘effective’ in first evaluation
The superintendent of Central Montcalm Public School received an “effective” rating in her first evaluation since being named the district’s new leader last summer. Mandy McLaughlin received an overall score of 2.83 out of 3 at the school board’s Dec. 15 meeting.
Police searching for stolen trailer in Pierson TownshipFree Access
The Montcalm County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a trailer which was stolen from a job site near Big Whitefish Lake in Pierson Township. The trailer was stolen sometime Monday night or early Tuesday morning from a location in the 1000 block of Lake Street. The white, enclosed trailer is described as a 14 foot, “v-nosed” with the letters “TMBR” on either side.
Ice fishing, a township fiasco and FOIA’ing a serial killerFree Access
One of the things I love most about my job is that I never know what the new year is going to feature in local news, and this year was no different. From an international ice fishing contest in the village of Lakeview to a long-running game of musical chairs on the Belvidere Township Board to a random FOIA request leading to the possibility of a serial killer having lived in Crystal Township, here's a look back at just a few of the most memorable stories I covered in 2025.
2025 concludes with intense breaking news coverageFree Access
As 2025 comes to a close, it marks another busy chapter as I prepare to embark on year 15 as a reporter at the Daily News. Trying to put into perspective 12 months of work — covering hundreds of board meetings, dozens of feature stories, numerous breaking-news events and more — it can be difficult to select only a handful of moments that stand out.
On the road (while stranded), with a small-town reporterFree Access
For this New Year’s Eve edition, Daily News reporters were asked to reflect upon our favorite story, most fun story, most difficult story, a story where we learned something, what we hope readers learned from our stories and what we hope to cover next year. Flicking through the hundreds of news stories I submitted this year, it's apparent that nearly all of them were related to some government meeting or another — county commission meetings, city council meetings, township board meetings and school board meetings.
Owners determined to rebuild after early-morning fire destroys Evans Repair & Tire in Stanton
Firefighters from multiple departments battled an early-morning blaze for hours on Monday as flames tore through Evans Repair & Tire, destroying the downtown Stanton automotive shop. While the fire may have reduced much of the business to ash, its owners are determined to rebuild and rise from those ashes.
‘Set up for success’
Nearly a year into implementing a new strategic plan at Montcalm Community College, administrators and faculty are steadily working toward completing a number of goals centered around the college’s mission and vision. During an annual joint meeting of the MCC Board and MCC Foundation Board on Dec. 9, MCC President Bradley Barrick and several administrators provided an update on how the plan has been progressing since the beginning of the year.
Sparking growth
The Carson City Police Department is an example of how to do community policing. When Larry Sparkes was named police chief in the spring of 2024, the previous police chief had abruptly quit without notice, as had the city administrator. Multiple officers had left the police department and when Sparkes took on his new job, the lone remaining officer was preparing to leave for another job.
JUST IN: 5 fire departments respond to blaze at Evans Repair and Tire in StantonFree Access
Firefighters from five area fire departments responded to a blaze at Evans Repair and Tire early Monday morning. The Stanton Community Fire Department was dispatched the report of a structure fire at 1:50 a.m. at 133 W. Main St. in downtown Stanton.
Take-and-bake for the holidays
Hundreds of local families enjoyed a free pepperoni pizza dinner this Christmas Eve thanks to the owner and employees of Your House of Pizza, made possible with donations from the community. “People really like to have a hot meal during the holidays,” said restaurant owner Shawn Kline. “Not everybody gets all the bells and whistles of ham and turkey and all the other things, or they have to work and don’t have time to make all that. These are take-and-bake pizzas, so they can cook it whenever they want to.”
Clevenger breaks Greenville girls record for points in a game
Tuesday was another high-scoring affair for the Greenville girls basketball team, but mostly from a single record-breaking effort. Of the nearly 60 points the team scored, sophomore Sophie Clevenger was responsible for 40 of them as she broke the school record for most points scored in a single game. The record was previously held by both Jessica Ingles and Adele Kemp with 38 points.
Fourth-quarter comeback lifts Belding boys hoops over Forest Hills Eastern
High energy and determination paid off for the Belding boys basketball team in an exciting way Tuesday afternoon. Trailing by only one point at the end of the third quarter, the Black Knights (4-4) remained level-headed and reclaimed the lead late in the fourth to best Forest Hills Eastern in their second game of the Cornerstone University Holiday Classic.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Taevin RobertsFree Access
Taevin Roberts of Greenville wrestling is this week’s Daily News Athlete of the week. Down 10-1 in his match against Allegan, Roberts, a sophomore, came back with a pin to win the Jackets the Thornapple-Kellogg Tournament.
Upcoming Sports for Jan. 3, 2026
Check out the local high school sports schedule for the upcoming week.
My 2025 bingo card in sportsFree Access
If you thought a 16-hour work trip to Marquette and back for a high school football state championship game would keep me from going to a Jonas Brothers concert in Detroit the next day, you’d be wrong. After seeing just how attractive Nick Jonas is in person, I don’t regret it one little bit.
Belding girls basketball falls to West Ottawa at Cornerstone
Rather than spend their holiday break practicing inside their home gym, the Belding girls basketball team found a new and exciting way to get their reps in. After picking up two wins in the week leading up to break, the Black Knights (3-2) were looking forward to making their debut at the Cornerstone University Holiday Classic on Saturday afternoon, a two-week-long tournament that draws in strong high school basketball programs from all over West Michigan.
‘Locked in’
If there’s one thing the Greenville girls basketball team isn’t shying away from this season, it’s their strength of schedule. The Yellow Jackets (3-2) were seeking an opportunity to get back into the win column after a 10-point loss in their conference opener against Cedar Springs last Thursday, 51-41.
Greenville’s Lindquist, CM’s Rolston cross 1,000-point career benchmark
Reaching 1,000 points in a high school basketball career is a highly sought-after goal that many players hope to achieve in their four years. Greenville senior Michael Lindquist and Central Montcalm senior Evan Rolston have not only led their respective teams to impressive starts this season, 6-1 for the Jackets and 7-0 for the Hornets, but they’ve also found their own individual victories so far this season.
Athlete of the Week nominees for Dec. 30, 2025Free Access
Athlete of the Week nominees for Dec. 30, 2025
Upcoming sports (Jan. 2 and 3)
Upcoming sports (Jan. 2 and 3)
