
‘Building up the spirit of the community’
Elisabeth Waldon | July 5, 2025
From pavilions to a community orchard to a disc golf course, parks in Crystal Township are seeing some diverting and dramatic improvements this summer, all of which will benefit the entire community. The township recently received a $72,049 public amenity grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s MI Neighborhood program for the construction of two pavilions in Crystal Township Park, as well as a $133,112 tree grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Urban and Community Forestry Inflation Reduction Act program for tree evaluations in the township’s four parks.

Ionia City Council hears update on ‘Meijer hill’ path
Tim McAllister | July 5, 2025
During public comment at Wednesday's Ionia City Council meeting, Ionia County Commissioner Gordon Kelley revealed details about a walking/biking path planned for the dangerous “Meijer hill” stretch of M-66. Reading from a prepared statement and occasionally extemporizing, Kelley told council members that the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) plans to redevelop M-66 between Wells Street (near Burger King) and Tuttle Road.

Belding City Hall project moving along
Tim McAllister | July 5, 2025
City Council members and about a dozen residents heard an update Tuesday evening about the renovations at Belding's new city hall/police station currently under construction at 115/117 E. Main St. City Manager Keven Krieger said the project is ahead of schedule and under budget. The current layout includes new council chambers, a community center, public restrooms and employee offices, but these plans are not yet finalized. Krieger told council members that he instructed the architect, The JS Group, to provide three layout options.

‘The gift of music’
Elisabeth Waldon | July 3, 2025
The summer Music in the Park series kicked off a little later in Howard City than in some communities, but it was worth the wait. Dozens of residents gathered in Ensley Park on Tuesday evening for the unveiling of the new Veterans Memorial Bandshell, a beautiful wooden structure nestled in a corner of the park.

Youngsters learn emergency skills at GDPS Junior Safety Academy
Cory Smith | July 3, 2025
For a second consecutive year, area children had the opportunity to learn important lessons focused on fire and bike safety, accompanied by no shortage of smiles and plenty of laughter. On Saturday, the Greenville Department of Public Safety hosted its annual Junior Safety Academy at the Greenville Area Recreation and Community Center.

Ziebart to expand operations into rear portion of former Rite Aid building
Cory Smith | July 3, 2025
Closed since the fall of 2023, the former Rite Aid building on the North Lafayette corridor will find new life, partially, in the form of an expansion of the Ziebart automotive business. Lukus Anstett, owner of the automotive appearance and protection services business at 601 N. Lafayette S., purchased the former Rite Aid building at 507 N. Lafayette St. last year and now plans to move the company’s rustproofing and spray-on bed liner operations into the rear third of that building.

Judge dismisses child abuse charges without prejudice
Elisabeth Waldon | July 3, 2025
A Montcalm County judge dismissed alleged child abuse charges on Tuesday because the prosecutor was not prepared for the scheduled preliminary examination. A 41-year-old man from Coldwater was charged with third-degree child abuse, a felony. The alleged incident occurred on June 6 in the city of Greenville and was investigated by the Greenville Department of Public Safety.

Fast feet and furry friends
Cory Smith | July 2, 2025
As dogs zipped and zoomed around the livestock arena at the Montcalm County Fairgrounds on Saturday, they did so with a measure of obedience and discipline not seen in your average dog. That’s because they were under the training and instruction of dedicated 4-H’ers, who have spent months, if not years, working to train their dogs for the fair’s annual agility dog show.

Chinese national charged with marijuana grow felonies
Elisabeth Waldon | July 2, 2025
In a court case reminiscent of one a few years ago, a Chinese national is charged with delivering or manufacturing a large amount of marijuana plants locally while federal officials are holding two possible co-defendants. Montcalm County Prosecutor Tom Ginster plans to use civil forfeiture proceedings in the case for the first time in his term, a campaign platform he ran on in last year’s election.

Montabella school board approves 5-year contract for superintendent
Elisabeth Waldon | July 2, 2025
The Montabella Community Schools Board of Education approved a five-year contract for their superintendent and promoted a teacher to the newly created position assistant principal at their most recent meeting. Board President Eylie Foster, Secretary Ivan Renne, Treasurer Erica Vincent and trustees Jeramee Gilman, Tim Eldred and Steve Sweet were all present for the June 16 meeting while Vice President Scott Parks was absent.

I-Go fills mobility gap
Tim McAllister | July 2, 2025
Recognizing a need in the community and utilizing $1 million in state grant money, the city of Ionia launched its own app-based, on-demand microtransit service this week: I-Go. A microtransit service is like Lyft or Uber. You set up your ride through a smartphone app. Neither Lyft nor Uber are available in Ionia County, and I-Go's rates are substantially cheaper.

Persistence pays off
Cory Smith | July 1, 2025
Having twice finished as the runner-up in three previous attempts, Ian Mark, 17, held out hope that this would be the year his skills as a 4-H showman would see him rise to the top. Throughout the past week’s Montcalm County Fair, showmanship competitions were held for 10 species of animals and livestock — dairy cow, steer, dog, goat, chicken, sheep, horse, swine, rabbit and cavy.

Montcalm County board OK’s Crystal Twp. variance
Elisabeth Waldon | July 1, 2025
The Montcalm County Board of Commissioners voted 5-2 to approve a variance request involving building a garage 1 foot from the property line in Crystal Township. Marty and Sarah Delo requested a variance so they could build a 32-by-72-foot garage at their property at 560 Richard Drive next to the property line shared with 559 Richard Drive.
Sand Lake motorcyclist found dead off roadwayFree Access
The Daily News Staff | June 30, 2025
Just after 2 p.m. on Monday, a Kent County Drain Commission employee was inspecting drains along 21 Mile Road NE near Keller Avenue NE when they discovered a crashed motorcycle and a deceased rider deep in thick grass off the roadway. The rider and motorcycle were not visible from the road, and it appeared the crash had gone unnoticed from the day prior.

‘Faces marked by courage and resilience’
Elisabeth Waldon | June 30, 2025
Before he offered an invocation to open a special service last Monday evening at the Montcalm County Fairgrounds, the Rev. Frank Taylor took a moment to reflect on U.S. military members who may be currently facing danger overseas. “Right at this time, we have several bases that are being threatened in the Middle East and I’d like to keep in mind all the servicemen and women who are over there now and pray that they would be out of harm’s way,” said the pastor from Deerfield Bible Church in Morley.

GIRLS TRACK CO-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR: Dynamic duo
Meghan Tripp | July 5, 2025
Kyah Hoffman and Ashley Choponis have truly embodied what good sportsmanship looks like during their years with the Central Montcalm girls track and field program. Starting their running journey together back in middle school, the pair of seniors have been the ultimate dynamic duo for the Hornets, frequently finishing in the top-two spots of each event they participate in.

BOYS TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: An ‘instrumental’ role
Meghan Tripp | July 5, 2025
Preston VanOeffelen had the ultimate comeback season for Greenville boys track and field this season. Not only did he play a critical role in helping the Jackets win the first-ever River Cities Alliance (RCA) title, but the junior also avenged himself as an individual by qualifying for the Division 1 state meet thanks to a regional championship win in the 800-meter run after narrowly missing the cut last season by a few hundredths of a second.

SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR: ‘Good character’
Meghan Tripp | July 5, 2025
Of the 93 goals the Tri County girls soccer team scored this season, one individual was responsible for more than 70% of them. Savanah Thompson has proven herself to be a commanding force every time she steps on the field, no matter who she's competing against.

BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: ‘A complete player’
Meghan Tripp | July 5, 2025
Just a junior in high school, Central Montcalm’s Emmett Lingeman has made a name for himself on both the collegiate and professional stage when it comes to baseball. The three-year varsity pitcher has played a huge contributing role to the remarkable success the Hornets have seen the last two seasons, specifically becoming the first teams in school history to win back-to-back district titles.

SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: The Dinger Queen
Meghan Tripp | July 5, 2025
This softball season was one full of new opportunities for Braelyn Bunting as she had to put her team’s needs ahead of her own in more ways than one. From having to play a new-to-her position to stepping into a leadership role, the Central Montcalm junior closed out her third year playing at the varsity level in the best way possible, helping her team of young underdogs to their first Division 3 district championship since 2021 with some of the best offensive statistics for the Hornets this season, including a broken school record for the most triples in a season...

New systems
Meghan Tripp | July 3, 2025
The Greenville girls basketball team’s summer offseason is one they haven’t seen for quite some time. The Jackets had one of their best seasons in recent years as they drastically improved last year’s record by 10 games and went 9-1 through their first 10 contests.

‘I can do this’
Meghan Tripp | July 3, 2025
The unspoken pressure was on Kate Hardy at the start of this year's softball season. Being the only senior player on a Central Montcalm team that was dominated by freshmen, the four-year varsity pitcher knew right away she was going to have to step up and be the ultimate leader to help get her team where they wanted to go. Then suddenly, the unexpected happened to her and everything changed.

‘Surreal’ night of wrestling
Meghan Tripp | July 1, 2025
The streets of Sand Lake were packed Friday night for a never-before-seen type of event. What started as an idea that stemmed from an online picture turned out to be a huge success as the first-ever Wrestling on the Streets outdoor tournament made its debut.

MCC hosts inaugural Centurion Athletics Golf Outing fundraiser
Meghan Tripp | July 1, 2025
The Montcalm Community College athletics department has been very diligent about getting the community involved since its reinstatement two years ago. On Friday, they found a new and exciting way of accomplishing that goal.

Greenville volleyball gets youth involved with camp, raising funds for overnight Ferris camp
Meghan Tripp | June 28, 2025
Empowering young female athletes is something the Greenville volleyball program takes great pride in. In both an educational and enjoyable environment, they were able to share their passions with youth volleyball players earlier this week. Over four days, the Jackets hosted their annual youth volleyball summer camp to encourage others to try new things outside of their comfort zone.

Greenville’s Melanie Wallis to take track and field expertise to Michigan’s rowing team
Meghan Tripp | June 28, 2025
Attending a big university is something that Greenville graduate Melanie Wallis has wanted to do for as long as she can remember. Closing the high school chapter of her life, she’ll get to make that dream a reality in the most unexpected way possible as a member of the University of Michigan’s women’s rowing team.

‘The new standard’
Meghan Tripp | June 26, 2025
Like any high school sports team, the start of a new season can open a door to a world of exciting possibilities. This year’s Greenville baseball team was no exception. From joining a new conference to having a high amount of success for some of their athletes during the winter season, the Jackets saw themselves in a great position to make the most out of what was a turnaround year.
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