Two weekends ago, I went to my first live concert since the beginning of the pandemic and it was magical.
Several months ago, a couple friends who I worked with at the hospital reached out because they were planning a girls weekend in Chicago to go see Quinn XCII and Chelsea Cutler and they asked if I wanted to come. I had heard some of Quinn’s music, but not a lot. If you know me, you know that doesn’t really matter. I will see just about anyone in concert because I love live music. Now I cannot stop listening to their setlist on repeat.
With his hands firmly gripped on the steering wheel and feet prepared to hit the gas or brake pedals, James Baty, 14, smiled with a sense of certainty as he looked outward into a virtual realm full of traffic lights, stop signs and oncoming cars.
Seated within a virtual reality driving simulator Friday while wearing an Oculus headset, the Greenville High School freshman soon saw his confident smile morphing into a grin of embarrassment as he found himself off the road, in a field, searching for a way to bring his vehicle back onto a city street.
Prepared to adjourn last week’s monthly meeting of the Montcalm Community College Board of Trustees, Chairwoman Karen Carbonelli was shocked to suddenly find an item, unbeknownst to her, up for a vote by the board.
“Before we do that, madam chairperson, I have one more item I’d like to address,” Vice Chairman Robert Marston said.
In the face of emergency health orders from the Barry-Eaton District and the Ionia County Health Departments released Friday, Lakewood Public Schools has issued a mask mandate for all students — regardless of age — and all staff while in school buildings or on buses.
So far, it’s the only Ionia County school district that has taken this measure.
Two years ago, Dan Caulkett and Dennis Baney were asked to lead a new event for the annual Potato Festival in Edmore. With experience with the Pinewood Derby Races, a mainstay activity for Boy Scouts, the two came up with Potato Car Races.
Saturday night at Crystal Motor Speedway was the year’s final show, and it went out big. More than 180 racers were on hand to watch drivers from all over the state and beyond in the annual Great Lakes Nationals event.
In Late Model action, a familiar name in racing brought home the gold. Ryan Vanderveen of Six Lakes wasted no time grabbing the lead and then taking it home for the win. He was followed by Garrett Wiles of Hubbardston, Michael Archer of Jackson, Steve Fairbanks of Twin Lake and Logan Love of Vestaburg. Archer and Vanderveen took heat events.
Alcohol is believed to be a factor in a car versus horse-drawn buggy crash on Thursday, which resulted in injuries to a 25-year-old Sheridan man, as well as the horse.
