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Charlotte

Charlotte

Featured Story

Smart food lockers, first of their kind in Michigan

Kelsey Klont
Contributing Writer

(Photo by Kelsey Klont/TCJ)

Food insecurity is not rare in today’s world; there is some level of food insecurity everywhere you look. In Eaton County 12.8% of its population, about 14,000 people, is subject to the challenges and stigma of food insecurity.

Our hard-working local food pantries are a great source for individuals and families who struggle with food insecurity, yet they are only open during daytime hours several days a week. So, they are not accessible for those who are not available during that time. Now there is a resource that can be of assistance anytime of the day or night.

Officially rolling out next month, new smart, refrigerated food lockers will serve as the newest resource providing food for those who face food insecurity issues. They will go hand-in-hand with the many people and projects working to feed local residents. These food lockers are stationed in front of the Primary Care Building of University of Michigan Health- Sparrow Eaton, located at 123 Lansing Street in Charlotte.

These smart, refrigerated food lockers are the first of their kind to be used for food security in the state of Michigan. With innovative new technology they are secure, helping to reduce the many barriers that face local residents who are in need of food. When an order is placed, residents can access a reserved locker by a code that will be sent via smart phone and can be entered into the kiosk during the scheduled time that works best within their schedule. Once entered the locker designated will open where their food items can be received.

This project of bringing these smart, refrigerated food lockers to Eaton County is a collaborative partnership between the new Eaton County Food Council; Eaton Community Health (ECH), a local independent nonprofit; Greater Lansing Food Bank; Capital Region Community Foundation; Barry- Eaton District Health Department; and University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Eaton.

Greater Lansing Food Bank and its local pantries will supply the food, while ECH will manage the program and set up local nonprofits as partners to refer residents to the program and help deliver food to lockers. Partners can order food for residents who do not have the resources themselves.

If someone you know is experiencing food insecurity, please encourage them to seek out assistance through the capable teams at local food pantries. Once the program rolls out, certain pantries can be a resource to connect the people who may need afterhours access to the smart food lockers. More information about how to participate in this program will be provided when the locker program officially rolls out in October. Information and updates about the lockers will be available on the ECH website at ech-eaton.org or by calling Kalli Dempsey at 517-652-3228.

Olivet

Olivet

Featured Story

Welcome Olivet Nutrition

Kelsey Klont
Contributing Writer

(Photo provided)

There is a new nutrition store in Olivet! Wendy Cornish, owner of Oriole Nutrition, has expanded her health drinks and products to Olivet having opened Olivet Nutrition.

Olivet Nutrition brings teabombs, protein shakes and coffees, and protein balls to local communities to provide customers with alternate and healthier drink options to help you along on your health journey.

“I had customers who would come from Olivet into Oriole Nutrition and who loved the teas and shakes so much, asking when I would come to Olivet.” Says Cornish on why she choose Olivet as her next location. When the opportunity came at the right time, Cornish took it and is now providing amazing teabombs and protein shakes to the Olivet area. Becoming a favorite amongst schoolteachers and college students, having been open only since July 24.

Wendy and her husband, Dwayne, are very outgoing people, always helping people where they can. Dwayne, served in the United States Marine Corps and having followed his service worked in the manufacturing industry for 20 years before helping his wife pursue her ambitions and goals with Oriole Nutrition and now Olivet Nutrition. Wendy worked in the pediatric field of the health industry for 34 years, where she was first introduced to children’s and sport health. Having that prior experience, she opened her first store as she is on a journey to help others with their own health journey.

Not only can you find energizing and healthy teabombs, that boost energy, burn calories, and support health digestion, as well as protein shakes. Olivet Nutrition has a weight loss group and a 21-day weight loss accountability group on the ‘We Do Transformation’ app.

‘Summertime’ teabomb and ‘death by chocolate’ shake have quickly become the favorites here at Olivet Nutrition. The menu here is the same menu that you can find at Oriole Nutrition, so whether your favorite is the watermelon crawl teabomb or peanut butter caramel pie protein shake, you can find it all along with the same outstanding customer care now at Olivet Nutrition.

The brand-new Olivet Nutrition is located at 205 N. Main St. where their hours of operation are Monday- Friday from 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Call or text them at 517-528-8366 to place your order ahead of time.

Bellevue

Bellevue

Featured Story

Bellevue 9/11 Memorial Challenge

Renee Sevenski
Contributing Writer

(Photo by Grandma With A Camera)

We all remember exactly where we were and what we were doing at 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001, when the Twin Towers and the Pentagon were attacked, in addition to the heroic story of United Airlines Flight 93. The attacks killed 2,977 innocent people that day including 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 police officers and 37 port authority police officers.

Stephen Siller, a fireman that had just completed his shift the morning of 9/11 and was off duty when the first tower was hit. He was on his way to the golf course to meet his brothers for a round of golf, something they rarely had the chance to all do together. He heard the call over the radio and turned his vehicle around to head back to his fire station. By the time he arrived back at the station his crew had already left on the call to the Twin Towers. He grabbed his gear from the firehouse and began driving towards the towers. Before Stephen was able to reach the towers, he was caught in a traffic jam caused by the chaos of the morning. Witnesses reported seeing a fireman get out of his truck caught in traffic and proceed to put on all his gear, and then began jogging through the traffic jam. Additional witnesses verified the story as they reported him running through the tunnels leading into Manhattan Island as he attempted to get to the towers to support his station. The tunnel he ran through was almost two miles by itself, and in total Stephen ran almost miles miles in his full gear so that he could help others. Unfortunately, Stephen never made it out of the towers that morning and he is remembered through this incredible organization. “Tunnel to Towers” was created by his brothers to honor his memory. They host an annual run through New York City each year, jogging the exact route Stephen took that fateful morning. With the money they raise each year they help families impacted by the events of 9/11, in addition to military veterans in need.

Danny Brininstool, a Bellevue teacher started the Bellevue 9/11 Memorial Challenge in 2023. He would have his students participate in climbing the bleachers a few times and check their heart rate. Then they would discuss how firefighters in full gear and helping people down flights of stairs would have felt. The students asked last year, “Why don’t we do this for real and climb the level of stairs they would’ve climbed?” Quite an extraordinary question coming from students that 23 years ago did not exist. With the help of the Bellevue Fire Department Danny put the challenge in action. His challenge now is to make The Bellevue 9/11 Memorial Challenge not only community wide, but his hope is that other schools would adopt the memorial in a way to honor and remember all those firefighters, police officers, and emergency service personnel that sacrificed it all on that fateful morning.

The Challenge starts with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. in honor of all fallen heroes from 23 years ago. The students are given the choice of three activities: Climb up and down the entire length of the bleachers-24 laps in total nearly 2,200 steps the equivalent of the 110 stories of the Twin Towers. Option two is to walk four miles on the track. This option is to remember Stephen Siller that ran through the closed NYC tunnels to get to the Towers. The remaining option was to watch a 9/11 remembrance movie and discuss the impact of that day. Each student chose a badge with the name of a fallen first responder to carry that badge to the finish line.

Brininstool will continue this Challenge every year with hopes of growing the donations that go to the Tunnel to Towers Organization and that other schools start their challenge and keep the ongoing reminder to recognize all first responders. “The Kids exceeded our expectations with their participation and the sense of honor that they approached this with, and we couldn’t be more proud of how well they represented the community of Bellevue. It was one of my proudest moments I’ve ever been a part of during my time in education,” shared Brininstool.

Quoted from J. Steele, a Bellevue Firefighter that participated in the 2024 Challenge, “It is Incredible to see the kids push through and give it all they have.”
“it is inspiring to see the impact on the students and how well behaved and respectful each student was,”said M Flood,  Bellevue Firefighter.

Eaton County

Eaton County

Featured Story

Canines for Change

Robin Platt
Contributing Writer

(Photo provided)

If you travel M-99 near Dimondale, you have most assuredly seen progress on a new building on the west side of the road. If you are anything like me; waiting somewhat impatiently for some announcement of what is coming. Well my friends, wait no more, I found out what the scoop is! As the sign reads, Canines for Change, coming soon! Even though there have been some delays, they are planning on opening by the end of the year.

For those of you that are wondering what that is, Canines for Change has been a non-profit organization for nearly 20 years and during that time, they have provided highly trained service dogs to veterans. They also provide trained dogs to children and adults with disabilities. Founder, Nikki Brown says that “their mission is to empower people to achieve active and independent lifestyles.” The non-profit also educates the community on the benefits of service dogs through their outreach programs.

With the opening of this new facility being pushed back for another few weeks, an immediate need arose for Puppy Raisers. Puppy Raisers are everyday community members that offer their love, and homes to help potty train and care for the puppies that are not quite old enough to train full time. As a puppy raiser, you will be provided with all the necessary items like food and shots, and you will have full support of trainers that will help you along the way! There are many other volunteering opportunities like walking the dogs, playing with puppies, office help and gardening.

If you are interested in becoming a puppy raiser or volunteering for any of the other opportunities, you may fill out an application on the website. You can also find more information on how to donate and other programs Canines for Change offer on their website at www.caninesforchange.org.

Vermontville

Vermontville

Featured Story

John McEuen and Stranded Hobos Band to perform in Nashville

Kelsey Klont
Contributing Writer

(Photo Provided)

John McEuen, fiddler of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, will be collaborating with local band, Stranded Hobos Band, for a once in a lifetime country-bluegrass concert that you do not want to miss. Come to Nashville on Saturday, November 9, for a great concert with a good cause.

Over the last couple of years, McEuen and the Hobos have performed at a handful of bluegrass shows together including Frankfurt, Shipshewana, and Ann Arbor. They have a song together called “Bluegrass Banjo Boy,” which was a benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project when it was released two years ago. That collaborative work came about when Mike Madill, lead singer of the Stranded Hobos Band, pitched to McEuen, to play banjo on the song, which he accepted.

McEuen, a critically acclaimed banjo player with songs like “Mr. Bojangles”, “Buy for Me the Rain”, “Long Hard Road”, and the infamous “Fishin in The Dark” on his catalog have earned him accolades from Grammy, ACM, IBMA, CMA, Western Heritage. Coming up at the end of the month, McEuen will be honored with the Musician Lifetime Achievement Award at the Josie Awards, for his dedicated work to the music industry.

As a co-founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for 50 years, McEuen was on 35 of the Dirt Band’s albums, which is the coined name of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Then five years ago, set out on his solo career, now having four solo albums, including the release of his latest album: “The Newsman: A Man of Record.”

This highly anticipated concert came to fruition when Madill had asked McEuen about doing a concert together because of their friendship over the years that has formed from their collaboration with “Bluegrass Banjo Boy.” McEuen’s response, “absolutely let’s do it, closest to where you are.” Partnering with FoxView in Nashville, Stranded Hobos Band found a venue for the upcoming concert. McEuen, as a musician living in Nashville, Tennessee, said that he is looking forward to visiting another Nashville. “This situation is rare and one of a kind, but I am really looking forward to it. Anything to help veterans is a good thing.” McEuen tells me.

Stranded Hobos Band is a four-member band, three of which have sacrificially served our great country in the armed forces, are also very excited for the upcoming concert with McEuen. Based out of Delton, Madill started Stranded Hobos Band five years ago soon after having met the drummer, Sean Koglin, who also served in the Air Force like Madill, at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center; and lead guitar player, Tim Fields, while serving together in the Army. Being veterans themselves the Stranded Hobos Band know the importance of giving back to organizations that help veterans, so every concert that they do part of the proceeds go to the VFW. The collaborative concert with McEuen is a benefit for the VFW National Home, located in Eaton Rapids.

McEuen will kick things off at the concert on November 9, starting at 7 p.m., with a solo performance singing songs off Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Will the Circle be Unbroken” album with songs from country iconic legends like “Mother” Maybelle Carter, Roy Acuff, and Merle Travis and storytelling, as heard on his new album. Also telling me, “Make sure you come with questions. I always ask the crowds what questions they have because this is their time to ask what they have always wanted to know.”

Stranded Hobos Band will be on after performing some songs off their 17-track album. Then McEuen and the Stranded Hobos band will perform together, including their song “Bluegrass Banjo Boy.”

Before the concert, at 6 p.m. there will be a dinner provided at FoxView, for an additional cost. This concert with the incredible John McEuen and the Stranded Hobos Band, with their deep military roots, is something that you do not want to miss. Get your tickets today by contacting FoxView today.

Potterville

Potterville

Featured Story

Potterville football staying busy this summer

Ben Murphy
Contributing Writer

The official start of the high school football season isn’t until August, but that hasn’t stopped the Potterville football team from working hard this summer, preparing for things to come. The Vikings have been busy with summer workouts and are training hard for an upcoming camp and of course their first live action in August.

“It’s going good,” head coach Jason Baker said. “What we do is hard, we put them through a lot, we expect a lot out of them, and we have a lot of potential there this season to be competitive in a lot of games that Potterville hasn’t been competitive in historically. We have a pretty unique opportunity to change that this year. We aren’t going to win every game, but there’s games we will win that the school hasn’t won the last 14-to-15 years.”

The Vikings played a mix of varsity and junior varsity games last fall due to their youthful roster. Jump ahead to this season and the team plans to play a full varsity schedule; with a complete slate of Central Michigan Athletic Conference games.

“Aside from beating Saranac in 2020, that was the last real CMAC win that they had, but I feel like we can change that this year if the boys continue to work hard and we develop as a team like we did last year,” Baker said. “There’s a lot of excitement with what we were able to do and we just have to build on that and keep moving forward.”

Potterville opens the season with three straight home games: opening with Maple Valley and then taking on Dansville and then Bath.
Maple Valley has a new head coach and is also making a transition back from 8-player to 11-player football this fall.

“They will be a challenging match-up for us, we don’t know what their offense will look like or their defense,” Baker said of their week one foes. “It will be interesting, but we will do our best to scout and we will see what we can find out about them.”

Their week three home match-up against Bath will double as their military appreciation night. They’ll have special uniforms and paint markings on the field; but that’s just scratching the surface for what they have planned.

“We are trying to get as many active duty and retired military members there as possible, so we can say thank you,” Baker said. “We have a lot of things that we are doing to try and show our appreciation for the military. There’s a lot of excitement for that this year.”

Baker is also hoping to have his hand in more than just football at Potterville. With three open spots on the school board, he is throwing his hat in for that role too.

“Ultimately, I just want what is best for the school,” he said. “I’ve invested a lot of time and resources into improving the school and I want to make sure that the district is in the best situation moving forward. There has been a lot of negative press on the school board recently, and I want to get rid of that… We don’t have to agree on every topic but we have to be rational with things and do what is best for the district and not having our personal agendas in there. Ultimately the education of the students is what is most important.”

As for the football season, they’ll take some time off in early July and then it is all systems go.

“We take a week off for the Fourth of July and then we go back to our three day a week schedule with weightlifting and conditioning,” Baker said. “We are excited, but conditioning wise we have to be ready to go, we have to be ready to play a full game of football.”

Eaton Rapids

Eaton Rapids

Featured Story

Devin Milheim named Eaton Rapids Athletic Director

Dan LaLone
Contributing Writer

(Photo provided – Devin Miheim, ERPS Athletic Director & H.S. Wrestling Coach, son Braxton & wife Ashley.

Eaton Rapids Public Schools has appointed Devin Milheim as the district’s new athletic director, combining his leadership experience, community roots, and dedication to student-athletes. A 2008 graduate of Eaton Rapids High School, Milheim has been with the district for the last six years, previously serving as the MTSS coordinator at the middle school and assisting with both middle and high school athletics. He also continues to serve as the high school’s wrestling coach.

Milheim’s connection to Eaton Rapids runs deep. During his time as a student-athlete, he competed in football, wrestling, and baseball, later continuing his athletic career at North Central College, where he wrestled at the collegiate level. His extensive background in sports and education makes him an ideal fit to lead the Greyhounds’ athletic programs into the future.

Before joining Eaton Rapids Public Schools, Milheim spent three years with Ann Arbor Public Schools. His experience in Ann Arbor helped him develop a holistic understanding of student development, which he now applies to his role in athletics. This unique blend of classroom and athletic experience allows him to focus on the growth of student-athletes both on and off the field.

A major focus of Milheim’s early tenure as athletic director is improving athletic facilities. Recently, new weight room equipment was installed at the high school, marking a significant upgrade for the athletic programs. The state-of-the-art equipment is expected to greatly enhance training opportunities for student-athletes, helping them reach their full potential.

In addition to the improvements at the high school, the district is repurposing the previous weight room equipment to create a new facility at the middle school. This expansion will provide younger athletes the opportunity to begin building strength and conditioning skills earlier, which will aid in their overall athletic development. These improvements reflect Milheim’s commitment to establishing a culture of health and fitness within Eaton Rapids athletics.

Milheim’s vision for the athletic department extends beyond the physical resources. He is dedicated to creating an environment where student-athletes can thrive both athletically and personally. He wants the athletic program to be a place where students form lasting memories and friendships while competing at the highest levels.

“My goal is for our student-athletes to create lifelong memories and friendships, while competing for championships here at ERHS,” Milheim said, highlighting his belief in the value of relationships and teamwork in athletics and life.

Under Milheim’s leadership, the new weight room facilities are expected to play a crucial role in the future of Eaton Rapids athletics. The combination of enhanced resources, dedicated staff, and Milheim’s commitment to the success of student-athletes positions Eaton Rapids for continued athletic excellence.

With his strong community ties, coaching experience, and vision for the future, Milheim is set to guide Eaton Rapids athletics to new heights, ensuring that every student-athlete has the opportunity to grow and succeed.

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