Getting to know Robin Platt, director of ER Chamber of Commerce
Robin Platt is the new part-time director of the Eaton Rapids Chamber of Commerce. A longtime resident of Eaton Rapids, Platt returned after a few years of living in Nevada. She came back looking for work that would use her skills and talents, while also serving her...

Windwalker’s ascension all about building a better community
Windwalker Underground Gallery used to be the best-kept secret in Charlotte. To some residents within the city, it still may be. However, the secret is out among those in the Lansing region’s thriving arts community. It’s hard not to know much about the local...
Eaton County Commissioners vote to repeal TOST
Wednesday, March 21 at the Eaton County Board of Commissioners monthly meeting, the commissioners voted 9-6 to repeal “Regulations Governing On-site Sewage and On-site Water Supply System Evaluation and Maintenance.” The vote included the much-debated Time of Sale and...
Proposed curriculum changes won’t affect Olivet band program
A number of concerned community members voiced their opposition Monday, March 12 to proposed curriculum changes they felt could affect the Olivet Community Schools band program. The Olivet school board received a proposal that showed a slight change to how electives...
Eaton Rapids poet publishes first collection of works
“An October sky- a lattice of ink and light folded over and over upon itself-…” Waiting for Orion, Richard Gilmore Loftus. Those first words of Loftus’ poem, “Waiting for Orion,” are a just a few in his new roughly 100-page book of poems. Loftus is a lifelong lover of...

Old Mill Furniture celebrates 50 years in Eaton Rapids
In 1968 Harold Hall was 21 years old. After working several other jobs, including one with his father’s own shoe repair business, he found himself working at Devereaux Furniture in Eaton Rapids. In 68 the owners were ready to sell the business, and Harold stepped up...

First Congregational Youth Group raises $1,171 for Housing Services Mid Michigan
For more than a decade the youth of First Congregational Church UCC in Charlotte have provided Housing Services Mid Michigan (HSMM) with cleaning supplies for those making their way out of homelessness. It’s a tradition that started with former Pastor Tom Jones, and...
The changing face of Bellevue
It’s difficult to imagine sometimes, what it would be like if our own hometown was losing some former glory, dwindling in population, or not being invested in the way it should be. Stories like that unfortunately exist in so many cities and towns, both large and...
Fay’s Willow Tree adds dining room
In mid-January, Olivet’s beloved café and bakery, Fay’s Willow Tree, offered its customers a new option. After knocking out a wall and cleaning up some dust, Fay’s customers were able to enjoy a new dining area where people could sit on all four sides of a table, a...

Community remembers Gaylord Edgerly
The people behind the scenes are often the people who deserve the most praise and recognition, yet they rarely get the applause they deserve. Often times that’s how those behind the scenes people want it. They prefer to work in humble quiet, out of sight and out of...