Unfortunately, children don’t come with instruction manuals. Parents eventually learn that preparing children for school involves more than teaching them to write their names or tie their shoes.

Cancer survivor Jackie Featherly’s motto saved her life: “A positive attitude is a healing attitude.” This way of thinking guided the 67-year-old Vestaburg woman from near death to complete recovery. Today, she uses her personal experience and her training as a naturopathic physician to empower others to get healthy and make a fresh start in their lives — emotionally, physically and spiritually.

The holidays are over but local food pantries hope people keep the Christmas spirit of giving ongoing. Donations during the holiday season are typically greater owing to increased hunger awareness and charitable giving, according to several area coordinators. This year’s Christmas holiday boost helped meet the increasing demand for food assistance.

The new year is upon us, thus it is time to begin anew. Do you need to kick a bad habit or do a little psychological housekeeping? The Celebrate Recovery program at New Beginnings Church in Six Lakes has what it takes to overcome quirky habits and addictions that impede personal growth.

EDMORE — Dean Voss, owner of A&O Forklift in Edmore, believes people should never start a business they know nothing about.
Voss knows a lot about beekeeping. He operated a successful apiary business of 2,000 to 3,000 hives for 33 years. His business produced 100 to 150 tons of honey each year and rented 3,000 hives to apple and blueberry farms for pollination.

“Sticks and stones will break your bones, and names WILL hurt you,” said Ron Glodoski, a national expert on bullying, resiliency, and drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse. “How many people in this room have ever teased another kid or been teased by another kid?” Glodoski asked the Teen Summit audience at Montabella Junior/Senior High School on Dec. 14.

So, you think you can act? Whether you’re a class-act performer on the verge of stardom or a beginner looking for a little fun, the Montcalm Community College (MCC) Drama Club wants to see your talent.

An image of yesteryear, horses and buggies have returned to the Fred Meijer Heartland Trailhead in Edmore. Amish workers are constructing a new roof on the historic late-1800s General Bag Corp. factory building.

S-P-I-R-I-T, spirit! She’s got spirit! Sixteen-year-old Danielle Riley, a junior varsity cheerleader at Montabella High School, has taken the meaning of spirit to a new level. This spirit carried her through more than a dozen major surgeries, three scopes and 12 dilations of her esophagus, eight cardiac catheterizations, six barium swallows, six bouts with pneumonia, [...]

Hunger is no longer a foreign concern. Service group volunteers from the Edmore Lions Club and Christian Endeavor Youth Group recognize that people in the community are struggling to put food on the table. This is the second year these groups have joined forces to combat hunger.