The Belding High School Pops Ensemble and Jazz Band kicked off the first “Music in the Park” event Thursday evening at East Riverside Park in Belding. Concerts will continue every thursday evening at 7 p.m. at the park throughout the summer, with the exception of July 4

This was a year of many firsts for graduating seniors at Belding High School. A new arena with an indoor track, auditorium, cafeteria and commons area, sports facilities — the list goes on and on. Through a year of constant transformation, where the very school they attended changed dramatically before their eyes, the 140 graduates experienced their final moment as members of the student body Thursday evening before walking out of the school one last time as official alumni.

The demolition of the Belding Bros. Clock Tower, constructed in 1903 and located on the property owned by Electrolux on the corner of Bridge and Main streets in Belding, began Monday with the successful removal of the steeple. Construction workers described the process as “like clockwork” with no major complications.

BELDING — It’s been a year of adjustments at Belding High School with the construction of a new gymnasium, auditorium, band room and other various additions to the school. But as of last week, the final touches of interior construction were completed with the opening of the new spacious high school cafeteria and commons area. [...]

Whether you call it a variety show, comedy show, or collection of skits performed entirely by students, there’s one thing the Belding High School Band Follies show is guaranteed to be — entertaining.

Last November, just two weeks before resigning from Belding City Council, Jon Bunce gave an emotional statement at the end of a meeting declaring, “I will fight on to have the clock tower saved.” Five months later, and the Belding clock tower is quickly becoming one of the last remaining structures to remain on the 4-acre site at the corner of Main and Bridge streets. The tower will inevitably come down, there is no stopping that, but Bunce says now that he is no longer on the city council, he will dedicate time and effort to forming an official committee with the interest of collecting money and rebuilding the clock tower at a future date.

When Linda Ruble walked out of her front door Sunday morning, she was struck with horror when all she could see was smoke coming from her neighbor’s home across the street.

Easter festivities were in full swing this past holiday weekend, especially at local egg hunts such as the annual “Easter Eggstravaganza” event at the Belding Covered Village Mall.

An afternoon chemical fire at JICE Pharmaceuticals in Belding was extinguished Thursday afternoon with no hazardous threat poised to the community.

A fire that burned through a power line pole, snapping the top of the pole and leaving live wires hanging over a propane tank and several buildings at Double R Ranch, caused a small fire at a home on Whites Bridge Road Thursday evening, leaving smoke and water damage throughout the home.