Voters in the Vestaburg Community School district will be asked whether to approve a bond proposal this summer. The proposal calls for a 1.3 mill increase, which would cost an average homeowner in the district $48 per year for 10 years to fund improvements to buses and roofs at the school. The bond proposal will be on the Aug. 6 ballot.

The act of pawning — offering a loan as collateral for personal property — is one of the oldest professions known to mankind. Dating back to Biblical times, the Mosiac Law was anti-pawnbroking as the law forbade taking interest from a poor borrower.

A local businessman is firing back at the Edmore Village Council, saying its members have their own “personal agenda” about his business loan. Tony Maxfield owns The Depot in Edmore and Maxfield’s Restaurant in nearby Blanchard.

One month ago, the Edmore Village Council agreed to give a local businessman until the next council meeting to find a solution to pay the $238,000 he allegedly owes the village. The next council meeting came and went Monday night, but the council took no action. The matter was not even discussed.

Members of the Edmore Village Council are considering suing the owner of a prominent local business for allegedly not paying back a $238,000 loan. Council members discussed the issue frankly and at length at their May 13 meeting. The Daily News obtained an audio recording of the open meeting.

As Belding resident Steve Hunt watched the numbers climb while he filled his truck with gasoline Wednesday afternoon, he had but one thing to say. “It’s ridiculous!” he exclaimed. “I haven’t seen prices this high before, and I drive every day.”

Seniors from Vestaburg High School took the next step on Sunday toward a new path in their lives. For the last four years, each of the 51 graduating seniors have been preparing for this moment in their lives. “It is a new journey for me,” said 17-year-old Tiffany Fishburn. “I have been here my whole life and now it is a new path for me.”

Bittersweet and exciting — receiving a high school diploma is a rite of passage. For 37 Montabella High School graduates, this milestone is merely a transition from high school to a future as an adult. Principal Shane Riley shared details of how things have changed since he was in high school. Stereotypes — preps, jocks, goths, geeks, artists, teacher’s pets or band kids — are left behind.

The Montcalm County Sheriff’s Office is saying farewell to one of its finest. Steve Russell worked his last day on the job Friday and then hung up his hat after 31 years. Sgt. Brian Waber will be promoted to lieutenant to fill Russell’s position.

The Montcalm County Republican Party will be welcoming U.S. Congressman Dave Camp to the Annual Lincoln Day Event, to be held Saturday, June 15. Camp is the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee in Washington D.C. He is the representative for the 4th Congressional District of Michigan, which is headquartered in Midland.