A man who allegedly robbed the Chemical Bank in Edmore on Saturday morning remains on the loose

Road crews in Montcalm County have been working diligently last night and again early this morning, plowing and salting roads in attempt to open them up after heavy snow landed overnight throughout the area.

State Rep. Rick Outman, R-Six Lakes, took the ceremonial oath of office Wednesday as a state representative in the Michigan House. Lt. Gov. Brian Calley administered the ceremonial oath in the Capitol in Lansing. Outman is serving his second term and represents the 70th House District, which includes all of Montcalm County and part of Gratiot County.

Slow and steady. That’s how Edmore village officials have been approaching a longterm project to transform a historic former factory into a year-round market and tourism destination.

Grading for Learning, a new grading policy using standards-based grading, was implemented at Montabella Community Schools this year. According to Junior/Senior High Principal Shane Riley, many schools across the state and country are looking at standards-based grading to better prepare students for state and national tests and, ultimately, their futures. Grading for Learning has three areas of learning: practice, formative assessment and summative assessment. Each teacher determines appropriate assignment classification, including which ones will be graded.

Jeff Beal’s first reaction was disappointment. The superintendent of Vestaburg Community School received a phone call around 12:30 a.m. Sunday from Northern Michigan Fire alerting him to a fire alarm going off at the school. When a maintenance man arrived at the school to make sure it wasn’t a false alarm, the Richland Township Fire Department was also on the scene. Beal arrived at the school around 1 a.m. By that time, police were there too.

Montabella Community Schools is bidding farewell to longtime Superintendent Ron Farrell as two new faces fill administrative vacancies. Shelly Millis is leaving her position as Montabella Elementary School principal to assume the superintendent vacancy, while Brad Reyburn is taking over as elementary principal.

If West Michigan communities could take away one sentiment from this weekend’s healing field, it would be that 10 years later, the nation is still united by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. As the monumental anniversary approached, the question “How has America changed since 9/11?” has been posed by many. While airport security [...]