A pole barn and items inside, including several tractors and equipment, were destroyed Tuesday afternoon after the barn was consumed and destroyed by fire.

Graduating seniors from Tri County High School have said goodbye to a way of life they’ve come to know well over the past four years. Some will move on to college, others to careers and families; but whatever the destination, Thursday night’s commencement ceremony represented a turning point none of them will forget. The class of 162 seniors marched into the school’s packed-to-the-walls gymnasium to the traditional strains of “Pomp and Circumstance,” played by the school band.

A rainy Wednesday gave way to a clear and pleasant evening, just in time to honor a longtime Montcalm County commissioner and emergency rescue advocate. Montcalm County Emergency Services employees gathered at the Stanton base for a dedication ceremony for the late Carl Paepke, along with Paepke’s two daughters, Priscilla Heimbecker and Jeanne Poulsen, both of Trufant.

Never give up. That’s the advice Tri County High School graduating senior Patrick Overzet would like to pass along to future generations of students.

Hailey Olger wants to be a doctor when she grows up. The aspirations of this 12-year-old are due in part to watching her little sister Kelly struggle with heart defects. Kelly is 5 years old and has already had three open heart surgeries.

This village was the location of Montcalm County’s first 24/7 unmanned recycling site starting in November 2011. The pilot program was such a success that county officials approved creating six additional sites in Carson City, Crystal, Edmore, Lakeview, Montcalm Township and Stanton last August.

Although snow did not make much of an appearance in Howard City this weekend, the fourth annual Winterfest still showcased fun events for all ages. Panhandle Chamber of Commerce Secretary Millianne Lewis said some events at Winterfest were altered, but the weekend went on and nothing was canceled.

Megan Wolowicz was inspired to join the Navy after watching “Top Gun.” Last month, the 2008 Tri County High School graduate followed in the footsteps of that movie’s larger-than-life characters by graduating from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. In return for her bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering, she will now serve the Navy.

Columbine became a household name after two students murdered 12 classmates and one teacher and injured about two dozen more people before taking their own lives on April 20, 1999. One week ago today, Sandy Hook joined the ranks of Columbine, albeit with an even more deadly outcome. A total of 20 children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., along with the gunman’s mother, before the gunman took his own life.

Julie Lynn Danielson’s family and friends packed a small courtroom Monday afternoon to witness the video arraignment of her alleged murderer. Robert Michael Munsell, 29, of Grand Rapids and Ionia, is charged with the open murder of Danielson, 31, of Pierson Township. Munsell was arraigned before Magistrate Richard Palmer in 64B District Court.