Author Katherine Applegate lives more than 2,300 miles away from Janet Connolly’s third grade classroom at Central Montcalm Upper Elementary School, but thanks to the marvels of modern technology, distance was not a factor in bringing the popular author in front of third and fourth grade students Wednesday afternoon.

It’s in the hands of township officials now. The Montcalm County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved renewing sheriff’s deputy contracts with Crystal, Eureka, Montcalm and Sidney townships Monday. The three-year contracts are set to expire on Dec. 31. Township officials must now decide whether to renew the contracts.

The skies were chill and cheerless Monday morning at Montcalm Community College, the last vestige of autumn’s waning warmth little more than memory. But lowering clouds did little to deter those who gathered in the Donald C. Burns Administration/Library Building of the college’s Sidney campus to honor America’s veterans.

On Thursday morning, a nervous, shivering, but excited Kaitlyn Schultz drove to school for the very first time. However, the 16-year-old sophomore at Central Montcalm High School did so traveling not more than 15 miles an hour with a freezing wind in her face, all while sitting atop her late great-grandfather’s crank-engine farm tractor from the 1930s.

Students decided to put what they learned in the classroom to the test by creating a plan to chuck pumpkins on Wednesday. Students from the Montcalm Area Career Center (MACC) created a trebuchet to launch pumpkins at a target — a car — by using algebra and more.

Rick Outman is receiving a little help from his friends in his bid to be re-elected state representative of the 70th District … one “relentlessly positive” friend in particular.

With the general election right around the corner on Nov. 6, state legislators used Monday’s one-hour Legislative Luncheon at Montcalm Community College to update and inform those in attendance on six ballot proposals that voters will decide.

A body was located inside a building after a barn fire early this morning just south of the village of Sheridan. The Sheridan Community Fire Department responded to the fire at 2:34 a.m. to 6681 S. Sheridan Road (M-66) north of Sessions Road.

Welding students at the Montcalm Area Career Center (MACC) are settling into a new room remodeled to provide a safer atmosphere for the students. The Montcalm Area Intermediate School District (MAISD) Board of Education moved the location of their meeting Wednesday to be held at the MACC to take a tour of the new welding room.

The Montcalm County Law Enforcement & Courts Committee meeting was all about animals on Tuesday. An animal return policy, a kennel ordinance, an exotic species ordinance and the dog census were among the topics of discussion.