Legion Auxiliary ends an era of 103 years of veteran support
by Marsha Chartrand As of June 11, the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 117 will be turning in their charter, due to declining participation. This will mean the end of the auxiliary here in Manchester that started back in 1922 with Damma Davisson as the first president of the unit. The unit’s first priority was serving […]
Ribbon cutting at new senior/community center
by Marsha Chartrand “It was amazing,” said Mayor Pat Vailliencourt, who has coordinated the senior/community center project from both ends for well over a year. “There was standing room only for the ribbon cutting.” It was indeed an enthusiastic public who showed up at the Village Room on June 4 for a sneak peek of […]
Obituary: Robert “Mark” Palms
Robert Mark Palms, Jr., known by many as Mark, of Manchester, Mich., passed away on May 22, 2025, at the age of 70 in New Orleans, La. Mark was a beloved husband, father, brother, educator, and musician whose passion for the arts touched many lives. Born on August 30, 1954, in Grosse Pointe, Mich., he […]
Obituary: Shelby Ann Chartrand
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Shelby Ann (Trolz) Chartrand from complications of cancer on Thursday, May 22, 2025, at her home in Jackson. Shelby was born on January 26, 1985, and raised in Manchester, the daughter of Daniel Trolz and Sandra (Krzyzaniak) Trolz. She was a member of the class […]
When will smoke clear in Michigan? What you need to know
by Astrid Code (Bridge Michigan) Canadian wildfires have led to smoky skies and air quality alerts throughout Michigan this week. As of late afternoon Thursday, Detroit and Chicago were among the top five most polluted cities in the world, with air quality alerts for much of Michigan continuing through at least Friday. Here’s what you need to […]
New PFAS guidelines spark more ‘do not eat’ warnings for Michigan fish
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Michigan health officials have dramatically reduced the amount of PFAS-tainted fish they consider safe to eat, tripling the number of waterbodies where anglers are warned against eating their catch. Ninety-eight water bodies are now subject to “do not eat” advisories because fish are contaminated with the so-called “forever chemicals,” up […]
Michigan’s bottle return rates keep falling. Is it time for change?
by Emilio Perez Ibarguen (Bridge Michigan) Michigan beer and pop buyers increasingly aren’t bothering to return their bottles and cans to get their deposit back, and in the process left more than $116 million dollars on the table last year. Records released this month indicate that 70.4% of 10-cent deposits put down at grocery store checkout […]
Further adventures for The Dude
by Marsha Chartrand Nearby Chelsea contains about 50 maintained walking trails. It’s a great place to go for a walk of any distance; from beginners to high-achieving hikers. It’s also become a popular place to walk with your dogs. So the Chelsea Area Trail Challenge was initiated by the Chamber of Commerce, followed by the […]
Farewell, Flower Garden
by Marsha Chartrand It was a summer day in June 1999, and Mike Helton was about to realize a lifelong dream of owning his own flower shop. He and his partner, Susie, had moved to Manchester fairly recently and then he discovered that Deneine Schaible had the Flower Garden for sale. It was an opportunity […]
Michigan school districts are shrinking. None want to consolidate. Why not?
by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) Back in 2022, lawmakers allocated $5 million for school districts to explore consolidation. No one took the lawmakers up on it in the first year. But the following year, 16 districts got money to study consolidation. Still, no local district has actually consolidated. K-12 enrollment in public schools is declining amid […]
