Marsha Chartrand

Mystique: A dream of a service dog

By Claire Pajka Though dogs are often just praised as best friends and beloved pets, Cheyenne Curts’ dog Mystique can literally, as well as figuratively, open doors for her. Curts is a lifelong resident of Manchester, currently raising money to pay for the training of her service dog, Mystique–a Siberian Husky matched with Curts through […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Freedom Township discusses hotspots, COVID-19 precautions for upcoming elections

By Claire Pajka The Freedom Township Board meeting was held in person on June 9 with all five board members, planning commissioner Larry Lindemann, and two members of the public in attendance. Treasurer Rudy Layher reported that May’s total ending balance is $686,143.34. Supervisor Dale Weidmayer stated that at 6 p.m. on June 17, Freedom […]

 Marsha Chartrand

WCSO report: May 2020 police activity in Village of Manchester

During the month of May, WCSO deputies responded to 67 calls for service (including traffic stops). Toward the end of the month, deputies began conducting more traffic enforcement; during this time a total of 11 traffic stops were made with four citations issued. Noteworthy events in the Manchester collaboration during the last month include: On […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Coronavirus lays bare health disparities amid Michigan protests

By Robin Erb (Bridge) George Floyd’s death under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer set off global protests against police violence. But in places like Detroit, still reeling from the devastation of COVID-19, Floyd’s death is a piece of larger, systemic inequities that leave African Americans to suffer and die at greater rates than whites. […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Crises collide: Flood recovery workers carried COVID-19 to Michigan

By Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) LANSING — Contract workers who came to Michigan to help the state recover from a major flood brought COVID-19 with them and may have inadvertently contributed to the ongoing public health crisis, according to state and local officials. Nineteen employees of a contract renovation company who stayed at a hotel in Bay […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Ann Arbor restaurant pioneer takes time reopening: ‘Everyone is anxious’

By Paula Gardner (Bridge) ANN ARBOR—When Adam Baru first opened Mani Osteria restaurant in Ann Arbor nine years ago, he invigorated the city’s dining scene. Now he’s reopening the same restaurant in the same location, hoping that by next week servers will once again be delivering wood-fired pizzas, fresh pastas and craft cocktails to diners […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Appeals court sides with Enbridge over Dana Nessel in Line 5 tunnel dispute

By Kelly House (Bridge) The legal battle between Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Canadian energy giant Enbridge over the Line 5 tunnel agreement may be headed to the Michigan Supreme Court, after Enbridge won the latest round in a dispute over the 2018 law that made way for the tunnel. In an opinion issued […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Teacher helps the community for her “retirement party”

  One thing about a good teacher ─ she (or he) is always teaching, no matter what else they may be doing. And  Kathy O’Mara is definitely one of the good ones. A leader by example, O’Mara has always been an advocate for her students, and is always seeking an opportunity to teach and help […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Celebrity servers this week at the ice cream wagon

Yes, Virginia … despite the quarantine, there will indeed be a “Celebrity Server” this year. And it won’t be just one night ─ this will be School Employee Week at the Emanuel Church ice cream truck, with school staff planning on being in the trailer from 3-8 pm each evening, Wednesday – Saturday. Participants will […]

 Marsha Chartrand

It’s time to re-open

Last Monday night, the Manchester Village Council had just a few hours to review the Governor’s lengthy Executive Order 2020-110, outlining when various businesses and services could re-open. A decision was made at the Council’s tele-conference meeting to re-open parks as soon as possible, with signs reminding users of reasonable precautions. Those signs were posted […]