Old Detroit train site on track for national Underground Railroad network
by Micah Walker (Bridge Michigan) In downtown Detroit, 501 Third Avenue is known today as Steve Yzerman Drive and houses a Detroit People Mover station. But in the 1800s, the site played an important part in Detroit’s history as a major railway also serving as a stop on the Underground Railroad for slaves seeking freedom […]
Michigan’s police officer shortage becoming dire: ‘Where did everyone go?’
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) In 1992, early in his law enforcement career, Larry Weeks applied for one of 16 openings in the Grand Rapids Police Department. There were 250 applicants. Three decades later, Weeks is the police chief in mid-Michigan’s Eaton Rapids, and can’t find people who want to be police officers. He had […]
Gazebo concerts return by popular demand
by Marsha Chartrand The debut of the 2023 Gazebo concert season, hosted by the Manchester District Library, was a huge success, featuring John Louis Good & the Rose City Troubadours. Good, a Jackson native who frequents the Wednesday night musical events at the Village Tap, has developed a Manchester following and attracted some Manchester talent […]
New village newsletter coming your way
by Marsha Chartrand Did you miss seeing your blue postcard-sized water bill arrive in the mail at the end of June? Did you notice a mysterious letter from the Village of Manchester arriving in your mailbox and set it aside to look at “later”? (Is it still sitting in that pile of mail?) A combination […]
WCSO: June 2023 report of police services in the village
submitted by Lt. Alan Hunt, WCSO During the month of June there were 137 calls for service. During this time 70 traffic stops were made resulting in 17 citations. There were no noteworthy or significant incidents that posed a risk to the public or that are of public interest within Manchester Village during the month […]
Obituary: Evelyn Marie Luckhardt
Evelyn Marie Luckhardt, 83, passed away July 24, 2023. Evelyn’s family and friends will gather Friday, July 28, 2023 from 10 – 11:30 a.m. at St. James United Church of Christ, 11005 W. Michigan Ave., Saline, MI. Her funeral service will immediately follow at the church at 11:30 a.m. Pastor Case Van Kempen will serve […]
Whitmer signs ‘transformative’ $24.2B Michigan education budget. What to know
by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a $24.3 billion school budget Thursday that funds public K-12 schools, community colleges, and universities. The budget received some bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. “This budget was written to help anyone and everyone be able to make it here in Michigan with a […]
Michigan bald eagles soar back from near-extinction
by Ashley Zhou (Bridge Michigan) Bald eagles are hard to miss with their dark brown bodies, contrasting white heads and tails, bright yellow beak and 8-foot wingspan. And it helps that their numbers are growing in Michigan — which professional photographer Stacy Williams has witnessed firsthand. Thirteen years ago, Williams spotted one consistent pair of bald […]
Help wanted: Report ranks Michigan health care jobs with the most need
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) There will always be sick people. Her mother’s six-word advice set then-high schooler Kelly Parish on her career trajectory. Now if only the rest of Michigan would listen, the 56-year-old mused. A radiologic technologist at Family Health Center in White Cloud in rural Michigan north of Grand Rapids, Parish finds […]
70th annual Chicken Broil “an awesome success”
by Marsha Chartrand The unqualified heroes of the 70th Annual Manchester Chicken Broil have got to be the Weather Committee. Since the earliest years of the Chicken Broil, a team consisting prominently of local clergy has been assigned as the Weather Committee. This primarily honorary position was, of course, intended to pray for clear blue […]
