Area Breaking News

By Doris Elmore                 The Village of Atwood has had two tragedies of young people recently, Karen Fennessy on December 23, 2022 and Eian Urban on January 20, 2023. The loss of these residents, one 20 years old and one 19, is upsetting to everyone. Whether you knew them or not, it is difficult to…

By Dominik Stallings Mary Ann Elder didn’t think she was going to work as a full-time paraprofessional when she received her associate’s degree in photography, or even when she became a mother. Her passion for education and helping others lead her to become a paraprofessional. After 22 years of working in the field, 17 of…

By Dominik Stallings Tuscola School Board member Wage Wilcox is leading an effort to sell sponsorships for a new scoreboard on the athletic field and inside the gym, which would cost approximately $400,000. “The money we get will drive what we get,” Wilcox said. Nine sponsorships are needed to pay for the cost of the…

By Tony Hooker For long time Villa Grove resident Marc Mixell, the opportunity to work for the city of Villa Grove after nearly two decades of being on the road in sales was too good to pass up.  Now, after three years of working for the public works department, the hyper organized Mixell finds himself…

By Tony Hooker For St. Joseph native Byron Denhart, the path to becoming a project manager was anything but a linear one.  I recently caught up with Denhart, who is overseeing the construction of the new Villa Grove Community Center as a project manager for Broeren Russo. How long have you been working with Broeren…

By Tony Hooker Charolie Burris didn’t know exactly what she was going to do after high school. She only knew that she probably wouldn’t be sitting in a college classroom, and so she decided to enlist in the Army.  Twenty plus years later, she’s still serving our country.  I recently caught up with the Master…

By Dominik Stallings Two veteran-owned businesses in Villa Grove, The Korner Beehive and the Embarras Bar and Grill, raised money for Nick Maxedon, Marine Corps veteran and Newman resident. Maxedon is currently undergoing treatment for cancer. The two businesses raised funds in several different ways, including “football squares” in the Army vs. Navy football game…

By Dominik Stallings Anthony Pearson, Air Force veteran and co-owner of the Tuscola Blend House, went on a trip to Washington D.C., to help with a program he is deeply familiar with — the Wounded Warrior program, more specifically, the Rock to Recovery program. Pearson spent several days in D.C. teaching non-musician veterans how to…

By Dominik Stallings Santa made a quick getaway at the start of the “Santa Chase” 5K walk/run on Dec. 3. People gathered at the Tuscola Community Building bright and early at 8 a.m. to compete in the race. Alpha and Omega PowerTraining hosted the event as part of the Christmastown celebrations in Tuscola. Overall top-three…

By Dominik Stallings The Jarman Plaza in Tuscola welcomed a new addition to its offices at 704 N. Main St. Cory Roberts, a mortgage lender with Two One Seven Mortgage and firefighter in Tuscola and Urbana, cut the ribbon Nov. 21. Roberts sees clients on an appointment basis, but runs an open door policy while…