By Ralph Echtinaw The grandson of the couple who donated 20 acres of woods to St. Louis schools in 1968 expressed concern at Monday’s board meeting that this year’s tree harvest is […]
Barbershop quartet visits schools on Valentine’s day

A barbershop quartet featuring Grant Colthorp of St. Louis, Wayne Schidler of Shepherd, Scott Johnson and Steve Johnson of Ithaca made the rounds of several schools on Friday, Feb. 14. At St. […]
Fire board doubles money set aside for equipment upgrades
By Ralph Echtinaw St. Louis Area Fire Department board members doubled the amount of money set aside annually to replace worn out trucks and other costly equipment at their meeting Tuesday. Instead […]
12-hour shifts, burnout and pocket dials: The world of 911 dispatchers in Gratiot County

By Ralph Echtinaw Although Gratiot County is hardly a hotbed of crime, accidents and medical emergencies, 17,818 emergency 911 calls were made here last year and handled by just ten dispatchers. Add […]
Councilman Kubin wants city to resurface downtown alleys
By Ralph Echtinaw City Councilman and business owner George Kubin wants the city to resurface alleys behind businesses on the west side of North Mill Street. The alleys, along with parking lots […]