Tim McAllister

The Belding City Council chugged through their agenda quickly and efficiently during a 30-minute meeting Tuesday night, including new vehicle purchases for the police and public works departments.

Area residents questioned representatives from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and offered a few suggestions about a proposed $31.7 million M-66 reconstruction project during a public forum in the Watt Auditorium at Ionia Middle School on Wednesday evening. Large placards displaying various aspects of the reconstruction plan were arranged in the auditorium's foyer, giving many residents their first glimpse of the nitty-gritty details of MDOT's plan to completely overhaul M-66 between Wells and Tuttle next year.

Billy Strings and his “Ionia Freak Fair” concerts this weekend were the main topic of conversation at Monday morning’s Ionia County Connect gathering.

During public comment at Tuesday's Ionia County Board of Commissioners meeting, an Otisco Township man alleged that one of the commissioners used his position to influence township zoning decisions in his favor.

The grand marshals of the 121st annual Labor Day parade are a group dedicated to maintaining the city's aesthetic beauty using plants.

For years, pieces of Ionia County history sat in a basement where volunteers could access them by appointment only. Now, thanks to nearly $115,000 in grants and donated labor, those artifacts finally have a place of their own.

Billy Strings came home for a weekend of music, but the impact of his Freak Fair is likely to last much longer. The Muir-raised bluegrass star announced this week that he plans to donate the event’s profits to the city of Ionia and Ionia Public Schools, while last weekend’s two-day celebration also brought thousands of visitors, boosted local businesses and drew hundreds of local volunteers into the effort.

Trailers and recreational vehicles will face stricter parking limits in Ionia after the City Council voted 7-2 on Wednesday to prohibit them from remaining on streets or in public parking areas for more than a day. The amendment to city ordinances restricts utility trailers, enclosed trailers, RV trailers, boat trailers and any other trailer designed for habitation, recreation or a business purpose from parking on city streets or in parking areas for longer than 24 hours at a time.

A disagreement over the design and installation of a memorial bench honoring a local Vietnam veteran has left his family at odds with the Belding Veterans Park Committee

“It’s chaos down there, and I’ve had enough.” That was the message from Dan Foster on Tuesday as he described drug use, unauthorized occupants, unsanitary conditions and threats at a Riverside Drive property that has been a source of concern for the township for years.