Elisabeth Waldon

A power and data solutions manufacturer is marking 10 years of operations at its Lakeview manufacturing facility, known as the “Pickle Docks” in a nod to the location’s history on Tamarack Lake. Based in Rockford, Byrne serves contract furniture, hospitality, retail, healthcare and educational environments. The company was founded in 1970 when Norman Byrne began manufacturing wire harnesses for the marine and auto industry. Byrne relocated to Grand Rapids in 1975 as Ford Motor Company’s primary supplier of speaker leads; the company is now global with locations in Mexico and China.

Concerns about how groundwater data could affect local farmers prompted the Montcalm County Board of Commissioners on Monday to delay a state request for a permanent monitoring well, even as commissioners approved geological drilling from a university organization at six county-owned properties. Commissioners first voted 6-0, with Commissioner Nate Alexander of Pierson Township absent, to approve an agreement with the Michigan Geological Survey through the Kalamazoo-based Western Michigan University Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences to conduct geological studies and research on six county-owned properties starting sometime after the Fourth of July and concluding in September or October.

The Stanton City Commission on Tuesday made appointments to the Planning Commission and voted to issue city email addresses for planners to use for conducting city business. The City Commission voted unanimously to appoint Kelly Hardenburgh to the Planning Commission, filling a seat previously held by Commissioner Erich Rich who is now filling a Planning Commission seat vacated by the late Charles Miel. Mayor Bill Ferguson recommended appointing Hardenburgh, saying he is a neighbor who works for the Michigan Department of Corrections.

The Crystal Township Board held off on Wednesday night from voting on an ordinance creating a Planning Commission, which would in turn lead to zoning.

An Ionia house is likely a total loss after a Wednesday night fire, for which that evening’s storms may have been to blame. The Ionia Department of Public Safety responded to 506 Wall St. at 10:18 p.m.

A half-million dollar project will replace the historic Howard City train depot with a new pavilion, but not everyone is “all on board” with the idea.

Elizabeth Buskirk is the newest member of the Central Montcalm Public School Board of Education. The Sheridan woman was the lone applicant for the seat vacated by Jim Lingeman in May. The school board voted 6-0 at Monday night’s meeting to appoint Buskirk to the seat through Dec. 31.

A Montcalm County judge ruled on Monday that the prosecution presented enough evidence for a jury to consider whether a Sheridan man acted recklessly when his pickup truck crashed into a horse-drawn buggy last year, killing a 4-month-old girl and injuring six others.

A Grandville man accused of drunkenly causing a four-vehicle crash that killed two 17-year-olds from Lakeview was arraigned Monday on 10 charges and ordered held on a $2 million bond. Brian Scott Nowicki, 49, is charged with two counts of operating while under the influence of liquor causing death; operating while intoxicated causing serious injury; two counts of operating while license revoked causing death; operating while license revoked causing serious injury; three counts of assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer; and having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle.

After warning during a weekend Senate debate that traffic cameras, data centers and artificial intelligence could push society toward a dystopian, “1984”-style future, state Rep. Joseph Fox on Monday distanced himself from an AI-generated image posted by his own campaign on Facebook. The image, which declared Fox the winner of Saturday’s debate, was posted shortly after the event by someone associated with his campaign. When the Daily News asked him to comment, Fox, a Fremont Republican running for the 33rd District Senate seat, said he was “embarrassed” by the post.