FENTON PRESS

The Latest News, Updates and Opinions

Ryan Garza | The Flint JournalWillie Perdu (left) and Hattie Wright pick golden delicious apples to use for cider at Mueller Orchard in Fenton Township. The local apple crops are down after a spring frost damaged many of the buds, but Mueller Orchard is on a hilly area, which helps protect the crop from the cold air and frost that generally sinks to the lowlands.

Buy apples early and expect to pay more.

Local growers estimate an increase of 10 percent to 20 percent, or $1-$2 per bushel, in the price of apples due to a lower-than-expected crop.

Because of frost and hail this spring, Michigan growers will produce about 12.8 million bushels of apples this year -- down from a typical crop of 20 million bushels.
That means fewer local apples and higher prices as the picking season begins next week.

HOLLY, Michigan -- A misconduct complaint against Village President Pete Clemens by a Fenton newspaper will not be sent to the Village Council's Oversight Committee for review.

Council members rejected a formal request to do so Aug. 26.

HOLLY, Michigan -- A kiteboarding lesson on Oahu in 2002 was all it took for Holly resident Mark Kuban to be hooked on the sport. Since then, he's been involved in the action sports industry, representing numerous snow, wake, skate and kite lines, and receiving his certification from the Professional Air Sport Association (PASA) in 2004.

Mark Kuban

FENTON TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- If you're a kitten, there's probably no better place to be stuck in a tree than on Adopt-A-Pet property.

A tree expert called Tuesday by volunteers at the animal shelter rescued the cat, which had shot 60 feet up a blue spruce.

John W. Adkisson | The Flint JournalA Genesee County Sheriff's deputy walks past a sheriff's motorcycle involved in a crash around 2:30 p.m. Sunday on southbound US-23 south of Thompson Road in Fenton Township.

FENTON TWP., Michigan -- A Genesee County Sheriff Department deputy on his motorcycle was struck from behind by an ambluance Sunday as he tried to turn into an emergency turnaround on U.S. 23.

The deputy was responding to an accident on the northbound side when he was hit, Sheriff Robert J. Pickell said. Both crashes were south of Thompson Road.

FENTON, Michigan -- Clerk Revon Yousif read a book behind the counter at the Marathon gas station while a TV played in a corner.

There were no customers in the store, which is located in the middle of a $4.2-million road reconstruction project on Silver Lake Road that started in early May and won't be completed until Nov. 15.

Fowlkes

HOLLY TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- On Aug. 21, one candidate for the Holly Township treasurer position filed a Petition for Recount with Oakland County Election Division after coming in second to Mark Freeman in the Aug. 5 primary election. She lost by 23 votes.

On her petition, Amy Fowlkes said she believed that the same tabulator and box errors that occurred during inspector training may also have occurred on Election Day.

A team of election officials from the Oakland County Board of Canvassers visited the Holly Township offices Friday, where they conducted a recount of all four Holly Township precincts.

Both Fowlkes and Freeman were present.

Amy Mayhew | Fenton PressMembers of the Scramlin family embrace Monday as they watch their circa 1880s family barn go up in smoke. The barn, located on Oak Hill Road in Groveland Township, was completely destroyed by the fire.

GROVELAND TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- Marvin Scramlin and his wife, Terrie, and several family members stood helplessly as they watched firefighters try to battle a fire that engulfed their historic barn just after 4 p.m. on Aug. 25.

Firefighters from Groveland, Springfield and Brandon townships as well as the Village of Holly Fire Department and North Oakland County Fire Authority fought the blaze that ultimately destroyed the barn.

Located along Groveland Township's scenic Oak Hill Road, the 128-year-old barn was reduced to rubble in 15 minutes.

Scramlin said the barn was originally built in 1880, and purchased by his grandfather in 1910.

"My grandparents bought it in 1910, and then my mom and dad lived here, so I guess we're the third generation," he said.

Over the last three decades, the Scramlin's historic barn had become well known as they used it to present a live Nativity scene every Christmas for members of the Mount Bethel Methodist Church and the community.