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The Friends of Jackson Seniors has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Jackson Community Foundation’s Unrestricted Community Needs Endowment Fund. Diane Derby, Chair of the Friends of Jackson Seniors Board, said the grant will be used to help purchase a Meals on Wheels delivery van. The Meals on Wheels program for Jackson County delivers over 235,000 meals a year for 1,145 homebound older adults. Delivery vans are an important part of getting meals to seniors throughout Jackson County. The Friends of Jackson Seniors supports services that are provided through the Jackson County Department on Aging, and the Meals on Wheels program is the largest program at the agency. For more information people are encouraged to go to the Friends website at www.MealsOnWheels-JacksonMI.com or contact Marce Wandell, Department on Aging Director, by phone at 768-8651 or by email at mwandell@co.jackson.mi.us. The Friends of Jackson Seniors and Department on Aging shared comments from Meals on Wheels participants in a release.  They include: "I haven’t eaten this well in years”, “These meals really help us a lot”, “I depend on the meals, they are good and fill me up!”, “Thank you for this service. It allowed me to stay home alone and eat well.” and “I…

Mother Nature is ending 2015 on a blustery note, with an ice storm and high winds expected Monday, less than a week after a Christmas Eve windstorm cut power to more than 188,000 Consumers Energy customers. “As we complete restoration late tonight and early Monday, we are moving crews, making sure they get proper rest and restocking supplies for this next round of weather,” said Mary Palkovich, vice president of energy delivery. “We will be ready for whatever Mother Nature throws our way.” Consumers Energy is wrapping up storm restoration in northern Michigan while it prepares crews and material for Monday’s weather. Current forecasts call for the most freezing rain in western Michigan. Ice accumulations of at least a quarter inch put weight on power lines and can cause outages. High winds, with gusts as high as 55 to 60 mph, are also forecast in west Michigan late Monday. Freezing rain is expected to enter southwest Michigan mid-morning and move north and east. More snow than freezing rain is expected in northern Michigan. In addition to internal preparations, the company’s public safety liaisons have reached out to county emergency management and 9-1-1 dispatch centers in western Michigan. Consumers Energy works closely…

Kyle Huntoon, far right, pictured with fellow Ellen's Design Challenge contestants.  Photo courtesy Scripps Networks. Fans of Ellen’s Design Challenge, the successful furniture design competition series that was first conceptualized by television star Ellen DeGeneres, will get their first look at the 10 talented season two competitors during the one-hour special Ellen’s Design Challenge: Meet the Cast. Premiering at 11 p.m. ET as part of HGTV’s all-premiere New Year’s Day lineup, the special will showcase Kyle Huntoon, Jackson native, now of Detroit along with 9 other contestants. Ellen’s Design Challenge, which premieres on Monday, January 18, at 9 p.m., will showcase the competitors as they sketch, design and build innovative furniture to avoid elimination. In a season filled with countless surprises, the finalists will be tasked with such challenges as designing furniture for the greenrooms at The Ellen DeGeneres Show. At the end of the season, the last competitor standing will receive a $100,000 cash prize courtesy of Wayfair.com and see their work featured in HGTV Magazine. Kyle Huntoon, a fourth generation woodworker, is a furniture designer and business owner in Detroit, Michigan. He says he is inspired by the clean geometric lines of mid-century modern design and loves to…

The Jackson County Office of the Sheriff has announced the graduation of new Reserve Deputies. Over the past twelve weeks the Sheriff's office, in conjunction with the Jackson City Police Department, has engaged in training applicants desiring to become reserve police officers and deputies. This was a cooperative effort between the agencies. Candidates were trained in use of force, legal issues, firearms, defensive tactics, ethics and many other aspects of police work. According to Sheriff Steve Rand, reserve deputies are a critical part of the Office of the Sheriff. Many of the events in the Jackson area could not be held without these volunteer resources. Examples include the Jackson County Fair, fireworks displays, Civil War Muster, and the various parades, streets fairs and special events that occur each summer. In addition, the volunteers work alongside regular patrol to enhance their knowledge, increase safety and give back to the community. This most recent reserve deputy school graduated a total of seven men and women, one of which will be joining the ranks of the mounted division and the others will be part of reserves on patrol. The Sheriff thanks all of the volunteers for the dedication, hard work and generosity of…

Bikers on Falling Waters Trail - JTV file photo The Jackson County Administrator/Controller’s Office has announced the receipt of two donations from the Hurst Foundation. The first donation is for $35,000 for a bike rental system to be installed on the Falling Waters Trail. This system, which could be ready as early as this spring, will provide opportunities for locals or out-of-towners to have a bike available at a trail head for a low reasonable cost. The exact location of the rental station has not been determined, but will most likely be at either the Weatherwax Road or Teft Road trail head. The second donation of $15,000 from the Hurst Foundation is designated for the County Trail Connector Project, which will connect the Sparks Park (home of The Cascades) to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Equity Trail. This project will provide a walking and bike path of approximately half a mile and with a trail head off of Kibby Road. The project is fully funded through other donations from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Weatherwax Foundation, and the Jackson Community Foundation and will proceed to engineering. The County is deeply grateful for the partnership of the Hurst…