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Holt baseball lets go of four coaches mid-season — but why? Answers are elusive

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A recent spring break trip has resulted in the exit of four varsity and junior variety baseball coaches at Holt High School. “Effective immediately, the Varsity and JV coaches and our assistant volunteer coaches have been placed on administrative leave,” superintendent David Hornak said in the announcement of investigation sent to parents April 12. The investigation lasted until April 18, when Hornak sent out another letter to parents. “As a result of our investigation, for various reasons, three of the four coaches are leaving the program, effective immediately,” Hornak said. “Assistant volunteer coach Mark Roche was invited to return but declined.”

Head varsity coach Nathan Potts, junior varsity coach Joe Murphy and volunteer pitching coach Bob McHenry were the coaches asked to leave the program, Hornak said.

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In Holt, John Hayhoe is a community superstar

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John Hayhoe is everywhere when it comes to Holt.

From morning coffee shops to new business’ ribbon-cuttings, Hayhoe’s got a reputation for being a community man — and he’s not just in it for the title. He’s a member of the Holt Business Alliance, The Holt Kiwanis Club, and the Holt Lions Club. “John Hayhoe will always have my vote,” owner of local business The Coffee Barrel Shawn Brenner said. “He stops in once and awhile and he’s always friendly. I will always appreciate what he does for this community because he really invests in the businesses here in the township.”

Hayhoe’s a father and grandparent, and for a long time, he served on the Holt Board of Trustees.

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Journalism at Michigan State University

After Nassar: A community responds to a local face shrouded in national scandal

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Ex-Michigan State University doctor and former Holt resident Larry Nassar is facing over 80 sexual abuse allegations, and that number seems to grow every week. Holt, a small and tight-knit community of just under 24,000 people watched as the headlines of court cases and accusations piled up. Nassar was a long-time resident and, at one point, an active member of the community. The reports began last summer, when allegations began to surface through the news media. One victim, Rachael Denhollander, alleged that Nassar — ungloved and without proper explanation — digitally penetrated her vagina during what was then explained to her as a “medical treatment.”

Denhollander learned later, as many of Nassar’s other patients, this was not a legitimate medical procedure—at the very least, not a commonly used and unexplained one.

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Free for all, the annual Holt Easter Egg Hunt has built community for 50 years

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Easter Sunday is always a busy day for the Easter Bunny. But for the past 50 years, he’s made an appearance in Holt every Saturday before his biggest day of the year. The special occasion? The annual Holt Easter Egg Hunt, held at Valhalla Park. Attracting hundreds of kids up to 10 years old from the Lansing area, the hunt is a happy chaos of children celebrating one of America’s most beloved holidays.

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Littering a problem in Holt? It depends who you ask

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Holt resident Joni Kosloski has a two-mile route that she often walks her dogs through near Holt Middle School. It’s also become her litter pick-up route. “I find litter very disgusting and I found myself suddenly unwilling to keep looking at it and walking past it,” Kosloski said to a community group on Facebook. “I started picking it up every day on my walk.”

Kosloski shared photos of her clean-up experiences after being away from her route of pick up litter in a couple weeks. Show in the photos are cigarette boxes, empty plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and more–and fellow members of her community chimed in once she spoke out against the trash.

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In Holt, special education is underfunded but still successful, officials say

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There are about 35 professionals and 65 parent professionals that make up Holt Public School’s special education staff. But according to the director of special education across the district, Wayne Abbott, it’s enough for Holt.

“We individualize programs and services to the needs of the particular student,” Abbott said. This is all thanks to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which was signed into law in 1990. Across the country, just like students in Holt, students with disabilities are given what is called an Individualized Education Program, or IEP. It’s a federal mandate that many fear is in jeopardy under the new Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.

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What’s “happening” in Holt? Local churches are numerous and the place to be

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Roy Sweet reclines in his seat after another Delhi Charter Township board meeting. He’s the township treasurer and recalls the time, 56 years ago, when he was baptized at Holt United Methodist Church. He’s been a regular attendee ever since. “It’s really the people who kept me going back. A lot of the same people still go there,” Sweet, who now serves as the treasurer of the town, said.

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Where do your taxes go? Let’s take a look

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It’s February, which means homeowners across the nation are soon to begin receiving their annual taxes from the previous year. Many residents in Holt have noticed increasing taxes as the years go by. “(Taxes) are pretty high,” Holt resident of four years Christen Lott said. “I don’t necessarily know why. I’m sure there’s a good reason for it.”