A stand of maple trees.
Agriculture

Droscha Sugarbush makes maple syrup the traditional way

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A sugarbush is defined as a stand of trees that is used to produce syrup. The Droscha family sugarbush is the stand of maple trees behind their farm outside of Mason, Michigan. 

For 114 years, the Droscha family has been making maple syrup the old-fashioned, traditional way: fresh sap, boiled over a hardwood fire, filtered and bottled without commercial shortcuts.

Business & Economy
Illustrated $100 dollar bills

How 10 proposals in Ingham County affect taxpayers

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Ingham County residents voted on 10 proposals on Nov. 5, seven of which passed. Topics ranged from housing to the sale of marijuana, and funds for the initiatives that passed will come from property taxes. 

Many of these proposals are known as millage proposals. A millage is a tax on property, which can be approved by conducting a popular vote. The amount per $1,000 of taxable property is represented in mills. 

For example, a 1 mill tax rate on a home valued at $100,000 would generate $100 in taxes annually from that single property.

Agriculture

Check out Mason library’s free One Seed, One State program

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Mason’s Capital Area District Library has announced its third annual One Seed One State initiative which provides free seeds for the month while supplies last to encourage growing and saving seeds. 

In collaboration  with the MI Seed Library Network, multiple CADL branches have become Seed Libraries providing seeds brought in by local gardeners to teach the community about growing for a nutritious benefit. 

Greater Lansing Community News
City Council Chambers in Mason sit empty before a general meeting.

Mason debates merits of officers in schools

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Mason City officials discussed whether a school resource officer should be placed in public schools in the District at its March 20 meeting. The meeting opened with one public comment in regard to the motion passed forth in regard to the installation of a resource officer into Mason Public Schools. The community member approached the stand and discussed their experience with an in-school officer. The experience featured a positive experience with one officer who she found beneficial and a negative experience. Following public comment, council member Rita L. Vogel introduced research on the data on resource officers but said she had not received much information on the specifics in the hiring of said officer.