News

Mason businesses face the reality of mask mandates

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For his entire life, Ed Reeser has been adamant about individual rights. Reeser said he believes the government should not have a say over what people can and cannot do in their personal lives, but he is adamant that the executive order requiring masks is a great decision,  

On July 13 a state-wide mandate requiring masks in public was put into effect by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. In Mason, citizens and businesses are adjusting once again to a new normal because of COVID-19. Throughout the summer, businesses in Mason have had the ability to choose if masks are required and. Business managers, like Craig Wieferich, general manager of the Eldorado Golf Course in Mason, were put in a tough position regarding masks.

News

Protesters and counter-protesters connect at BLM event

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Paul Kato with Counter-Protester

When Joshua Ray Bell drove from Stockbridge to Mason, he did not envision himself having the biggest impact at the Black Lives Matter protest. He did not picture receiving a standing ovation from the hundreds in attendance because of the words he spoke to the lone counter-protester. However, Bell did all of this and educated a young mind about the lessons of racial tolerance in the process. A 19-year-old Mason resident showed up to the Black Lives Matter protest waving a Confederate flag from the back of his white Chevy Impala. His presence was largely ignored by the crowd peacefully protesting.

News

Mason retailers ready for business, again

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Teresa Wren spent her days of quarantine inside her business, Kean’s, wondering if they were going to be able to open their doors ever again. Kean’s has been a part of Mason’s downtown landscape since 1928 and was under risk of closing for good.  

For many of the family-owned businesses in Mason, the pandemic only shut their doors temporarily, not permanently, thanks to the support of the Mason community. Many businesses had to reshape the structure of their business model to accommodate customers while their doors were closed as well. Wren said that the support from the local community is the main reason why Kean’s doors remain open.

Article

Laying down quilts to sew masks

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After leaving the health care field to raise a family, Sharla Horton thought her says of masks were over. Now, because of Covid-19 she is making them herself. As the cases of coronavirus continue to increase the supple of PPE is running low. This is when Horton used materials from her quilting business to start sewing. “I just wanted to help,” Horton said.

News
Roger Bauer stands in his driveway, across the street from a city park, smiling.

Mason seeks community input on parks plan

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Ally TelforRoger Bauer, a retired Mason resident, said many neighborhood children love playing at Laylan Park, which he lives across the street from. For two years, the City of Mason has gathered input from citizens regarding parks and recreation improvement projects, and now it is ready to put them into action. The city offered an online survey and information about the plan through its Facebook page, email and notices in the Ingham County Community News. On Jan. 14, the Planning Commission recommended the plan be adopted by the City Council.

News
Side view of one of Mason's fire engines.

Mason getting $840,000 fire truck

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The City of Mason’s new fire truck will be added to their current fleet of tankers and engines. This isn’t the first time that the City of Mason has purchased a custom-built fire truck from Spartan Motors. The department has other custom-built tankers and trucks.Emily Bartlett is one of two female firefighters on the 33-person team. Volunteer firefighters are on-call at all times and must rush to the fire house whenever they are paged. The Mason Fire Department is getting a brand-new, custom-made fire truck.

Agriculture

Watch Focal Point: Trump/Pence campaign comes to Michigan, MSU’s Impact Radio turns 30, Men’s Hockey highlights and more

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On this edition of Focal Point News, we give updates on the Impeachment hearings and we show how a man is bringing the Christmas spirit to Mason, Michigan. East Lansing has “Green Friday” deals and MSU’s College of Engineering present their work at Design Day

In Sports, Draymond Green retires his jersey and we highlight MSU Men’s Hockey vs. OSU. 

In Entertainment, the hit musical Aladdin comes to the Wharton Center. These stories and more on Focal Point.

Agriculture

A farm for the holidays

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For Dr. Mel Koelling, his 180 acre tree farm in Mason is his life. After 37 years at Michigan State, he retired and now works his farm full-time. At the beginning of the season, Koelling had over 90,000 trees on his property. Now, it’s his season to sell. “We expect to sell 3,000 more trees,” he said.