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The scoop on Mason’s Daily Scoop

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Shawn Sodman gets a kick out of owning Mason’s he Daily Scoop

White and black checkered floors, blue walls trimmed in red tell you that you are walking into a place frozen in time from the ’90s, although Mason’s Daily Scoop ice cream store opened in 2011. 

Shawn Sodman, 50, moved to Mason from Dansville in 2005. The Daily Scoop was a different ice cream shop for four years prior to Shawn Sodman taking over. 

“It was Turtle Tom’s before. One winter when he closed up for the season, I noticed there was a ‘for lease’ sign on the door,” Sodman says. Sodman says he told Tom he was very interested in the building. Within one weekend Sodman arranged to lease it. 

Sodman says the business has grown since opening.

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Man cooks at flat top grill

East Lansing bagel shop innovates with menu, late shift

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A.J. EvansJared Andrews, at the new East Lansing GoodFellas Bagels, learned about their popularity from all the students who came to the store’s Lansing location. In East Lansing, a new restaurant is doubling as a morning and late-night hotspot. GoodFellas Bagels Deli, a new restaurant on Albert Avenue in the same strip as the popular HopCat and El Azteco, is working to become one of the most accessible places in East Lansing. 

Following the opening of the first GoodFellas Bagels Deli in January of 2020, owner Adrian Joseph kept his brand-new business afloat through a time where businesses were shuttered, particularly in the food industry. After working through the pandemic, Joseph began to notice a growing trend. “At the location in Lansing, we started to notice a pretty large influx of MSU students that would come there on weekends, and throughout the week,” Joseph said.

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Williamston residents sound off on COVID-19’s impact on governor’s race

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Some residents in Williamston weigh in on whether Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s response to COVID-19 will impact her re-election bid in 2022. At the start of the pandemic when most states around the country mandated lockdowns, Michigan was one of the states to have the most strict and stringent protocols as some appreciated Whitmer’s efforts in keeping the community safe, some such as Williamston business owner Gary Cube, said she may have overstepped.

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Planning Committee advances construction in Meridian Township

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The Planning Committee of Meridian Township began its meeting with an approval request from Consumers Bank to start building another small branch near Hobby Lobby. The approval came with the contingency that the bank moves its proposed building forward and add a one-way drive-thru. 

Nicholas Lokus, a representative of this project, said the company issues fixed issues in its proposal. “We moved the building approximately 28 and a half feet closer to Grand River. How the drive-through worked out, we had to move it a little shift a little bit further to the east. We eliminated seven parking spaces along Grand River.

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Mason approves park and trail millage

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Approval of a 1-mill, five-year tax increase means Mason can move forward with its parks plan. City Manager Deborah Stuart said projects will be selected from the Parks, Recreation and Non-motorized Plan. The city developed the plan with community engagement and feedback almost two years ago with community input. Stuart said one of the first projects will be replacing the Rayner Park playground.

Focus: HOPE Main Building located at 1400 Oakman Blvd, Detroit, Michigan.
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Focus: HOPE continues to impact Detroit

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The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t stop Focus: HOPE, a non-profit organization, from supporting Detroit residents. Early Childhood Specialist for Focus: HOPE Juan Ruiz said, “We were really comprehensive in our COVID protocols, we worked closely with the state, the county and the city before we opened up anything.”

Impact on volunteers

With COVID cases increasing, the stay-at-home order and people leaving jobs, Focus: HOPE was worried about a decrease in its volunteers. “We were concerned that we would lose our volunteers,” said Kubik. “We lost a lot of our corporate groups because their businesses worked from home, but we gained many individuals who were sent home from work, had time to get away for a few hours and came and helped us out, so we never really missed a beat with the volunteers.”

Impact on seniors

With the stay at home order in place, it urged families to not leave the house unless it was to go to the grocery store, pharmacy, engage in outdoor activities or go to the hospitals. With these rules in place, many seniors didn’t want to leave the house, which caused Focus: HOPE to think of a solution for getting the food boxes to the seniors. 

“We would get calls from seniors who were afraid to leave the house because of the stay-at-home order,” said Kubik.

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Mason students, teacher compare on in-person, online instruction

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With the return to some in-person instruction, some Mason High School students cho0se to continue learning from home. “I just think it really depends on the person. Some people are doing better online,” Mason senior Lauren Pekrul said. “That’s why I stayed online, because I thought I was more productive. And then I think a lot of people needed to be in person to really get a good education.