News

Quilt Walk 2025

Quilts were on display at locations throughout downtown West Branch Oct. 2-4 for the 40th annual Quilt Walk presented by the Rifle River Quilt Guild and West Branch Creative Arts Association. There were 140 quilts in the show this year. Event co-chair Marcia Young said on Friday that although the count was down from previous years, there are advantages to having fewer quilts to display.

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Federal government shuts down

The United States Federal Government shut down last week on Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. after failing to pass a spending bill or continuing resolution. Then on Thursday night, the State of Michigan Legislature, which had passed its own temporary plan Oct. 1 in order to avoid shutting down, passed a budget through the House shortly before midnight, and through the Senate after midnight.

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Peters co-sponsors legislation to exempt small businesses from tariffs

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) cosponsored the Small Business RELIEF Act to exempt small businesses in Michigan and across the country from President Trump’s global baseline reciprocal tariffs and provide refunds to the small businesses that were forced to pay them. Small businesses make up 99.6 percent of all businesses in Michigan and employ nearly 50 percent of our state’s workforce. This legislation would protect more than 900,000 Michigan small businesses that are already having to make devastating choices to keep their business afloat, such as cutting jobs, canceling expansion plans, and absorbing input costs.

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