The Sun and News

Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Middleville and Caledonia Areas

No. 20/ May 18, 2024 Published by J-Ad Graphics, Inc. • 1351 N. M-43 Highway, Hastings, MI 49058 146th year

Caledonia begins local search for

village manager, Lisa Segard

appointed interim manager

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

The village of Caledonia
will begin its search for a
new manager by looking
locally for qualified candi-
dates.
The Village Council
Monday voted unanimously
to advertise locally for the
position left vacant last
month by the resignation of
Jeff Thornton.
“I personally think we
should start with (ourselves),
and see what we can find,”
said Council Trustee
Gerrianne Schuler, who
made the motion to start the
search locally.
The council agreed to a
three-week timeframe to see
what kind of interest there
might be in the manager’s

position.

“We could just see what

happens,” Schuler said. “If

worse comes to worse, then

we can discuss (whether to

bring in a search firm to

assist the village).”

While the village is start-

ing the process of finding a

new manager, the council

Monday appointed longtime

administrative assistant Lisa

Segard to serve as interim

manager until a permanent

successor is found. Segard,

who has been with the vil-

lage for 26 years, had planned

to retire in July, but those

plans will likely be put on

hold as she serves in the

interim capacity.

“Thank you for putting

your faith in me. It has been

an honor to serve, and will

continue to be an honor to

serve ... until I hand this

position off to (the new man-

ager),” Segard said.

Over the past month,

Segard has been handling the

functions of managing the

village’s operations, without

the title.

“Lisa has stepped up to do

that position and graciously

has taken it on with...,”

Village President Jennifer

Lindsey said.

“Gusto,” Schuler finished.

Segard has served as depu-

ty treasurer for the village in

addition to her administrative

assistant role, and also took

on the role of village clerk

last month. Thornton had

previously served as clerk

during his tenure as manager.

In a separate move, the

council voted to boost

Segard’s pay from $22.50 per

hour to $39.96 per hour for

serving as interim manager,

and set the new pay scale ret-

roactive to early April. Segard

will receive $2,496 in retroac-

tive pay under the new wage.

The council also voted to

approve the job description

Sun and News,

other community

newspapers sold to

east-side publisher

Doug VanderLaan

Contributing Writer

After nearly 80 years of

telling the stories of people

and businesses in Barry

County, the Jacobs Family

has sold its J-Ad Graphics

publishing business to

JAMS Media, LLC and its

View Newspaper Group of

Lapeer.

Legal details of the trans-

action, which has been in

the works for months, were

finalized on Thursday, with

specific follow-up items

still being determined.

Financial specifics have not

been made public.

Weekly production of the

Sun and News, Hastings

Banner, The Reminder and

J-Ad’s newspapers in Battle

Creek, Marshall and Lowell

will continue under the

View Newspaper Group

name. According to J-Ad

Graphics CEO Fred Jacobs,

most employees will be

retained though changes are

likely in production and

delivery operations.

“I realized keeping the

business going was becom-

ing more difficult due to

rising costs, machine main-

tenance and declining

advertising dollars,” said

Jacobs. “I felt an obligation

to do what was necessary to

keep our papers going even

if it meant selling them to

an outside firm.

“As I investigated poten-

Gaines Board approves proposed

terms for split with Byron on

Cutlerville Fire Department

James Gemmell
Contributing Writer
The Gaines Township
Board has unanimously
approved two proposed legal
agreements that spell out
contractual terms of a split
with Byron Township in
mutually operating the
Cutlerville Fire Department.

In July 2023, the Byron

Township Board voted to

sever the 73-year-old part-

nership with Gaines Charter

Township. Byron trustees

cited Byron Township’s

growing population for their

desire for Byron to operate

its own fire department in

Cutlerville. Under an inter-

governmental operating

agreement dating back to

1950, the partnership will

officially end on July 22,

2024.

The Gaines Township

Board decided earlier this

year to exercise its option to

retain ownership of the

Cutlerville Fire Station at 11

68th St. SW, which is just

west of Division Avenue and,

therefore, in Byron Township.

Gaines will buy off the

remaining equity portion of

the fire station and use the

building to provide fire ser-

vices primarily on the Gaines

• TKHS student earns BPA national
  championship


• Caledonia seniors honored at
  recognition night ceremony


• Middleville council rejects DDA
  board candidate


• TK track ladies finish undefeated
  run to OK Gold track championship


• Scot seniors Hager and Fedewa earn all-
  conference at OK Red Championship

IN THIS ISSUE...IN THIS ISSUE...

See VIEW GROUP, page 2

See FIRE DEPARTMENT, page 3

See SEGARD, page 3

The Cutlerville Fire Station on 68th Street SW, just west of Division Avenue in Byron Township, will be
retained by Gaines Charter Township. (Photos by James Gemmell)

Fred Jacobs (right), longtime owner of Hastings-

based printing and publishing company J-Ad

Graphics Inc., shakes hands with Wes Smith, pub-

lisher for View Newspaper Group. This week, View

Newspaper Group finalized a deal to purchase

J-Ad. (Photo by Jayson Bussa)

Meet View

Newspaper

Group

See story

on page 2

Lisa Segard