Mt. Pleasant Meadows ready to open

Horse racing and the state of Michigan haven’t been seeing eye to eye for some time now. As to why it would take a serious sojourn and hours-long dissertation to discuss the specifics as to why horse racing has left this state at such a fast gallop. However there’s some good news for horse racing fans in the mid-Michigan area in that Mt. Pleasant Meadows opens this weekend coinciding with the running of the Kentucky Derby.

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CMU Research Corp., Mt. Pleasant Chamber Launch Startup Support Program

The Central Michigan University Research Corp. and the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce announced a partnership called the Prelaunch Passport Program to provide local resources such as accounting services and marketing consulting to startup businesses. Already, nearly 20 CMU-RC clients are enrolled in the program. “The Prelaunch Passport Program is aimed at stimulating the local business community and fostering an environment to help new ventures plant roots in the community,” said Erin Strang, president and CEO of CMU-RC.

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Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart grad Dominic Sheahan-Stahl: 'It gets better'

Dominic Steahan-Stahl wants people to know despite discrimination, it gets better. The 32-year-old former Mount Pleasant resident and 1998 Sacred Heart Academy graduate made a video supporting people who have experienced discrimination. Sacred Heart officials uninvited Sheahan-Stahl from giving the commencement speech on May 20 after they learned he is openly gay. The graduating class, which includes Steahan-Stahl's brother William, supported Dominic Sheahan-Stahl. In the video, he encouraged people to not point fingers. "I, my family and my community are all going to make sure that when you are my age, this will be a thing of the past," he said.

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Mt. Pleasant woman injured in car-pedestrian accident

A 50-year-old Mt. Pleasant woman was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital after being hit by a car on the campus at Central Michigan University Wednesday. The woman, who sustained minor injuries, was walking across Preston Street at about noon when a 20-year-old Pinckney woman pulled east on the street from Franklin, hitting the woman near the crosswalk, Mt. Pleasant Police Public Information Offcer Jeff Browne said. Police blocked Preston Street from East Campus to Washington after the accident, as a crowd gathered in front of Park Library.

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Mt. Pleasant schools to update sex ed curriculum

The Mt. Pleasant school district’s sexual education materials are older than most of its students but many of the district’s sex ed informational videos, created in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s, could be replaced with newer versions. “There’s not a lot changing content wise, most of it just has to do with updating it so that people in the videos and the examples we have are dressed in clothing that we see today,” superintendent Mike Pung said.
He said the video updates would be the only changes that will be made to the program, and it will still fit state requirements. The school board is reviewing the materials and information. The board will again be presented with material at the Committee of the Whole meeting in May, and will decide if more review is needed or if action will be taken later in the month.

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Mt. Pleasant restaurant changes name and offerings

If you're in Mt. Pleasant and you're looking for CoCo Joe's Beach House restaurant, you're going to end up empty handed. The restaurant, located at 4855 East Blue Grass Road, changed its name and its menu recently. It is now known at Hunter's Ale House. The restaurant is headed in a completely new direction and will no longer resemble the beach-house theme it was once known for. The pianos are also headed out the door, eventually. "Over time, some of that will come out and some other things will come in," says Pat Simons, the general manager of Hunter's.

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Members First's Mt. Pleasant branch is now open

A new credit union is joining the financial scene in Mount Pleasant, as Members First Credit Union recently opened its doors at the corner of Bluegrass Road and Encore Drive. President and CEO Eric Brubaker says the credit union already has members in Mount Pleasant, from its existing branch office and headquarters in Midland. "We already have a strong group of members in Mount Pleasant. This building will allow us to give them an even higher level of service while welcoming in their family, friends and businesses," says Brubaker.

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