Tigers get first win against Atlanta
Both the Hillman Tigers and the Atlanta Huskies were seeking their first victory of the season when they met in Atlanta on Sept. 11. The Huskies struck first after keeping Hillman from succeeding on a fourth down, but the Tigers would ultimately put a mark in their win column.

Atlanta’s Parker Schoening stopped the Tigers at fourth down and five on Hillman’s first possession, handing the ball to the Huskies on their own 40. A Schoening first down put the Huskies in Tiger territory, and a pass from Aiden Crager to Drayk Barnes moved Atlanta 20 yards closer. Schoening went the rest of the way for a touchdown, but the Huskies wouldn’t score again until the fourth quarter.

The Tigers were quick to recover with a pass from Eddie Prue to Maison Tracey that put Hillman on the Atlanta 25. Tracey earned a first down and eventually tumbled into the end zone. Prue added the extra two that put the Tigers up by two at the end of the first quarter. The Tigers proceeded to score on their next four possessions.

Another pass to Tracey put the Tigers within range. Prue was on the run when the Huskies brought him down at first and goal on the one. He eventually made it over the line and added the extra two as well. Tracey intercepted an Atlanta pass, and Eli Schulze found the end zone for Hillman, putting the Tigers up by 16 at the half.

Atlanta had first possession in the second half, but the Huskies lost the ball on downs. Prue overcame a fourth down with five to go and dashed 45 yards to score for Hillman. A pass interception for Hillman’s Robby Olschanski resulted in a 94-yard touchdown run for Prue. That was after a prior similar run that was negated by a penalty.

The Huskies took over on their own 37-yard line, and passes to Schoening and Ryder Carigon were good. Schoening escaped for 47 yards to score for the Huskies, taking the game to the final score of 34-12, Tigers. The Tigers travel to Alcona on Sept. 18 to take on another Tiger team, and the Huskies travel to St. Helen to challenge the Patriots from Charlton Heston Academy.

County treasurer gives update to board of commissioners
County commissioners at the regular county board meeting on Sept. 10 received an update from Linsey Rogers, county treasurer, regarding delinquent taxes, township settlement improvements and a new envelope stuffing machine.

Some 16 property parcels delinquent in taxes were sold in the Aug. 18 auction, and five previous owners have filed notices of intent to claim excess proceeds. Rogers estimates the county will owe $48,500 in excess proceeds in 2027. Nine property owners currently delinquent in taxes have reported hardships, and Rogers reported that three of them have made no progress yet in paying their taxes.

The “Treasurer Talks” she initiated that allows her to meet with township treasurers on a regular basis are going well, Rogers said, and a two-step settlement process for township tax disbursements helps eliminate disbursement errors that can now be discovered within two weeks.

“We are settling as the tax rolls come in,” Rogers explained.

She was able to obtain an envelope stuffing machine from Otsego County at a $9,000 savings compared to purchasing new, and it now takes three hours to stuff the envelopes that used to take three days. That machine is available for use by other county offices.

Funding cut for Pure Michigan
The state budget has cut funding for the Pure Michigan tourism campaign by 46.6 percent. The $16 million allocated is nearly half of the previous budget’s $30 million and includes an option for an extra one million from private partners. It is estimated that Michigan tourism supports more than 300,000 jobs and generates billions in local business sales.

The advertising campaign was launched 20 years ago, and hospitality and tourism leaders are appealing to state lawmakers to use a portion of state sales tax revenue to fund Pure Michigan after consecutive years of cuts. In the meantime, Pure Michigan representatives have stated they will focus on specific markets to get the highest return from the money available.

Data published by the Michigan Retailers Association in June of 2024 reflects tourism generates $48.5 billion in economic impact each year and supports 324,000 jobs while $3.2 million in tax revenue flows into local communities. The estimated return on investment is $11 for each one dollar spent on the Pure Michigan campaign.

“Pure Michigan is the driver behind tourism in the Upper Peninsula and northern lower Michigan,” State Representative Parker Fairbairn (R-Harbor Springs) stated in a 2025 press release. “If the Governor were to stop and ‘think Michigan,’ she certainly wouldn’t be seeking to gut the one program that promotes everything our beautiful state has to offer.”

Death Notices
Full obituaries are in the Tribune print & paid online edition
Cathryn M. Johnson
Sue Ellen Drinkhouse Ward

The Digital Edition is free to print subscribers, or can be purchased for $20 per year without a print subscription.

Visit our subscribe page to sign up for the Digital Edition, or to find information on purchasing a print subscription to the Tribune.

If you purchase a subscription to the paper, or even just a digital edition subscription, you be able to view full obituaries, sports stories, news, classifieds and more!

Software Requirements:
To read our newspaper online, you will need the Adobe Reader, which is a free download. The Adobe Reader enables you to view .PDF files, which is the format that our newspaper is saved in. If you do not already have the Adobe Reader installed on your computer, just CLICK HERE to download it for free. A new window will open up that contains the link to download the program and installation instructions.