MORENCI — The Morenci girls varsity basketball team will enter 2026 postseason play as one of the top-ranked teams in Division 4 according to the Michigan Power Rating rankings that are used to seed District brackets.
MORENCI — A long-vacant building in downtown Morenci is about to get a new lease on life.
A grant from the state of Michigan’s Revitalization and Placemaking program has been awarded to help rehabilitate and renovate the former hardware store at 148 W. Main St.
MORENCI — A humble blacksmith shop in the 1920s provided the roots for a family-run business that has been part of Morenci’s fabric for some 45 years now.
That blacksmith shop’s offshoot opened the door in the 1970s to WR Production Welding, which was owned by Wendell Glaser and operated by James Roth. When that company went bankrupt in 1979, some of its customers asked Roth and his late wife, Rita, if they would open their own related business.
MORENCI — Out of 916 total water accounts with the city of Morenci, 177 are at least six months past due and 56 are at least 12 months past due. Addressing that problem rose to the top of the city council’s priority list for 2026 during a planning session on Dec. 16.
MORENCI — The Morenci girls varsity basketball team enters the 2025-26 season in the midst of the program’s most successful run, having three-peated as league champs and won back-to-back district and regional championships.
MORENCI — The Kiwanis Club of Morenci will bring holiday cheer to the community on Saturday, Dec. 6, with the annual Lighted Holiday Parade, Visit with Santa, and Community Tree Lighting Ceremony at Wakefield Park.
MORENCI —The Morenci boys varsity basketball team enters the 2025-2026 season hoping to turn the corner using groundwork laid over the past two years.
“We are looking to finally get over the hump of what we have been building for multiple seasons,” head coach Garrett Benjamin said.
MORENCI — Voters elected Gail Cleghorn to the Morenci City Council and returned incumbents Kori Christle and Kandi Speiser to their seats in the Nov. 4 election.
There were five candidates for three seats. The returns reported by the Lenawee County Clerk’s office were:
Mayor Tracy Schell, was unopposed for re-election and received 283 votes, with eight write-ins.
With 329 ballots cast, turnout in the city of Morenci was just over 17%.
Vote totals are unofficial until reviewed by the Lenawee County Board of Canvassers.
MORENCI — Morenci coach Ryan McDowell capped his first season at the helm of his eight-man football program without losing players to season-ending injuries or losing faith in the team.
“I wasn’t too worried about losses because we had small numbers,” said McDowell, whose team did go from 16 to 17 players during the season. “The big focus was on having nobody quit, but at the same time, still challenging them quite a bit. And to their credit, they answered the challenge.”
MORENCI — The Morenci varsity volleyball team entered the 2025 season with a new coach and a goal of changing the culture of the program.
Head coach Erin Ekins didn’t have to wait long for her squad to demonstrate they truly wanted a different season from years past.