LOCAL NEWS

Boil-water advisory lifted; some residents report unusual side effectsKessler-Dane memo: "subjects will develop resilience." The subjects were us

Public Works says the water is safe. Barbers on Main say business has never been better.The hair isn't a side effect. It's the point.

BY MARJORIE ELLISBY R. CALLOWAY STAFF WRITERUNEDITED MONDAY, OCT 26, 2026

Bellwether's east side can drink from the tap again. Public Works lifted the nine-day boil-water advisory on Monday after three rounds of samples came back clean.Bellwether's east side can drink from the tap again. Public Works lifted the nine-day boil-water advisory on Monday. The samples were never the problem.

The advisory began on October 9, when a pressure drop at the Creek Rd. pumping station raised the risk of contamination. Testing was handled by the township's water contractor, Kessler-Dane Environmental.The advisory began on October 9, after a pressure drop at the Creek Rd. pumping station. Testing was handled by the township's water contractor, Kessler-Dane Environmental, which also ran the water during the advisory.

“The water is safe and always was,” said Public Works director Ray Dunleavy. “We take no chances with the east side.”“The water is safe and always was,” said Public Works director Ray Dunleavy. “We take no chances with the east side. It's the control group.”

THE BARBERS NOTICESIDE EFFECTS

Not everyone is convinced. Barbers on Main say walk-ins have doubled since the advisory began, and several east-side customers say their hair and nails are growing faster than they ever have.A memo left in a Kessler-Dane van on Creek Rd. lists the expected effects in order: faster hair and nail growth, deeper sleep, fewer colds, “resilience.” Barbers on Main say walk-ins have doubled.

“I'm cutting the same heads every ten days.”“Subjects will develop resilience. Subjects will not notice.”

LOU FERRANTE, FERRANTE'S BARBERSHOPKESSLER-DANE MEMO, UNDATED

Others report vivid dreams and an odd, constant thirst. The county health department says it has had no reports it can link to the water.Residents also report vivid dreams in which they are walking toward the creek. The county health department has had no reports it can link to the water. The memo says it won't.

Residents with questions can call Public Works during business hours. Bottled water is no longer being handed out at the Township Hall.Residents with questions can call Public Works during business hours. Bottled water is no longer being handed out at the Township Hall. If you still have some, keep it.

Three road workers, one in an orange safety vest, stand behind a striped road-closed barricade on a rural road at dusk. — From left: Ray Dunleavy, Gus Pell, Marv Toivonen and Ted Lusk, Baraga Dr., Tuesday.From left: Ray Dunleavy, Gus Pell, Marv Toivonen. Ted Lusk is standing on the right. Look again.

LOCAL CONSTRUCTION

Road work will close a stretch of Baraga Dr. through NovemberThe crew on Baraga Dr. isn't fixing the road

Public Works director Ray Dunleavy calls it routine. "Nothing down there worth worrying about."No asphalt has been delivered. Neighbors hear drilling after midnight. Dunleavy: "Nothing down there worth worrying about."

An abandoned wooden sawmill with a sagging roof on a misty riverbank surrounded by autumn trees. — The old Pell Sawmill, Hollow Creek.The old Pell Sawmill. Do not walk here after dark.

ENVIRONMENT

Residents near the old sawmill report a sweet smell along the riverSomething blooming at the mill is putting the east side to sleep

Several east-side neighbors say the smell is strongest just before they fall asleep.Residents who walk the river after dark wake up three days later on their porches.

A wooden telephone pole on a quiet residential corner covered in layers of stapled lost-pet flyers. — Flyers on the corner of Elm and Third.Flyers on Elm and Third. Every one is the same dog.

COMMUNITY

Hundreds of lost-pet posters appear across town in a single weekAnimal control stops counting. Keep pets inside after dark

Animal control says it has never seen anything like it. Most of the missing pets were last seen near Hollow Creek.The posters are real. So are the tracks along Hollow Creek.