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MON, OCT 26, 2026 BELLWETHER, MI

LOCAL NEWS

Drones over Main St.: who's flying them?The drones are counting gardens

The township says they aren't its drones. Neither does the county.They pause over every backyard, then leave toward Hollow Creek.

BY HAL BRANDTBY R. CALLOWAY STAFF WRITERUNEDITED MONDAY, OCT 26, 2026

Small drones have been seen hovering over Main St. and the east-side neighborhoods several evenings a week. The township says they aren't its drones. So does the county.

Most sightings are around dusk. Residents say the drones fly low and slow over backyards, then leave toward Hollow Creek.Most sightings are at dusk. The drones fly low and slow over backyards, pausing over every garden for exactly as long as it takes to count it. They leave toward Hollow Creek.

Police ask anyone who knows who owns the drones to call the non-emergency line.Police ask anyone who knows who owns the drones to call the non-emergency line. If you have a garden, cover it at night.

Three road workers, one in an orange safety vest, stand behind a striped road-closed barricade on a rural road at dusk. 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.
An abandoned wooden sawmill with a sagging roof on a misty riverbank surrounded by autumn trees. 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.
A wooden telephone pole on a quiet residential corner covered in layers of stapled lost-pet flyers. 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.

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