Gov. Rick Snyder

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder will give his second State of the State address at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the state Capitol in Lansing.

Snyder did not narrow down the topic of his speech, but said it’s more “setting a tone for the entire year,” according to a story by the Detroit Free Press.

Some potential topics include increasing state police troopers to ensure public safety, improving customer service from government workers toward taxpayers and improving laws in reference to campaigning ethics.

Public schools and universities are also expected to be discussed, but Snyder did not go into detail on the range of topics.

The Flint Journal reported the governor will also discuss tax policy, including the Michigan Business Tax, which he and Rep. Paul Scott (R-Grand Blanc) have agreed needs to be repealed.

Snyder took office on Jan. 1, 2011, and gave his first State of the State address 18 days later when he discussed plans for the Detroit River International Crossing.

Students living in the residents halls can tune into WCMU to watch Snyder’s speech Wednesday, while WNEM will be carrying the program for off-campus residents.

Part of my responsibility as the police reporter requires me to read over the Mount Pleasant Police Department’s daily press log, which breaks down recent arrests.

Most of them are minor. A couple guys got drunk and peed on the Wayside, or a rowdy party was broken up.

Occasionally, something a little weirder will show up, like a July incident where a man was held at gunpoint for an hour, only for the gunman to reveal it was a BB gun.

Over the last few months though, things have taken a serious turn.

It was hard not to notice the serious nature of some of the crimes this summer. A man was stabbed during a wedding at Island Park, a woman was killed on the tribal reservation and a man held off Shepherd police with a gun for two hours.

That’s not even mentioning the shooting at The Cabin, a tragedy that rocked Mount Pleasant.

Reading the press logs since returning to Central Michigan University has reflected the shift. There have been a number of burglaries, fights leading to people being hospitalized and even a few cases of criminal sexual conduct.

I covered the same subject last semester and things never seemed this crazy.

One of the main selling points of CMU is it has historically been a very safe place to attend college. The police are proactive and involved, and the campus is pretty safe to walk through.

As a freshman and sophomore, I would routinely walk home at night by myself and think nothing of it. But in this environment, I would have to really think it over before doing it again.

Perhaps it can be attributed to everyone coming back, partying and making bad decisions. Maybe things will calm down in a few weeks as students settle into classes.

Let’s calm down a bit, people of Mount Pleasant. I’ll find something else to write about in the mean time.

The former forward was convicted of a high-court misdemeanor, rather than felony larceny in a building and financial transaction device-possession.

Hardiman was arrested early in the summer after a woman reported her purse being stolen at the bar.

Hardiman was later found by O’Kelly’s employees in the bathroom with the woman’s purse. Her credit card was also found next to where Hardiman had been standing. Police arrived to investigate and he was jailed on $8,000 bond.

He also will be required to pay an additional $350 for a court-appointed attorney, a $68 state cost fee and a $60 crime victim’s rights fee.

He now plans to attend Robert Morris University in Illinois after losing his basketball scholarship from CMU in July. He will be eligible to play at Robert Morris, a private institution based in Chicago with locations in other parts of the state.

Attorney William Shirley, who represented Hardiman, urged Trial Judge Mark Duthie to keep the punishment light and to consider the fact that RMU will be starting its fall term very soon.

He argued that because alcohol played a role in Hardiman’s decision-making, and because he has no criminal history, he should not receive too strict of a sentence.

“He’s a very nice young man, who did a very dumb thing in this situation,” he said. “He plans to still have an opportunity to get an education.”

Isabella County Prosecutor Larry Burdick said his office was originally hoping to have Hardiman placed on probation.

However, Duthie threw the idea out, citing how transferring probation supervision to a different state such as Illinois would be too difficult.

“We would have preferred he also be placed on probation for a period of time, but I understand he is enrolled to start school in Chicago,” Burdick said.

Last season, Hardiman averaged 9.7 points per game in 28 starts. He also logged 4.9 rebounds per game and a total of 45 steals.

He is one of five players to leave the team this offseason, along with Adrian Hunter, Lawrence Bridges, William Eddie III and Jeremy Allen.

The men’s basketball team’s first exhibition game is Nov. 1 against Marygrove.

Some overflows, streaming onto the floor as blackberry ale is packaged for resale.

Foam fills the head of the bottlenecks as six men sit drinking in a circle, slapping purple labels onto each.

Stories are exchanged and laughs are thrown around with witty — and raunchy — humor is exchanged on each side of the bar and in the back room, where the hop is fermenting.

Welcome to the Mount Pleasant Brewing Company.

“It’s simply not just the poor beer you get at the store, and if people want a quality taste at a good price, this is their new hidden gem,” said Jim Holton, Mount Pleasant mayor and owner of the new brewing company and Mountain Town Station. “Hopefully, one day we will be able to distribute it throughout the state, or maybe we could even be a name throughout the Midwest.”

The brews are already distributed to Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing and Alpena.

Open for one week, the company has already seen success in individual pint sales. Every bartender spouts the statistics in shock to newcomers. The company wanted to sell 100 pints in their first day of business. They sold 300.

The tap room offers eight different microbrews, all available for taste testing: Gambler’s Golden Ale, Second Wind Wheat, Railyard Razzberry Wheat, Cowcatcher Red Ale, Hobo’s Breath Brown Ale, Coal Stoker’s Blackberry, Steam Engine Stout and Iron Horse IPA, which packs the most alcohol content of any of their beers at 6.6 percent. Customers can even come in to buy a six-pack for $9, with a create-your-own, mix and match motif.

The company has been around for two years, formerly housed in Warehouse No. 3 in the Commerce Center.

“Then we only had a garage door and tanks. It was nothing special, that’s for sure,” said Erik Bliss, MPBC general manager. “This was built fast. … If you’ve ever felt like you need something different, come here. We’re not downtown, instead off of the beaten path. The beer has a handcrafted taste. It’s a real open atmosphere. It’s the same owner, the same brewer, just a new business.”

Building a brewery

Beal City resident Brad Bellinger, left, and Mount Pleasant resident Colin Mckenney empty wheat and barley into a wagon on Thursday at the Mount Pleasant Brewing Company. A local farmer picks up the grains to feed to his cows. (Neil Blake/Staff Photographer)

About three months ago, blueprints were drawn up for the project’s development. Holton was in discussions with Rick McGuirk about a slip of property, at 614 W. Pickard St., that McGuirk would like Holton to build on. McGuirk knew Holton wanted to expand the business into more than a garage band brewery, so McGuirk offered up a solution.

“He wanted to build it for me,” Holton said. “After all was said and done, we moved in. He built it to the exact specifications I wanted. It’s beautiful. When we moved into the first location it took three weeks. This move took three days. The learning curve was exponential.”

It doesn’t look like every other bar from the outside, said bartender Chad Carpenter, a 25-year-old Traverse City senior. A white building with a little blue awning above the door. A garage filled with windows sits to the left of the entrance, but this brewery should not be judged on the simplicity of its store front.

The interior may be the cleanest bar Mount Pleasant has seen in years, Carpenter said.

With wooden furniture spread atop its floor and essential bar stools, its a cozy place for beer enthusiasts, Bliss said, to come enjoy a board game or just be in the company of other beer connoisseurs.

“Not being downtown, this location, it brings people who will enjoy the beer, not who come to get drunk,” said Karina Chouinard, a 21-year-old bartender and Traverse City junior.

Carpenter described his favorite beer, the Hobo’s Breath Brown Ale, as a sweet, malty flavor with a crisp finishing taste, slightly sweet.

Mount Pleasant resident Chris Venegas rode his bicycle up and down the street one night this week looking for the brewery. He couldn’t find it at night, but successful in his next attempt Thursday afternoon, he had his first pint of Indian Pale Ale. It is his favorite beer.

“Support local, that’s what this is about,” Venegas said. “We need to stop importing beers from Belgium when we can embrace this brewery only a few miles down the road. And it helps that all these bartenders are cool. The beer is pristine.”

What’s next

The one bar essential the Mount Pleasant Brewing Company does not have, Bliss said, is food. He said many customers have already voiced their opinion and food is a must.

Bliss said food will be served by Oct. 1. He said there won’t be an extensive menu, but it will include pizza, panini sandwiches and soups, alongside the already free popcorn and peanuts.

The Mount Pleasant Brewing Company will have a ceremonial grand opening Sept. 11, where customers can view a ribbon cutting and have discounted drinks.

The business hours for the company are noon to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and noon to midnight Friday and Saturday. It is closed on Sundays.

“When we get this place filled with customers, oh, I even get goosebumps saying that,” Bliss said, rubbing his arm. “That will be a good day.”