Fisher’s selection was recommended and approved after the village’s Public Safety Committee interviewed two applicants, according to The Antrim Review. The appointment will change leadership at the Bellaire Police Department while the village begins a separate search for another police officer.

Chief appointment and police opening

The village posted an opening for an additional police officer following Fisher’s selection. That position is a separate hiring effort from the chief appointment and gives the village another police-related vacancy to fill as the June 4 effective date approaches.

The announcement identifies Fisher as a deputy and names June 4, 2026, as the date the appointment is to take effect. It does not provide a broader account of Fisher’s prior rank history or identify the department’s authorized staffing level.

Bellaire’s municipal website identifies the police department as a village service and provides links to police information, village agendas, meeting minutes and public notices. The municipality lists its offices at 202 N. Bridge St. in Bellaire, Michigan.

Other village vacancies

The same local report said a member of the Downtown Development Authority and a Department of Public Works worker had also resigned. The village issued replacement postings for those positions, creating additional vacancies beyond the police-chief transition and the new officer opening.

The report described those departures separately from Fisher’s appointment and the additional police-officer posting. It did not connect the vacancies or describe an effect on the village budget.

For Bellaire residents, the immediate change is a scheduled transition in police leadership on June 4. Fisher’s appointment has been approved after the committee’s applicant interviews, while recruitment for another officer remains the next known police staffing step described in the announcement.

The village’s public website serves as a central location for municipal news, agendas, minutes, police information and public notices. Residents can use those pages for later updates about the appointment, the officer opening and the other village vacancies.

The Michigan Department of Transportation said July 16 that an extreme rainfall event on June 29 dropped an estimated 5 to 7 inches of rain in a few hours. Flooding and washouts damaged several state highways in Antrim County.

What has reopened

MDOT’s July 16 update lists these Antrim County locations as repaired and reopened:

• M-66 at Lilak Creek: Temporarily repaired and open, with traffic crossing the culvert on a gravel surface until paving can be completed.
• M-88 just west of Central Lake: Repaired and reopened.
• M-88 at Coulter Creek: Temporarily repaired and open, with a gravel surface pending paving.
• M-88 at Eastport Creek: Temporarily repaired and open on a gravel surface. The location had previously been limited to one lane of alternating traffic controlled by a temporary signal.
• M-88 at Wilkinson Creek east of Eastport: Temporarily repaired and open on a gravel surface. MDOT said the previous Ellsworth Road and Atwood Road detour had been lifted.

The July 16 release does not describe these temporary repairs as final restoration. Drivers should expect rough or changing conditions near the culvert work and follow any posted signs, barricades and traffic controls.

What it means for Bellaire-area travel

The reopening of the M-88 crossings removes the closure and detour that had disrupted travel between M-88 and US-31. For people traveling through eastern Antrim County, that can shorten trips compared with the conditions reported earlier in July. However, reopened does not necessarily mean fully restored: gravel crossings and unfinished paving can still affect speeds, ride quality and route reliability.

Interlochen Public Radio reported July 8 that washouts had forced motorists to take longer routes and affected access to businesses, including Providence Organic Farm in Central Lake. The report also said MDOT had not yet set a firm timeline for full repairs at that point.

For Bellaire-area commuters, residents and visitors, the practical advice is to allow extra time, slow down near temporary surfaces and avoid assuming that a recently reopened route will remain unchanged after additional rain.

Other county roadwork remains separate

The Antrim County Road Commission’s 2026 bid information lists work involving M-88 culverts and Bellaire Highway paving. Those documents show ongoing infrastructure activity in the county, but they do not establish that every listed project resulted from the June 29 flooding.

Because road conditions and repair progress can change, drivers should check MDOT’s Mi Drive before leaving. The state resource provides current information on closures, incidents, construction and detours. Drivers should also follow signs in the field, even if an online status has not yet caught up with a change.

Sources

• Michigan Department of Transportation's July 16 road update
• Interlochen Public Radio's flooding report

Key dates and where to go

Both notices list the same location: Kearney Township Hall, 4820 Aero Park Drive, Bellaire, MI.

• Monday, July 6, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.: Election Commission meeting to approve election inspectors for the Aug. 4 primary.
• Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 1:30 p.m.: Public accuracy test of the township’s AccuVote optical-scan voting machines and ballots.

What the township says the public accuracy test is for

The township’s notice says the public accuracy test is meant to demonstrate that the computer program used to tabulate votes meets Michigan’s legal requirements.

What Michigan rules require residents to see (high level)

Michigan’s rules lay out what must happen during the public accuracy test and what the election commission must do if problems are detected. In practical terms, the test is more than “watching machines”—it’s a structured, rule-driven check using official testing materials and predetermined results.

• Who runs it: The election commission conducts the public accuracy test. The clerk (or clerk’s chairperson) leads the process for the commission.
• Room capacity limits: The clerk may limit how many people can attend based on room capacity.
• Official program/test deck: Initial testing must use the official test deck and programs prepared under the commission’s direction.
• Test on the actual tabulator: Each program and test deck must be tested on the tabulator that will be used for the election.
• Accessible voting devices: The commission must test accessible voting devices as part of the public accuracy test.
• Predetermined results: The test uses the chart of predetermined results so outcomes can be checked against expectations.
• If errors show up: The commission must determine the cause, correct the error, and make an errorless count for the precincts before certifying the test results.
• Certification: The commission must certify the accuracy of the test.
• Sealing and security: Programs, test decks, certified results, and predetermined results must be secured in an approved container and sealed so the container can’t be opened without breaking the seal.

Why the notice has to be posted in advance

Michigan law requires that public notice of the time and place of the electronic tabulation test be given at least 48 hours before the test (as part of the legal framework for transparency around pre-election equipment testing).

What to watch for if you attend July 16

If you plan to attend, focus on whether the test is being run with the official program/test deck and predetermined results, whether accessible voting devices are included, and how the commission handles the rule requirement for error correction and an errorless count before certification.

Sources

• Kearney Township posted notices (July 6 inspectors meeting; July 16 public accuracy test) — Kearney Township Hall, 4820 Aero Park Drive, Bellaire
• Michigan Admin Code (Elections): R 168.778 Public accuracy test
• Michigan Compiled Laws: MCL 168.798 Testing of electronic tabulating equipment; notice; method; sealing

AAA’s June 9 table shows Michigan’s average regular gasoline price at $4.222 and diesel at $5.675. In the Traverse City metro, AAA lists regular at $4.291 and diesel at $5.726. Both benchmarks are lower than Bellaire’s Marathon listing and both are lower than a week ago.

The national backdrop is softer too. The Energy Information Administration’s June 9 update shows U.S. regular gasoline at $4.146 a gallon and on-highway diesel at $5.210, both down week over week. That does not change what Bellaire drivers pay at the pump today, but it does show the local premium sitting against a market that has eased.

For commuters, households, contractors, delivery drivers, restaurants, and weekend travelers, that gap matters in practical ways. A fill-up at $4.69 regular or $6.09 diesel can make errands, service calls, supply runs, and repeated work-truck top-offs more expensive than they would be at nearby benchmarks.

If you are spotting a better price elsewhere in town, or a station that is still running higher than expected, share the highest and lowest local pump prices you are seeing around Bellaire.

Sources

• iExit — Marathon, 611 E. Cayuga St., Bellaire, MI
• AAA Fuel Prices — Michigan average and Traverse City metro table
• EIA — Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update

Regular gas in Bellaire is still listed near $4.69, while diesel is near $6.09 at the Marathon on 611 E. Cayuga St. Both prices are holding close to the last check even as AAA’s Michigan and U.S. averages edged lower on June 3.

How the local price compares

AAA put Michigan’s June 3 average at $4.270 for regular and $5.799 for diesel. The national average was $4.261 for regular and $5.411 for diesel. That means the Bellaire Marathon listing is still above both the state and U.S. benchmarks for each fuel.

Bellaire is also above AAA’s Traverse City-area average, which came in at $4.401 for regular and $5.878 for diesel. For drivers who can compare stops before filling up, that gap can matter fast on a busy week.

Why it matters

Commuters, contractors, delivery drivers, and small businesses feel the difference first when local pump prices stay sticky while broader averages soften. Diesel buyers tend to notice the strain most, because work trucks, vans, and fleet vehicles burn through fuel quickly.

For households and weekend travelers, the impact is simpler: a few extra cents per gallon becomes a bigger bill over repeated fill-ups. If you are planning errands or a longer drive, it can be worth comparing Bellaire prices with nearby averages before you stop.

If you are seeing the highest or lowest pump prices around Bellaire, send them along.

Sources

• iExit Marathon listing in Bellaire
• AAA Fuel Prices – Michigan averages
• EIA Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update
• Michigan licensed retail motor fuel establishments list

For a local retail snapshot, the Marathon at 611 E Cayuga St in Bellaire is listed at $4.69 for regular and $6.09 for diesel. That puts the station above the Traverse City average on both fuels: about 18 cents higher for regular and about 16 cents higher for diesel.

Bellaire sits in Antrim County, and Census Bureau maps place Antrim in the Traverse City micropolitan area, so the AAA Traverse City row is a sensible regional benchmark. The Bellaire listing is also above Michigan’s $4.414 regular and $5.885 diesel averages, and above U.S. averages of $4.356 regular and $5.492 diesel.

For commuters, households, contractors, delivery drivers, restaurant operators, weekend travelers, and small businesses, the practical takeaway is simple: the trend is better than it was last week, but fuel still costs enough that a few cents per gallon can add up fast across repeated fill-ups. If you’re comparing pumps around Bellaire, send us the highest and lowest prices you’re seeing.

Sources

• AAA Fuel Prices — Michigan state and Traverse City metro averages
• iExit — Bellaire Marathon station listing, 611 E Cayuga St
• U.S. Census Bureau — Traverse City, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area map
• U.S. Energy Information Administration — Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update

Regular gas: up a little day to day

For regular unleaded, AAA’s Traverse City average was $4.636 a gallon on May 25, 2026. That is 1.6 cents higher than yesterday, but 11.9 cents lower than a week ago. Compared with a month ago, regular gas is up 65.8 cents. Compared with a year ago, it is up $1.528.

That means the short-term move is small, but the bigger picture is still expensive for households and small businesses. Anyone commuting to work, running errands, or driving kids around Bellaire should expect fuel bills to stay elevated even if prices wobble from one day to the next.

Diesel: lower than yesterday, still a budget strain

Diesel moved the other way. AAA’s Traverse City diesel average came in at $5.999 a gallon on May 25, down 3.0 cents from yesterday and down 19.1 cents from a week ago. Even with that pullback, diesel is still 87.4 cents higher than a month ago and $2.440 higher than a year ago.

That matters most for contractors, delivery fleets, farmers, service companies, and anyone whose work trucks burn diesel. A small daily dip does not change the fact that diesel remains near the $6 mark in the Bellaire-area proxy market.

How Bellaire compares with Michigan and the U.S.

Michigan’s statewide AAA average on May 25 was $4.632 for regular gas and $6.018 for diesel. The national AAA average was lower on both fuels, at $4.507 for regular gas and $5.599 for diesel. So the Traverse City-area proxy sits slightly above the state on regular gas and slightly below the state on diesel, while both fuels remain above the national average.

The broader weekly backdrop still points to some easing. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest update shows both regular gasoline and on-highway diesel edging lower in the most recent weekly data. That does not guarantee cheaper local prices tomorrow, but it does suggest the national market has been cooling a bit even as holiday travel demand keeps retail prices elevated.

What it means for local drivers

For Bellaire residents, the practical takeaway is simple: the nearest verified local benchmark still shows near-$4.64 regular and about $6 diesel. That is expensive enough to affect road trips, weekend errands, and operating costs for businesses that make frequent deliveries or depend on trucks and equipment.

Memorial Day travel is part of the backdrop, and AAA says holiday demand is helping keep prices firm. Even so, the day-to-day moves are split, which is a reminder that regular gas and diesel can follow different paths from one check to the next.

If you’re filling up in or around Bellaire, compare nearby stations before you pump. If you spot a notably high or low price, share it with us so other readers can see what the local market looks like this week.

Sources

• AAA Fuel Prices — Michigan and Traverse City metro averages
• U.S. Energy Information Administration — Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update
• U.S. Census Bureau — Traverse City micropolitan area map
• Michigan LARA Fire Service Directory — Bellaire District Fire Authority