Maple Grove Gazette - May 16, 2026

Maple Grove's Only Newspaper of Record — Vol. 1 No. 5 — Edited by Mr. Ellison, Town Archivist & Historian

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

Mother's Day weekend in Maple Grove proceeded, this editor is pleased to report, with the kind of weather one prays for and rarely receives. Sunshine arrived on schedule. The breeze conducted itself with civility. Brunch lines at Brewed Awakenings exceeded the café's seating capacity by a comfortable margin, and the picnic tables at Memorial Park were, by mid-afternoon Sunday, fully occupied by families who had brought, between them, enough cake to embarrass a wedding.

It is, as readers will be aware, also the final week of the school year for the senior students. The Maple Grove High graduation ceremony is scheduled for Thursday evening, and dress rehearsal in the gymnasium has already produced one item of note—which is shared in the Community Notices, below.

The annual canoe race takes place this Saturday. Civic interest is, as ever, high. Civic complaint is, this editor is told, also high — Charlene having taken a renewed and very personal interest in this year's county fair produce categories, with consequences that have already prompted the Foster family to place an order for fencing of a height not previously seen in their part of town.

Full report follows.

📜 POLICE BLOTTER

THE IRON CREEK BEAVER INCIDENT

Saturday, May 9 — Iron Creek, Salenbeam Property to Walter Farm

The Maple Grove Men's Club volunteers, who by long-standing tradition scout the Iron Creek route in advance of the annual canoe race, conducted their reconnaissance run last Saturday morning. The water level was reported as "noticeably higher than the same week in any of the previous five years," a determination the volunteers reached without instruments and which, this editor is told, was confirmed by two separate volunteers who got their pants wet when they stepped into the water to check for any hazards, and found the tops of their hip-waders below the water level.

The cause was identified at approximately the route's halfway point. A single beaver—referred to in subsequent club correspondence as "the engineer"—had felled every aspen on the Salenbeam property and assembled the resulting timber into what one volunteer described as "a structure with intent." The runoff had been directed, with what this editor must concede was admirably efficient design, into one of Mr. Walter's back fields. Mr. Walter had planted that field exactly one week prior.

A volunteer placed a courtesy call to Mr. Walter that afternoon to alert him to the condition of the field. Mr. Walter, this editor is told, received the news without enthusiasm.

The matter, however, did not end there. The same volunteer received a call back from Mr. Walter the following day. Mr. Walter, in the volunteer's reporting, indicated that he and the beaver had "come to an understanding," and that the canoe race was cleared to proceed as scheduled. The nature of the understanding was not disclosed. Officer Wilson, when consulted, declined to investigate further on the grounds that "there is no indication that any laws have been broken by Mr. Walter or the beaver."

Final Disposition: River clear. Race on. Field condition pending. The engineer remains at large and, by all accounts, undisputed.

📋 COMMUNITY NOTICES

MAPLE GROVE HIGH—GRADUATION CEREMONY

The Maple Grove High School graduation ceremony will take place Thursday evening at 6:00 PM in the school gymnasium. Doors open at 5:30. The Gazette extends its congratulations, in advance, to the graduating class.

This editor must report, however, that dress rehearsal earlier this week did not pass without incident. Conditions in the gymnasium were, by all accounts, unseasonably warm. One member of the graduating class, in what the principal has described as "a deeply human response to a profoundly mismanaged thermostat," elected to reduce the number of layers worn beneath his graduation gown to a number this editor will not specify. The decision, this editor is told, was working perfectly until the steps leading up to the stage—at which point a misstep was made, the gown reasserted its independence, and a brief but vivid moment was witnessed by an estimated forty students, three teachers, and the school's photographer, who was assessing the best spot from which to photograph the ceremony.

This editor declines to elaborate. The student in question has been counseled. The gymnasium thermostat has been serviced. His mother, the Gazette is reliably informed, has already purchased a lighter weight shirt and slacks for the pending ceremony.

ANNUAL CANOE RACE—SATURDAY

The annual Maple Grove Men's Club Canoe Race will take place this Saturday on the Iron Creek route, conditions permitting (see Police Blotter, above). Spectators are welcome at the finish line. Refreshments will be available, and the Gazette is told that the race committee has, this year, "made provisions" for the possibility that the “engineer” may take a renewed interest in the proceedings.

MOMMY & ME—TUESDAY MORNING AT BREWED AWAKENINGS

The Maple Grove Mommy & Me group will gather Tuesday at 10:00 AM at Brewed Awakenings. Coffee, conversation, and the café's spring menu will be plentiful. Strollers will be parked, this editor is reminded, "in an orderly fashion on the sidewalk," by request of the proprietor.

A FOSTER PROPERTY UPDATE

The Foster family has, the Gazette is told, placed an order for an eight-foot privacy fence, scheduled for installation this week. Gordon mentioned the order in passing at the café and has confirmed it on the record. Mrs. Foster has been the reigning produce champion at the county fair for, by this editor's count, several consecutive years. Charlene has recently announced, with considerable conviction, that she intends to claim several blue ribbons in this year's produce categories. She has also, coincidentally, taken up a daily walking route that passes the Foster property at a pace one neighbor described as "investigative."

This editor declines to draw a connection between these two developments. The historical record will, presumably, do that for him.

🏛️ HISTORICAL NOTE

This is not the first time produce competition has driven significant landscape modification in Maple Grove. In 1998, a similar dispute between two long-standing fair contestants resulted in the construction of what was, for six years, the tallest hedge ever recorded on the eastern side of town. The hedge came down only after the contestants reconciled at a funeral neither was prepared to attend without the other.

In 1965, the Gazette's predecessor publication—long since defunct—reported that a beaver had stopped traffic on the old Iron Creek bridge for an entire afternoon. The matter was resolved, per the original article, when "a neighbor went down and had a word with him." This editor has consulted the article twice this week, hoping for further detail. None is offered.

This editor offers the historical record without further comment.

🧁 The Main Course—Meet LB Dayton

If you told me a story about a woman who taught yoga for 25 years, ran her own studio for a decade, competes in ballroom dance, served as president of the Colored Pencil Society of America, and also writes cozy mysteries about art heists — I'd say that sounds like a character I wish I'd written.

But LB Dayton is very much real. And she's become one of my favorite people in the cozy mystery world.

The Art Connection

LB's love of art isn't just a hobby that drifts into her writing — it is the writing. Her Chicago-set series follows the world of art galleries, and the mysteries hinge on theft, forgery, and the kind of high-stakes double-crossing that happens behind velvet ropes. If you've ever wandered through a museum and wondered what would happen if someone actually did try to walk out with a painting under their coat... LB has thought about it more than you have. And she's written it beautifully.

What I love about her work is that the art world details feel lived-in. They're not research — they're reflex. When your author has literal colored pencil competition credentials, you can trust the brushstroke details.

The Dancer, The Yogi, The Mystery Writer

Here's the thing about LB: she doesn't do anything halfway. She taught yoga for 25 years and ran her own studio for a decade — she still teaches classes there. She competes in ballroom dance — and I mean competes, not "took a class once at a community center." She's an accomplished artist in her own right.

And then she started writing mysteries.

She's now 14 books deep across two series — the Chicago art gallery cozies and a Dallas-set chef mystery series that has been picking up serious momentum. The woman simply does not stop creating.

Why You Should Read Her

If you love cozies that feel smart without being stuffy, where the setting is as much a character as the sleuth, LB Dayton is your next binge read. Her Chicago series especially scratches that itch for readers who want a mystery world that feels genuinely specific — not a generic small town with interchangeable shops, but a fully realized world built by someone who actually knows the territory.

Start with her art gallery series if you love atmosphere and clever plotting. Start with the Dallas chef series if you want something warm, food-forward, and fast-paced. Either way, you're in excellent hands.

👉 Browse all of LB Dayton's books on Amazon →

👉 Read the full Spotlight on the Gazette →

✍️ Behind the Scenes

Mother's Day weekend at our house was almost embarrassingly perfect—sunshine, no schedule, and HayHay rearranging the patio furniture into what she informed me was "her restaurant." I was given a menu. I was given a bill. I was charged in hugs, which is the only currency she really accepts. Prior to our Mother’s Day cook-out, my daughters and granddaughters joined me for our annual trip to our favorite nursery. We returned home with two truckloads of flowers and vegetables. Spring planting has begun. Joe avoided any and all talk of plants and gardening by spending an exceptionally long time grilling and then cleaning the grill. Charlie supervised from her sunny patch and registered no complaints, which from Charlie counts as a five-star review. I'd take that Sunday on repeat for the rest of the year.

Willow 🌿

Meet Willow

Author, School Board member, and gluten-free baker. I write the Jenna McGregor mysteries from my home in Michigan, fueled by coffee and Peloton PRs.

Want to stay in the know? Get the Weekly Notebook

Maple Grove Gazette - May 9, 2026

Maple Grove's Only Newspaper of Record — Vol. 1 No. 4 — Edited by Mr. Ellison, Town Archivist & Historian

FROM THE EDITORS DESK

This editor extends the Gazette's warmest regards to the mothers of Maple Grove on the occasion of Mother's Day weekend. The weather is cooperating. The lilacs have, for once, accepted their assignment without complaint. The town's florists, bakers, and clergy are all reporting their usual Mother's-Day-weekend levels of quiet panic, which by long-standing local custom signals that everything is on track.

It has also been, this editor must report, an unusually active week for civic complaint. Charlene has filed two formal complaints in seven days—one concerning the curricular choices of the Maple Grove High Agriculture Club, who in her words "grew far too many marigolds and not a single lisianthus," and one concerning what she has alternately described as "vandalism," "destruction of personal property," and "an act of coordinated horticultural terrorism." A police investigation followed.

The investigation has concluded. Findings are reported below. This editor offers no commentary beyond the historical record, as is his policy in matters of this weight.

📜 POLICE BLOTTER

THE CHARLENE FLOWER BED INCIDENT

Wednesday, May 6; Elm St.—Maple Grove

Charlene reported, at 6:14 AM on Wednesday, that her front-yard flower bed—recently planted with tulips, pansies, and petunias and tended, this editor is told, with a degree of attention bordering on fussy—had been "destroyed overnight." She filed a written report at the police station before her morning coffee, which residents of long memory will recognize as a benchmark for the seriousness with which she viewed the matter.

Officer Wilson was dispatched. Initial assessment confirmed that the flower bed had, in fact, been thoroughly worked over. Petals were identified at a distance of up to fifteen feet from the bed itself. Two of the petunias were unaccounted for entirely.

Charlene named several initial suspects, all human and all by name. Officer Wilson—exercising what this editor would describe as professional restraint—declined to make any formal accusation and instead requested permission to review residential security camera footage from the three neighboring properties. Permission was granted, in writing, with what witnesses described as "considerable eagerness."

The footage tells a different story than the one Charlene had prepared for the Village Council. At approximately 4:47 AM, a group of rabbits—described variously in the report as "five to seven in number," "operating with discipline," and "absolutely shameless"—were observed entering the flower bed and remaining for approximately twenty-three minutes. The rabbits departed at 5:10 AM in what the report describes as "no particular hurry."

Final Disposition: The matter has been classified by the Maple Grove Police Department as a non-criminal event. The rabbits have been cleared of all charges. Charlene has indicated, on the record, that she finds the conclusion "unsatisfactory." The flower bed will, by all accounts, be replanted.

In a related and unrelated matter, this editor is told that Gordon was overheard in the café discussing that he had placed a special order this week for wire mesh, a quantity of corrugated metal in a non-standard length, and several galvanized J-feeders. Gordon, when asked, confirmed the order. He declined to elaborate. This editor declines to draw any conclusions.

📋 COMMUNITY NOTICES

METHODIST CHURCH — CHILDREN-LED MOTHER'S DAY SERVICE

The First Methodist Church of Maple Grove will host a children-led service this Sunday morning in honor of Mother's Day. The Gazette is told the order of worship has been "almost entirely surrendered" to the church's Sunday-school program, a decision Pastor Elliot described—without elaboration—as "the right call, made for reasons."

A brunch will follow, hosted, organized, and (this editor is assured) cooked by the Men's Group, who report themselves "cautiously optimistic." A photo booth will be available in the fellowship hall for family portraits. Special music will be provided by The Barber Shop Boys, the town's a cappella quartet, fronted by Luke and Evan Wilson—the two of whom are, this editor is reminded, also Mrs. Wilson's sons, and have been informed in advance that their mother will be in attendance.

BREWED AWAKENINGS — MOTHER'S DAY BASKET

Brewed Awakenings on Main Street is offering its annual Mother's Day Basket through Sunday. Each basket includes four Lemon Spring Sunshine Scones (gluten-free), individual egg soufflés (also glute-free), a half-pound of the café's house coffee blend, and a half-dozen French macarons—the small, chewy meringue cookies, this editor is firmly instructed to clarify, and not the coconut sort, which are an entirely separate dessert and on which the café declines to take a position.

Supply, the Gazette is told, is "limited but reasonable." Pre-orders have kept the Brewed Awakenings team busy. This editor will note, for the record, that one basket has already been ordered in his name, by a party who did not consult him, and he is making peace with this development.

MAPLE GROVE THEATRE DEPARTMENT — MAMMA MIA!

The Maple Grove College Theatre Department will present Mamma Mia! this weekend at the main campus auditorium. Performances are scheduled Saturday at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM, and Sunday at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Tickets are available at the door.

This editor has been informed that the production is, by long-standing small college-musical tradition, "more energetic than precise." Mothers, it is felt, will not mind.

🏛️ HISTORICAL NOTE

This is not the first time a Maple Grove flower bed has fallen victim to local wildlife. In 1977, a similar incident on Beech Lane resulted in the formation of the short-lived Citizens' Committee for Garden Defense, which met three times and disbanded after its members concluded that "the rabbits had simply been here longer." The committee's final report, on file at the town archive, contains the line: "We were never going to win." This editor has consulted it twice this week.

In 1992, the Village Council briefly entertained a proposal to construct rabbit-proof fencing around the perimeter of certain residential gardens. The motion was tabled when the new council was voted in that fall and a particularly opinionated garden enthusiast was voted off. The issue has not been revisited.

This editor offers the historical record without further comment.

🔍 Fellow Sleuths Worth Following

Two picks this week, fellow sleuths — both with a particular soft spot for the small-town-with-secrets setup, and both featuring a sidekick I would let into my kitchen at any hour. Pull up a chair.

🐾 Clues, Chaos, and a Cat — Becca Garner

Hazel Merriweather walks into a cluttered coastal animal shelter wanting two things: a cat, and maybe a fresh start. What she walks back out with is one unconscious volunteer, a regret-tinged ghost only she can see, and Edgar — a sharp-eyed gray cat who has decided, with no input from Hazel, that she is now his person. When the attack on the volunteer is shrugged off as an accident, Hazel and Edgar start asking questions, and the answers lead them to a conspiracy-obsessed janitor with a grievance, an evasive grant writer with secrets, a missing rescue dog, muddy pawprints into the coastal fog, and a box buried in the sand. If they can't crack the case in time, the shelter falls and the past stays buried with it. New author, big-hearted debut, exactly the right level of cozy paranormal nonsense. I am here for Edgar.

👉Meet Becca and grab the book →

🎭 Cue the Catastrophe — Sloan Foster

Retired English teacher Marnie Devlin loans her vintage costume collection to the Players Community Theater expecting sawdust, slapstick, and the pleasant chaos of a small-town production. Instead, the show's notoriously cruel director takes a chandelier to the head — in front of an audience that, for several long seconds, thinks it's part of the bit. Armed with a real police consultant's badge, an English teacher's instinct for what doesn't fit, and a nine-pound Chihuahua named Taco who has never once been wrong about a person, Marnie starts pulling threads. The scorned actress with a broken engagement and a freshly padded bank account looks guilty. The silver-haired theater legend whose life's work was stolen looks guiltier. And then a second body turns up — and evidence lands in Marnie's own boutique trunk. I want to live in this book, and I want Taco to like me.

👉 Meet Sloan and grab the book →

🧁 The Main Course

Christmas in Maple Grove.

I'm sitting in one of my favorite scenes of Book 5, and I am taking my time with it. It's Christmas Eve. The church is full. The candles have just been lit. Lisa is holding one—and anyone who has spent time with Lisa already knows what I am about to spend the next several pages on.

I'm not telling you what happens. But I will tell you that Pastor Elliot does not see it coming.

Maple Grove at Christmas is a love letter to the kind of small town that I grew up in and exists mostly in our better memories. There is snow on the church steps. A children's choir that is mostly on key. Mildred, holding her candle with typical Mildred precision. A grown up Dan Harper is in attendance with his wife and young children. Mom and Dad in the third pew on the left, the way they have been for forty years. And there is Lisa. With a candle. Both hands. Concentration.

I'll let you guess how it goes.

In the meantime, Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints continues to find its readers, and the reader notes coming in have been, every single one, a reason to keep going. If you haven't yet met young Jenna, Lisa, Joe, Dan, and Winston — the door's still open.

Get your copy of Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints →

And to every mother reading this—and every person who has loved a mother, missed a mother, or is the mother who is, right now, holding the entire weekend together—I am grateful for you, this Sunday and every other.

✍️ Behind the Scenes

Charlie has rediscovered the deck. She is not, despite repeated suggestions, burning off any winter belly—but when a chipmunk has the audacity to exist, she covers fifteen feet of cedar in under a second and, unlike the dog, sounds like a herd of elephants the whole way. This Mother's Day is the annual greenhouse run with my girls—Mom is in Canada with my sister, so we'll save her a seat—and I cannot wait to get my hands dirty.

Willow 🌿

Meet Willow

Author, School Board member, and gluten-free baker. I write the Jenna McGregor mysteries from my home in Michigan, fueled by coffee and Peloton PRs.

Want to stay in the know? Get the Weekly Notebook

Maple Grove Gazette—May 2, 2026

Maple Grove's Only Newspaper of Record — Vol. 1 No. 3 — Edited by Mr. Ellison, Town Archivist & Historian

🌿 The Maple Grove Update

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

This editor is pleased to mark the official arrival of spring in Maple Grove, which—as readers of long memory will recall—is determined less by any meteorological measure than by the resumption of youth baseball and softball at Memorial Park.

Early indications are that this year's youth teams are unusually strong. Whether this is a credit to the coaching staff or a happy coincidence of demographics, this editor declines to say. What he can say is that the season is, regrettably, also distinguished by a small but persistent uptick in broken window glass in the homes bordering the park.

In response, Charlene has announced her intention to introduce a motion at the next Village Council meeting calling for protective netting around the park. This editor, who as a matter of long-standing policy declines to take public positions on local civic affairs, finds himself—in this rare and we trust isolated instance—in agreement with Charlene.

Full report below.

📜 POLICE BLOTTER

THE WINDOW PANE INCIDENTS

Wednesday, April 22 – Tuesday, April 28Update—Homes Bordering Memorial Park

Between the hours of 5:30 PM and dusk on three separate occasions over the past seven days, residential window panes on the streets bordering Memorial Park were broken by objects which witnesses, in separate accounts, described variously as "a baseball" and "a baseball, again."

Gordon, who tends to know these things, reports that he has been called out to replace three (3) panes in seven days. He notes, additionally, that he is not in the habit of complaining about extra business, but feels that certain patterns are worth mentioning aloud.

The first window, this editor is told, belonged to a kitchen on Elm Street. The second, a sun porch on also on Elm Street. The third—and most recent—the rear window of a detached garage on Birch Lane, which has the distinction of being the only one of the three the homeowner described, on the record, as "honestly, kind of a great hit."

It has come to the attention of this editor, that Coach Ball’s truck, which has been seen repeatedly parked in the grass next to the ball diamond, is in need of a new windshield. No report has been filed about the windshield.

Officer Markle was dispatched to each scene. In every instance the relevant ball was located and returned to its rightful owner—a young person whose identity this editor declines to publish, both out of professional discretion and because the young person's mother is known to know where this editor lives.

Charlene, who first observed the trend over the weekend, has formally indicated that she will introduce a motion at the next Village Council meeting calling for protective netting around the perimeter of Memorial Park. The motion is expected to pass. This editor, who as a matter of policy declines to weigh in on civic matters, will note—for the record, and only this once—that the proposal is sensible.

Final Disposition: Three window panes replaced. One Council motion forthcoming. Glass on the sidewalk has been swept up. The young person in question has, this editor is told, been encouraged to channel his evident promise toward the outfield fence—a suggestion which has not, as of this issue's deadline, been taken.

📋 COMMUNITY NOTICES

WILSON'S FLORAL—PROM CORSAGE SPECIAL

Mrs. Wilson, proprietor of Wilson's Floral on Main Street, has announced a prom corsage special for the season. The shop's hand-lettered front-window sign—observed in passing by this editor—reads, in part, "Mothers—please budget accordingly," a sentiment the Gazette finds both candid and useful.

Maple Grove High's spring prom is scheduled for later this month. Wilson's is, per Mrs. Wilson, "stocked, prepared, and uninterested in last-minute calls from teenagers who 'forgot.'" The Gazette respects this position.

MEN'S CLUB — ANNUAL SANDBOX FILL

The Maple Grove Men's Club completed its annual sandbox fill at the public park last Saturday. The volume of fresh sand was, by long-standing local tradition, "more than necessary, less than enough." The town's youngsters have responded with the enthusiasm one would expect.

The town's cats, this editor is told, have also responded with enthusiasm—in a manner the Men's Club did not anticipate and would prefer not to comment on at this time. Members are reminded that the matter is expected to be discussed at the next club meeting.

🏛️ HISTORICAL NOTE

This is not the first instance of broken window glass attributable to youth athletics in Maple Grove. In 1989, a series of incidents at the original Memorial Park led the Village Council to relocate Field Two thirty feet to the north—a measure which, according to records this editor has consulted, "did not accomplish what was hoped, but did make it slightly less someone's fault."

In 2011, the same conversation regarding netting was held, briefly, before being tabled in favor of a motion to refinish the bleachers. The bleachers were refinished. The matter of netting was not raised again until this week.

This editor offers the historical record without further comment.

🔍 Fellow Sleuths Worth Following

Just one pick this week, fellow sleuths—and full disclosure, a slightly different lane than my usual fare. If clean, sun-drenched second-chance romance is your thing (or you have a friend whose thing it is), this one is worth a look.

🌅 The Marine Who Came Back — Sadie Greene

A reality dating-show host arrives at a Southern California resort to tell other people's love stories—and walks straight into the Marine ex who left her fourteen years ago, now raising an eight-year-old documentarian and quietly running the place's security team. There's a dog who picks his own people. There are evening walks and rescue attempts. There are reality-TV producers who would absolutely sell out somebody's privacy for a ratings bump. Yes please.

👉 Meet Sadie and grab the book →

🧁 The Main Course

A different season, a different draft.

It's strange the way the calendar runs in two places at once. Outside, the lilacs are out, the youth teams are warming up, and spring fever has definitely sprung at the local schools (prompting dress code reminders to students and parents). Inside the manuscript, it is Christmas. Snow on the church steps. A candlelight service that does not go as planned. A character I have been aching to write for two books.

That's where Book 5 lives right now. I'm finishing the epilogue of the first draft. I know what happens. I also know what won't happen, which turns out to be just as important. Christmas in Maple Grove is going to break some hearts and mend a few others, and there is a scene involving Jenna and a certain someone that I think a particular subset of you have been waiting for since Book 1.

In the meantime, Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints has been out for two weeks now and is finding its readers. Many of you have written to tell me that meeting young Jenna, Lisa, Joe, Dan, and Winston felt like coming home before you knew the house. That is the loveliest thing anyone has ever said about a book of mine, and I will be coasting on it for some time. Given the number of readers who have reached out asking for more of Jenna’s early adventures, there may be more stories involving Maple Grove High School students down the road.

If you haven't read it yet, it's waiting for you.

Get your copy of Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints →

And if you have already read it—please help other readers find it by leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or BookBub. I read every single one. Every one matters more than I can say.

✍️ Behind the Scenes

Charlie has discovered that if she sits directly on my laptop, I will give her attention instead of finishing a scene. She has weaponized this knowledge. I am considering writing my acknowledgments section for Book 5 entirely about her—half affectionate, half cease-and-desist.

Until next time, fellow sleuths. Stay caffeinated. Stay suspicious. And—if you live near the ballpark—keep an eye on your windows.

Willow 🌿

Meet Willow

Author, School Board member, and gluten-free baker. I write the Jenna McGregor mysteries from my home in Michigan, fueled by coffee and Peloton PRs.

Want to stay in the know? Get the Weekly Notebook

Maple Grove Gazette — April 25, 2026

Maple Grove's Only Newspaper of Record—Vol. 1 No. 2—Edited by Mr. Ellison, Town Archivist & Historian

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

This is the second issue of the Gazette, and I am pleased to report that the paper has already acquired its first reliable source.

Gordon—a man this editor considers a model of civic attention — observed a notable disturbance at Maple Grove College early Friday morning and brought it to our attention with admirable brevity. Full report below. The Gazette extends its thanks to Gordon for both the tip and for delivering it in fewer than thirty words, a quality this newspaper considers increasingly rare.

📜POLICE BLOTTER

THE MAPLE GROVE COLLEGE MARQUEE INCIDENT

Sunday, April 19Update—College Entrance Marquee

Sometime between the hours of 11:30 PM Saturday and 6:15 AM Sunday, the letters on the Maple Grove College entrance marquee were rearranged by an unknown party. The original message, placed Monday by the Admissions Office, read SPRING ENROLLMENT OPEN.

By 6:15 AM Sunday, the message read something else.

This editor declines to reprint the replacement message on the grounds that it is both juvenile and, upon careful consideration, anatomically implausible. Gordon, who passes the college on his morning walk and is the only reason the matter was reported before 8 AM, described the scene as "not suitable for children, dogs, or first cups of coffee."

Officer Markle was dispatched at 7:42 AM. Campus Maintenance arrived shortly thereafter with a ladder. Photographs were taken, though this editor is told they will not be preserved.

Professor Smith, Dean of Student Affairs, arrived at approximately 7:55 AM and surveyed the marquee in silence for what witnesses described as "an uncomfortable length of time." When pressed for a statement, he offered: “The replacement message contained an anatomical error. Our biology department has offered to assist with the investigation."

The letters have since been restored. A surveillance camera has been requested. High school seniors and college fraternitieshave been questioned informally. No suspects have been named. The investigation is ongoing, though this editor suspects it will remain ongoing in perpetuity.

Final Disposition: No charges filed. Maintenance noted. A review of the college's overnight security protocol has been added to the next Board agenda.

COMMUNITY NOTICES

BREWED AWAKENINGS—SPRING SUNSHINE SCONES

The new Spring Sunshine Scone, introduced on the café's chalkboard last week, has—per the owner's own report—"outsold every other pastry on the menu by a margin she wasn't prepared for." The recipe features lemon zest and a fluffy lemon icing described by one regular as "dangerously optimistic." This editor has also been told that Charlene was overheard instructing Mabel to purchase four dozen of the scones for the Senior Citizens' Mother's Day Brunch. Grievance, it seems, has its limits. Biscuit has not tasted one but remains emotionally supportive.

CITIZENS ADVISORY

Citizens who frequent Main Street are advised that Lisa has resumed her annual "Clean Sweep" spring ritual, which she performs on the premises every spring without fail whenever a certain recurring patron enters the establishment. The ritual, per Lisa, is intended to redirect "negative busy-body energy" out the front door in a chosen direction. The chosen direction is, apparently, consistent. Jenna has offered no comment on the matter. A broom remains propped near the front door for this purpose. This editor has been asked—formally, by separate correspondence—to ascertain if it is actually working.

FIELD REPORT

Maple Grove's Mommy & Me group held their spring outing at the Keller Farm on Wednesday. The visit proceeded as planned until a goat named Carl took a strong and persistent interest in Rosie Harper's soft pretzel. Carl pursued. Moms and toddlers screamed, startling Carl, who grabbed hold of the pretzel and took off running — Rosie in tow. The toddler was delighted. Emily Harper, the toddler's mother, was less so. Mrs. Keller eventually separated the parties, though Carl watched the group depart with what Mrs. Keller described as "the look of a goat with unfinished business." The pretzel was not recovered.

HISTORICAL NOTE

This is not the first incident of overnight mischief at Maple Grove College. In 1994, a class prank resulted in the main lawn being "redecorated" with approximately three hundred pinwheels, an installation the groundskeeper described as "pretty, actually." In 2008, a marquee incident of a similar nature occurred and was attributed to a rival institution. Authorities at the rival institution denied involvement. They have not been asked again.

🔍 Fellow Sleuths Worth Following

Guest Sleuth picks this week—four cozy authors I think you're going to love. Click through to meet them and grab their books.

🏔️ A Hollowcrest Lodge Murder—Lilly Gibbs A remote mountain lodge, a weekend of guests who don't quite trust each other, and a body where nobody should be. Libby Gibbs delivers the kind of claustrophobic whodunit that makes you check your own locks twice before bed. If you love a closed-circle mystery with atmosphere you can feel, this is your weekend read. 👉 Meet Lilly and grab the book →

🌹 The Poisoned Petal Express—Finley Page A flower delivery, a dead recipient, and a florist who wasn't supposed to be a detective. Finley Page's twisty cozy blends small-town charm with a mystery that unfolds one petal at a time. Perfect for readers who like their whodunits with a garden-scented edge. 👉 Meet Finley and grab the book →

🏡 The Lakehouse Guests—K.Z. Black Everyone has a reason to be at the lakehouse. One of them has a reason to kill. K.Z. Black writes the kind of slow-burn cozy suspense that keeps you flipping pages long past your bedtime. If you've ever side-eyed a vacation rental, this one's for you. 👉 Meet K.Z. and grab the book →

🎀 The Mallory Harper Cozy Mystery Collection — Poppy McQuay A full collection from Poppy McQuay featuring Mallory Harper — amateur sleuth, small-town fixture, trouble magnet. If you love bingeable cozy mysteries where the sleuth feels like an old friend by book two, this box set is built for a long weekend. 👉 Meet Poppy and grab the book →

🧁 The Main Course

What’s next?

Nobody talks about what the week after a launch actually feels like. Everyone talks about the countdown, the prep, the big day. And then it goes live, and it's incredible and terrifying and everything—and then it's Sunday, and you have to figure out what comes next.

Here's what I know after the first week of Ghosts being in the world:

The reviews are starting to come in. Early readers are sharing things that are making me press my hand to my mouth in the best possible way. One person they really enjoyed this story and I was glad to see that there may be more high school adventures ahead. Another said they would definitely love to see more of these Maple Grove High adventures. Someone even emailed me to tell me they loved getting to know young Jenna, Lisa, Joe, Dan and Winston too.

I'm also already well in to Book 5. I’ve actually been wroking on it since November, but pivoted to write Ghosts first. Christmas in Maple Grove is already whispering. I'm not ready to say much yet—but I will tell you that there will be a candlelight church service incident, a disappearance, and something involving Jenna and a certain someone that I think you're going to love.

More on that as the summer grows closer. For now—if you haven't grabbed Ghosts yet, it's waiting for you.

Get your copy of Ghosts Don’t Use Blueprints.

And if you've already read it—please help others find it by leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. To everyone who has left a review on Ghosts—on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, anywhere—please know I read every single one, and each one matters more than I can say.

✍️ Behind the Scenes

I started my Peloton routine back up this week after a long break. Twenty minutes. My legs have filed a formal complaint. Charlie watched from her perch with the expression of someone who has never been physically challenged and intends to keep it that way.

Willow 🌿

Meet Willow

Author, School Board member, and gluten-free baker. I write the Jenna McGregor mysteries from my home in Michigan, fueled by coffee and Peloton PRs.

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