🌱 How a Portland driver ended Michigan’s 30-year national racing drought

Good morning Portland! Your connection to what's happening around town is here. Take a sip of coffee and read on. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How a Portland driver ended Michigan’s 30-year national racing drought

Also on today's calendar: Ionia Boys Varsity Basketball @ Portland and 3 more events.

📸 Have a great pic of holiday decorations from around Portland? Post it to Portland photos of the day! ☃️ 🟢-🟠-🟣-🔴-🟡-🔵 ☃️

Today's riddle: Can February March? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Tuesday: Not as cold, becoming breezy, with a high of 34 and low of 31 degrees.
• Wednesday: Fog in the morning and breezy, temps: high: 36, low: 25.
• Thursday: Very windy; rain, with a high of 42 and low of 22 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Reay Is First Michigan Mod Champ Since 1996 (speedsport.com) — Portland race fans can celebrate as local driver Jeff Reay clinched the 2025 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified National Championship, the state’s first since 1995. Reay, who races out of Portland, stacked up 14 feature wins and multiple track and regional titles across Michigan, capping a remarkably consistent season in a three-year-old car.
   

📸 Around Portland

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Portland

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Friday December 19

• Ionia Girls Varsity Basketball @ Portland
  Portland High School, 1100 Ionia Rd, Portland
  5:30 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Friday December 19

• Ionia Boys Varsity Basketball @ Portland
  Portland High School , 1100 Ionia Rd , Portland
  7:00 pm

Monday December 22

• City Offices CLOSED
  Portland, MI Calendar Portland, MI 48875
  12:00 pm
• Pennfield Boys JV Basketball @ Portland
  Portland High School , 1100 Ionia Rd , Portland
  1:00 pm
• DDA Meeting
  Portland City Hall , 259 Kent St , Portland
  7:00 pm

Tuesday December 23

• City Offices CLOSED
  Portland, MI Calendar Portland, MI 48875
  12:00 pm

📣 Portland Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Tuesday December 16

• WorkReady! Decision-Making
  West Michigan Works! , 603 W Adams St , Ionia
  10:00 am
• Knitting and Crochet Group
  Ionia Community Library (I C L) , 126 E Main St , Ionia
  6:00 pm

Wednesday December 17

• Adult Craft: Winter Pinecones & "Snow"
  Grand Ledge Area District Library , 131 E Jefferson St , Grand Ledge
  2:30 pm
• Sanctuary Spirits Distillery, Brewery, & Winery – Lansing
  Sanctuary , 902 E Saginaw Hwy , Grand Ledge
  7:00 pm

Thursday December 18

• Crafting for a Cause at Grand Ledge Area District Library
  Grand Ledge Area District Library , 131 E Jefferson St , Grand Ledge
  4:00 pm
• Merry Grinchmas
  Lyons Township District Library Lyons, MI 48851
  4:00 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• McDonald's posted a job opening for McDonalds Crew Member in Portland. Apply here.
• Taco Bell posted a job opening for Restaurant General Manager in Portland. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Portland here.

🗞 Nearby News

Grand Ledge

• Saginaw-area sports highlights: Heritage boys basketball wins thriller (mlive.com)
• These Are the Lansing Restaurants Everyone Keeps Recommending (99wfmk.com)

DeWitt

Ok Portland! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I don't know, but April May!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

• Help us grow by suggesting local news sources.
• Shape this newsletter with your feedback.
• List items for sale or services offered

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what’s happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook