O'Malley's Manager Talks About Its Annual Irish New Year's Toast and Says 'Good Morning, Hartland!'

It's Friday and welcome to our last "Good Morning Hartland" of 2011. Here are some tidbits of news and information that we hope you'll find useful or entertaining.

Please also don't miss our video greeting (at right) from Rebecca Oginski, the manager at who gives us a reminder about its annual Irish toast to the New Year 7 p.m. Saturday. We've also featured in our weekend planner.

1. The weather

Expect periods of rain, especially after 12 p.m., with a high of about 39 degrees according to the National Weather Service. Tonight, rain likely continues until about 1 a.m. as temps fall to about 33. Winds will be out of the north northwest between 7 and 13 miles per hour.

On New Year's Eve, it should become partly sunny with a high near 38 with a northwest wind between 7 and 11 mph. At night, more clouds with a low of around 33 as winds from the southwest pickup to 11 and 18 mph with gusts as high as 21 mph.

On New Year's Day, look for scattered rain and snow showers before 1 p.m., then turning to scattered snow showers as temps reach 38. Strong winds will be out of the west southwest between 21 and 25 mph with gusts as high as 37 mph. At night, a snow chance remains as temps dip to about 23.

2. Fuel prices

Here's a quick daily survey of the regular per-gallon price, according to gasbuddy.com —

• : $3.49
• Shell: $3.49
• Mobil: $3.59 (cash is 10 cents lower)
• Lowest price at Hickory Ridge and M-59 in Highland: $3.39 at BP.
• Lowest price in the Fenton area: $3.48 at the marathon at Silver Lake and Lincoln.
• Lowest price in the Brighton area: $3.23 at Costco at 6700 Whitmore Lake Rd.

We also offer searchable and real-time traffic and fuel prices via Mapquest on our homepage.

3. Hockey team loses in semifinals

The Hartland High School hockey team lost 5-4 Thursday to Toledo St. John's in the semifinals of a holiday tournament in Traverse City, according to the website of Centre Ice Arena, which is hosting the event.

Ryan Daavettila scored two goals for the Eagles while Jordan Ruterbusch and Nick Pleshakov added one each, according to an article in the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus.

The team plays 5:15 p.m. Friday against Midland in a consolation game.

4. Sears closing store in Brighton

The store on Grand River in Brighton was among 79 stores on the list to close nationally, according to a Brighton Patch article.

5. Hartland trivia

Congrats to Tammy Chinn for correctly answering — Construction of Hartland's first modern subdivision began in 1958. What is the neighborhood's name? Answer: Hartland Hills.

Friday's question: John Robert Crouse, Hartland's most noted industrialist and philanthropist once hung a copy of a poem titled A Town Is Like Its People in the Hartland Post Office in 1935. It was later published in the Community Life newspaper and in the book Hartland: Weaving the Past with the Present.

Who wrote the poem? Please answer in comments.