Northside Park Arsonist sentenced to 57 months to 10 years

Northside Park Arsonist sentenced to 57 months to 10 years

Jordan WilcoxOct 29, 20254 min read

By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, September 2nd, firefighters were dispatched to Otsego’s Northside Park to battle a horrific blaze. While the flames remained contained to a small 20-by-40-foot area, the park’s beloved wooden play structure, known…

Stolen Jeep leads to multi-agency search, school closures

Stolen Jeep leads to multi-agency search, school closures

Jordan WilcoxOct 3, 20253 min read

By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher On Sunday, September 28th, at approximately 3:02 p.m., Kalamazoo County dispatchers received multiple reports of a red Jeep Wrangler driving erratically southbound on Oakland Drive. Witnesses observed the vehicle leaving the roadway and crashing into a…

Arcade to host 16th annual Midwest Soda Pop Festival

Jordan WilcoxOct 1, 20252 min read

Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher After a short delay due to road construction, the Midwest Soda Pop Festival is back for its 16th year. On this Sunday, October 5, from noon to 4 p.m., Klassic Arcade 1.0 on M-40 will transform into…

Soup Suppers return to Decatur

Jordan WilcoxOct 1, 20252 min read

Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher The familiar aroma of simmering soup will soon fill the fellowship hall at the Holy Family Catholic Church as Decatur’s long-running Soup Suppers return for another season. The community tradition, now more than two decades old, raises…

Arrest made in Hopkins cockfighting incident

Arrest made in Hopkins cockfighting incident

Jordan WilcoxSep 30, 20254 min read

Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher On Tuesday, September 23rd, 37-year-old Edin Dilson Rodas of Hopkins Township was arraigned in the 57th District Court on five felony charges related to cockfighting. Rodas and his wife own property just south of Hopkins, at 2534…

Hopkins Middle School teacher suspended for unprofessional comments

Jordan WilcoxSep 24, 20253 min read

By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher Seventh-grade English teacher, Sarah Ruegsegger has been suspended from her classroom at Hopkins Middle School after being accused of making inappropriate comments in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.The alleged comments were first brought to light by a concerned…

AHS online student apprehended following threat

Jordan WilcoxSep 24, 20252 min read

By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher Before school even started on the morning of Friday, September 19th, Allegan Public Schools (APS) notified parents that a former Allegan High School student who is currently enrolled in the Allegan Online program had been arrested…

Father-son argument devolves into vicious stabbing

Jordan WilcoxSep 11, 20252 min read

Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher On the night of Wednesday, September 3rd, Kalamazoo County Dispatchers were alerted to a stabbing in Schoolcraft Township. Around 8:50 pm, Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers arrived at the Hall home on West VW Avenue between South…

Wings West and Wings Event Center to close, hockey parents worried

Wings West and Wings Event Center to close, hockey parents worried

Jordan WilcoxSep 11, 20254 min read

Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher For many years, Wings West has been more than a building. It has been a gathering place, a training ground, and a second home for athletes, families, and fans. The beloved Texas Township hockey arena opened in…

LG Energy suffers second major accident in two months

LG Energy suffers second major accident in two months

Jordan WilcoxSep 10, 20254 min read

By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher For the second time in less than two months, there’s been another major accident at LG Energy Solution. On Saturday, September 6th, there was a massive chemical spill at the Fillmore Township plant responsible for producing electric vehicle…

Three injured in Dodge City Amish buggy crash

Jordan WilcoxSep 5, 20252 min read

Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher The Clare County Amish Community is grieving this week, as three were injured in another buggy crash.According to multiple Facebook posts, Levi Troyer, his wife Naomi, and their 4-month-old daughter, Little Naomi, were traveling on Townline Lake…

Village Market Food Centers to be acquired by Harding’s Friendly Markets

Village Market Food Centers to be acquired by Harding’s Friendly Markets

Jordan WilcoxAug 19, 20253 min read

All four will soon be sold to Harding’s Friendly Markets. Photos from Google Maps. By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher In late June, major news broke when SpartanNash announced their sale to a New Hampshire grocery conglomerate. As a Byron Center-based wholesaler…

Fowl Play! Illegal cockfighting ring discovered

Fowl Play! Illegal cockfighting ring discovered

Jordan WilcoxAug 13, 20253 min read

By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher Anyone who’s ever been to Hopkins knows that the sounds of barnyard animals are not an auditory anomaly. Due to the area’s strong dairy farming industry, cows can be heard all day long.However, on Saturday, July…

Family Fare owner, Witbecks, Carrows supplier sold to East Coast wholesaler

Family Fare owner, Witbecks, Carrows supplier sold to East Coast wholesaler

Jordan WilcoxJul 3, 20256 min read

Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher Our Family and Spartan – two brands so prevalent in the Michigan grocery scene that it’s almost impossible not to purchase at least one of their products during a visit to any local grocery store.SpartanNash is the…

Allegan, Van Buren firefighters battle two similar fires on the same day

Allegan, Van Buren firefighters battle two similar fires on the same day

Jordan WilcoxJun 4, 20253 min read

By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher At about 4:45 pm on Sunday, June 1st, emergency services were dispatched to an ablaze residence on the south (Van Buren County) side of Baseline Road near 51 ½ in Columbia Township.Deputies from the Van Buren…

Cops & Doughnuts merges with Halo Burger

Cops & Doughnuts merges with Halo Burger

Jordan WilcoxMay 27, 20253 min read

Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher The 113-year-old Historic Clare City Bakery entered a new era in 2009, when the nine full-time officers of the Clare City Police Department pooled together $13,500 to save it from the brink of closure. After their acquisition,…

Former Clare Chamber Director, County Republican Party Chair charged with defrauding the State

Former Clare Chamber Director, County Republican Party Chair charged with defrauding the State

Jordan WilcoxMay 15, 20255 min read

Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher Former Clare Area Chamber Director, Clare County Republican Party Chair, and Michigan Legislative Aide, 51-year-old David Wayne Coker Jr. of Clare, has been charged with multiple counts of embezzlement and running a criminal enterprise. The state alleges…

Baseline Road crash ends with truck in lake, one dead, several injured

Jordan WilcoxApr 30, 20252 min read

By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher Around 7:30pm on Saturday, April 26th, Allegan County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene of a tragic vehicle crash on Baseline Road, near Hillside Drive and Baseline Lake, in-between Allegan and Gobles.According to the Sheriff’s…

Police chase ends in Jars parking lot

Jordan WilcoxApr 9, 20252 min read

By Jordan Wilcox Assistant Publisher Police Monday arrested a Northern Michigan man who fled briefly in the Jars Cannabis parking lot off Blue Star Highway south of Douglas. Allegan County Sheriff’s deputies and Michigan State Police answered a 2:27 p.m.…

Beacon Health to acquire Allegan, Plainwell hospitals

Beacon Health to acquire Allegan, Plainwell hospitals

Jordan WilcoxApr 9, 20255 min read

By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher For the second time in six years, Allegan’s hospital will be under new ownership. Beacon Health System is a South Bend-based, non-profit healthcare provider with more than 8,100 associates, 1,000 physicians, half a dozen hospitals in Northern…

By Mike Wilcox
Owner/Publisher

Every year, as the Christmas season draws near, I’m reminded just how generous our communities can be. For nearly two decades, Wilcox Newspapers has hosted what’s become one of my favorite traditions: our Annual Christmas Wish Program.

It started simply enough. We asked readers who were struggling to write in and tell us what would make their Christmas a little brighter. The idea was to connect local families in need with local people who wanted to help. Over the years, it’s grown into something truly special—and this year, we’re doing it again.