Montabella doubles up Coleman in MSAC action
by Ben MurphySports Writer The Coleman boys basketball team was able to hang around with host Montabella through the first quarter of the two’s Mid-State Activities Conference game Tuesday. The Mustangs proved to be too much from there however, as…
Clare boys slip by Reed City, on late bucket by Warner
by Ben MurphySports Writer Now that is an exciting way to start a new year. Clare, playing their first boys basketball game of January on Tuesday, hosted Reed City in a non-conference game and used a drive to the lane…
Fast start leads Harrison boys to win over Marion
by Ben MurphySports Writer Harrison got off to a fast start in its non-conference boys basketball game at Marion on Tuesday. The Hornets were able to keep the Eagles at arms-length the entire way, allowing them to claim a 60-47…
Farwell boys rough up in loss at Lake City
by Ben MurphySports Writer The Farwell boys basketball team wasn’t able to get much going in their road non-conference loss at Lake City on Monday. The Eagles fell behind by double digits after the first quarter and never recovered, falling…
Lady Comets blow by Houghton Lake
by Ben MurphySports Writer A big night on offense and an impressive defensive effort led to a lopsided home victory for the McBain Northern Michigan Christian girls basketball team Tuesday. The Lady Comets, hosting Houghton Lake, dominated their way to…
Year in review: 2021 one last time
By Scott SullivanEditorJust because we’re a week into 2022 doesn’t mean our need to fill space as result of the news-starved holiday season is quite over.Last week’s “2021 Rear in Your View” extended into mid-July, i.e. wait, there’s more. Let’s…
Gerrymandering lives, county chair complains
By Scott SullivanEditorAllegan County Commission chair Jim Storey (R-Holland) is not impressed by redistricting that divvies the county among three U.S. Congressional districts and places Saugatuck-Douglas in a state House district that truly resembles a salamander.The latter (see map) slithers…
Fennville to seek public safety millage
Fennville will seek a 4-mill levy for public safety in a special May election to cover rising police, fire and ambulance costs, Commercial Record correspondent Jim Hayden reports on his Bicycle Base Fennville blog.The city commission, of which he is…
Township weighs dog park upgrades
By Scott SullivanEditorSaugatuck Township Manager Joe Frey was scheduled Wednesday to pitch the parks commission on a plan to expand services and trail access at its 6-acre Tails ‘n’ Trails Dog Park, 6359 134th Ave.Opened in 2004 thanks to a…
Obituary: Jeffrey Richards, 75
Dr. Jeffrey E. Richards of St. Joseph passed away at 75 from COVID complications on Friday, Dec. 31, 2021.He was born on May 17, 1946 to Donna (nee Finnegan) and Edward Joseph Richards in Plymouth. He attended a one-room school…
Maggie’s Pantry
By Maggie ConklinMakin’ BaconMy dear husband has annual health checkups with local boy/now man done good, Dr. Jason Meyers,They were perusing my husband’s current blood work when Dr. Meyers noticed the total cholesterol scores. “Gee, your cholesterol has always been…
Require politicians to first work in private sector
By Mike WilcoxPublisherHere’s a novel suggestion: require persons running for Congressional seats to spend a few years in the private sector.This idea was presented to me a few weeks ago, and the more I thought about it the more it…
Township OKs $358K in 2022 road work
By Scott SullivanEditorThere will be a whole lotta crack sealing going on this summer with the Saugatuck Township Board last month approving work orders for an estimated $358,000 worth of road improvements in 2022.The Allegan County Road Commission will seek…
Life as Performance Art
By G.C. StoppelI read Mike Wilcox’s father’s reflections on small town life with delight.I grew up in a city of some 30,000. After ordination I moved to a church in a hamlet of 92 people, with one gas station, one…
Thanks for column on gratitude
To the editor,Bravo and congratulations to columnist G.C. Stoppel for daring to share your thoughts/observations on the topic of expressing gratitude!It seems like this “old-fashioned” courtesy has simply been discarded by the younger generation(s). “Just give me whatever, because I…
Letter to the Editor: More guns piece made no sense
To the editor,It seems that a day can no longer go by that I don’t get angry about the “More Guns” opinion piece (by publisher’s son and IT support person Jordan Wilcox) that ran in The Commercial Record recently.Oxford shows…
Blue Star
By Scott SullivanEditorSpace JunkAstronomers, reports The Daily Beast, can’t agree whether the “GN-z11 flash” was a gamma-ray burst from the universe’s infancy or reflected light off junk orbiting the earth.Last year a Chinese team working in Hawaii glimpsed something in…
Driver flees New Year’s crash
The driver of this rolled-over car New Year’s morning decided not to stick around for police and more to respond. “We were only six hours into 2022,” Saugatuck Township IT director Erik Kirchert reported, “when dispatched for a rolled over…
Douglas taps Toepper for council seat
By Scott SullivanEditorDouglas City Council Monday appointed Phil Toepper to fill the seat of resigned member and former Mayor Pat Lion until her term expires in November.After a 2-2-2 first-ballot tie between applicants Toepper, Demetrhea Terrien and Jeremiah Whiteley, council…
