Life as Performance Art

Life as Performance Art

Editorial Staff Feb 4, 2026 5 min read

The other morning my favorite online news service reported that medicos have more or less concluded that drinking coffee is good for one’s health. It’s all the enzymes and nutrients that made a favorable impression on the researchers.For coffee drinkers,…

Data center opposition continues in Dorr Township

Data center opposition continues in Dorr Township

Editorial Staff Feb 4, 2026 3 min read

By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher Pushback against proposed data centers continued in Dorr Township this weekend, as the local Facebook group “Dorr Township MI – We the People” hosted a Saturday meeting with lawmakers, residents, and industrial experts who believe Microsoft’s…

M-89 Cinema to host West Michigan’s first dementia-friendly movie program

M-89 Cinema to host West Michigan’s first dementia-friendly movie program

Editorial Staff Feb 4, 2026 3 min read

By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher Dementia is a tragic, progressive decline in mental ability that causes memory loss, cognitive deterioration, and functional impairment. It affects more than 55 million people worldwide and is the seventh-leading cause of death. Its most well-known…

West Michigan joins country’s response to ICE

West Michigan joins country’s response to ICE

Editorial Staff Feb 4, 2026 4 min read

By Gari Voss The second Friday in a row found businesses and individuals expressing their belief that President Donald Trump’s use of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) teams and the Department of Home Security (DHS) to disrupt communities…

Man suffers leg injury while on ice

Man suffers leg injury while on ice

Editorial Staff Feb 4, 2026 1 min read

South Haven Area Emergency Services (SHAES) responders were called to the city’s South Beach at 3:05 p.m. Sunday to a report of a subject who fell while on the Lake Michigan ice shelf approximately 100 yards offshore.The subject suffered a…

Black History Leadership Society celebrates Black History Month

Black History Leadership Society celebrates Black History Month

Editorial Staff Feb 4, 2026 3 min read

By James Windell The Black History Leadership Society celebrates Black History Month on Sunday, February 15, 2026, at Lily of The Valley Church in Covert.It will be the 48th Annual Celebration by The Black History Leadership Society and this year…

Michigan State Police Trooper assigned to Paw Paw named 2025 Trooper of the Year

Michigan State Police Trooper assigned to Paw Paw named 2025 Trooper of the Year

Editorial Staff Feb 4, 2026 2 min read

PAW PAW – Sgt. Lena Wresinski, assigned to the Paw Paw Post, was recognized as the 2025 Trooper of the Year. The Gerstacker Trooper of the Year Award recognizes the MSP trooper or sergeant who symbolizes outstanding professional ethics, dedication…

Paw Paw Fire Department battles harsh weather while fighting structure fire

Paw Paw Fire Department battles harsh weather while fighting structure fire

Editorial Staff Feb 4, 2026 2 min read

By Paul GarrodStaff Writernews4garrod@gmail.com PAW PAW – The Paw Paw Fire Department was dispatched to the 63000 block of 38th Street in Paw Paw Township at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 23, for the report of a structure fire with…

Paw Paw Village Planning Commission meets tonight (Thursday, Feb. 5) to review proposed new Culver’s restaurant, new music stage at Warner Vineyards

Editorial Staff Feb 4, 2026 2 min read

By Paul GarrodStaff Writernews4garrod@gmail.com PAW PAW – The Paw Paw Village Planning Commission will meet Thursday Feb. 5, for a public hearing on two items, a site plan review for Culver’s restaurant, who has proposed building on County Road 665,…

Mike’s Musings: Messing with your brain to fix tremors, my week in a fog

Mike’s Musings: Messing with your brain to fix tremors, my week in a fog

Editorial Staff Feb 4, 2026 3 min read

It’s been a week.Struggling with the cold and snow has been one thing, but last Tuesday I had an appointment for focus ultrasound on the brain and since then I have literally been in a fog.Now some readers might point…

Officers perform rescue on frozen lake in subzero  temperatures

Officers perform rescue on frozen lake in subzero  temperatures

Editorial Staff Jan 30, 2026 3 min read

By ELIZABETH FERSZT Contributing Writer Jackson County Sheriff’s officers and Michigan State Police troopers braved subzero temperatures and unstable ice to save a person in crisis early Saturday. JSO officers responded to an emergency call Jan. 25 at about 6:30…

Frederick Noakes charged in fire that injured two last week in Jackson

Editorial Staff Jan 30, 2026 2 min read

By ELIZABETH FERSZT and KATHRYN PALON Contributing Writers Frederick Lewis Noakes, 43, was arraigned Jan. 23 in the courtroom of Magistrate Christopher Dickerson on felony charges related to a Jan. 21 fire that injured two other men. According to a…

Council approves ordinance tightening oversight of adult-use marihuana grow facilities

Editorial Staff Jan 30, 2026 4 min read

Albion City Council approved updates to the city’s adult-use marihuana ordinance Jan. 20, following discussion and a first reading earlier in the month. The ordinance clarifies municipal licensing requirements and expands the city’s authority to inspect and enforce compliance at…

Homicide victim found on Jackson’s east side

Homicide victim found on Jackson’s east side

Editorial Staff Jan 30, 2026 3 min read

By ELIZABETH FERSZT Contributing Writer Michael Mishaw of Jackson is the victim of the second homicide of the year in the City of Jackson. He was found dead in a parking lot on the city’s east side. According to a…

Deer culling to take place this weekend in Jackson

Deer culling to take place this weekend in Jackson

Editorial Staff Jan 30, 2026 4 min read

By ELIZABETH FERSZT and KATHRYN PALON Contributing Writers A deer culling originally set to take place in Jackson, Jan. 16-18 has been rescheduled for this weekend. According to information posted on the City of Jackson’s website, the city, “in partnership…

Hearty Chili and Strong Roots: Albion Community Gardens Brings Neighbors Together

Hearty Chili and Strong Roots: Albion Community Gardens Brings Neighbors Together

Editorial Staff Jan 30, 2026 5 min read

On a frigid January evening, while winter weather disrupted travel across much of the country, the warmth inside St. James Episcopal Church told a different story. Nearly 100 people, including volunteers, gathered for the Albion Community Gardens annual Chili Dinner…

Cass Street Vote Advances Broader 2026 Construction Plan

Cass Street Vote Advances Broader 2026 Construction Plan

Editorial Staff Jan 30, 2026 4 min read

By Maggie LaNoue, Contributing Writer Albion City Council voted Jan. 20 to approve a Michigan Department of Transportation contract for improvements on West Cass Street, advancing a project that has been in planning for several years and helping define the…

Boys’ Basketball Roundup Colon’s Vinson gets 100th win as Magi roll Athens

Editorial Staff Jan 30, 2026 5 min read

COLON — Colon took down Athens last week, 61-40, and in the process, Magi coach Steve Vinson gained his 100th career victory as Colon head coach. A 21-6 first-quarter lead was all the winners needed to come out on top.…

Girls’ Basketball Roundup Sturgis splits close games against Otsego, Paw Paw

Editorial Staff Jan 30, 2026 4 min read

OTSEGO — The Sturgis girls suffered just their second loss of the season on Monday, as host Otsego edged the Trojans, 43-39.A second half comeback fell just short, as the Bulldogs held double-digit leads in both the third and fourth…

Permit for new massage establishment in TR recommended for approval Beebe: Talks may be coming of lessening burden for prospective massage businesses

Editorial Staff Jan 30, 2026 5 min read

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director THREE RIVERS — A new massage establishment could soon be on the way to Three Rivers, and could, unrelated to its application, spark new conversations about the requirements for such businesses to come into the city.On…

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

The St. Joseph County Commission on Aging (COA) is accepting sealed proposals for an interior remodel of a portion of the Rivers Enrichment Center located at 1200 W. Broadway Street. The project involves renovation of an interior area that was part of the building’s former hotel use and was not included in the renovation completed approximately seven years ago when the building was converted into the Rivers Enrichment Center. Proposals must be received by Wednesday, February 25, 2026 by 2:00pm EST. Bid documents may be obtained by contacting the St. Joseph County Commission on Aging. The COA reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

All communications regarding this RFP shall be directed to:
Pamela Riley
Executive Director, St. Joseph County Commission on Aging
Phone: (269)279-8083 Email: priley@sjccoa.com
OR
Gary Oberlander
Maintenance Department
Phone: (269) 279-8083 Email: goberlander@sjccoa.com