Township seeks 3.6M bond for Pine Trails Camp
By Scott Sullivan Editor Saugatuck Township will pursue buying the now-vacant 22.25-acre Pine Trails Camp at 3525 Dugout Road via a $3.6-million bond request put before voters Nov. 5. Meanwhile, community members are invited to view and discuss project site…
Life at risk, power out: rescuers heed call
By Scott Sullivan Editor The greater life’s call, the greater life’s response. Witness Thursday, Aug. 15, 12:40 p.m. when a South Haven man, 55, northbound on Blue Star Highway approaching the Kalamazoo River bridge, suffered what police believe was a…
Douglas OKs Centre Collective plan
By Scott Sullivan Editor Kerr Real Estate’s Centre Collective proposal for 19 single-family home sites won Douglas City Council final site plan approval Monday. The firm’s 10+-acre site spans 600 feet along West Center Street. It borders St. Peter’s Drive…
Ferry steel plates placed, more work waits
Douglas has installed steel plates over its under-repair Ferry Street bridge culvert to allow emergency vehicle only across it for public safety reasons until restoration for everyday traffic there is complete. That may be awhile. Engineers Monday told city council…
Obituary: Susan Balks, 71
Susan M. Powers Balks, age 71, of Holland, passed away peacefully on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, surrounded by her family. Susan was born in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. on March 16, 1953. When she was three years old, the family moved…
Blue Star
By Scott SullivanEditorHeroesThursday, Aug. 15, 12:44 p.m., southbound on Blue Star Highway from I-196 Exit 41 towards Saugatuck, an Allegan County Sheriff’s cruiser raced by, siren on, lights flashing, around stopped traffic through the 64th Street light beyond where, bottlenecked,…
Water rescue rivets town
By Scott SullivanEditorThe greater life’s call, the greater life’s response. Witness Thursday, Aug. 15, 12:40 p.m. when a South Haven man, 55, northbound on Blue Star Highway approaching the Kalamazoo River bridge, suffered what police believe was a medical condition.His…
Taylor takes over as principal at PHS
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor Joining the Trojan family.That’s how Marvin Taylor describes his hire as the new Plainwell High School principal.“I was looking for a position that would allow me to prioritize students, challenge me professionally and allow me to…
Otsego Public Schools welcomes back students for new school year
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor Welcome back.That’s what teachers and staff members throughout the Otsego Public School District were saying to students on Monday, Aug. 19.That was the first day of the 2024-25 school year for the district, with Otsego High…
Plainwell cross country teams take top honors
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor NILES—The 2024 season started on a high note for the Plainwell cross country teams.Competing at the Niles Viking Stampede on Friday, Aug. 16, the Plainwell girls team dominated with 19 total points to outdistance runner-up Niles…
Football Preview
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor ALLEGANThe year was 2010.The original “Avatar” ruled the box office. Barack Obama was in his first term as president of the United States. And Apple released the iPad.Also that year? The Allegan football team posted a…
Obituary: LaVerne “Vern” Dale Kraft
LaVerne “Vern” Dale Kraft went to be with his loving Savior Jesus Christ on August 13, 2024. Vern was born to his late parents Clifford and Daun (Curtis) Kraft on June 11, 1945, in Allegan, Michigan. Vern married the apple…
Local artist creates pen and ink books
By Gari Voss The Old Jail Museum in Allegan has been celebrating the Allegan County Historical Society’s 70th anniversary. To take a step back into Allegan County’s history, Dave Thompson convinced local artist Pat Broadhurst to compile some of her…
Allegan’s Roundabout opens to the public for Thursday walk
The Walkabout of the Roundabout in Allegan where M89 from the east and M40 from the south meet Hubbard, Ely and Cedar Streets will be Thursday, August 22, 2024, from 5:30-7:30pm. The MI Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the City…
Passing of Lanett Fire Chief mourned by community
By John BriceCorrespondent Sad news was announced this past week in regards to the passing of Lanett Fire & EMS Chief Johnny Allen. Details were provided via an August 14th post on the Facebook page for the Chambers County Emergency…
Main Street, Green honored at ceremonies
On August 15, Main Street Alabama held its eleventh annual Awards of Excellence Banquet at the Community House in Monroeville to celebrate the successes of local programs. The event was sponsored by Alabama Municipal Electric Authority and University of West…
Paw Paw soccer expects around 30 players
By John RaffelCorrespondent PAW PAW – The practice season for coach Mike Lounsbury and his Paw Paw boys soccer team started on Aug. 12 and it’s going to be a very busy time.“The first week of practice will be tryouts…
Mike’s Musings: Political conventions no longer serve a purpose
Dominating the airwaves this week is the Democratic National Convention. Three weeks it was the Republican National Convention. Despite a lot of pomp and circumstance, very little gets done at these four-day lovefests. In my opinion, they should no longer…
Life as Performance Art
I just read in my old hometown newspaper that my elementary school principal died. Mr. Were was 95 and his passing brought back memories. This time of year our minds probably slip back to ready-for-a-new-year-of-school days. The whole cast old and new characters post-summer…
