By Christopher Johnson You may have noticed some major construction on the south end of town in recent months. With Dollar Daze now sadly shuttered, the husk that remains is now the placeholder for the new Gateway Lanes entertainment center–confirmed…

By John RaffelCorrespondent CLARE — It was a fun sophomore golf season at Clare for Kolten Pung.He shot an 88 in the regional tournament for Clare.It was his first year on the varsity.“I think I made the transition (from varsity)…

Douglas has closed Westshore Street betweenSt. Peters Drive and Hamilton Street on heels a watermain break there Friday. The break has been repaired, city officials said, but water over the roadway has created potential safety concerns due to erosion. City…

By Jason WesseldykSports EditorTo say recent Saugatuck graduate Cass Stanberry stayed busy during his high school days would be an understatement.In addition to being actively involved in several leadership and service programs—including Interact Club, Be Nice, PALS and the Douglas…

By Scott SullivanEditorPorch GeeseThere is no better sign America has been made great again than the return of porch geese.“Life-size decorative goose statues for the lawn, garden or porch aren’t a new idea,” reports the Washington Post’s Kate Morgan. “They…

… was a blast. See more photographs inside.

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor With July drawing to a close, the start of a new school year is creeping ever closer.Otsego Public School’s first day of classes is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 19, while Plainwell Community Schools will welcome students…

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor The potential for some rainy weather led to changes for this year’s Island City Festival.Most of the festival—originally scheduled to take place in and around downtown Plainwell on Saturday, July 26—was moved inside Plainwell High School’s…

By Gari Voss Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced on July 21, 2025, the appointment of Christopher Burnett to complete the Honorable William A. Baillargeon’s term on the Allegan County 57th District Court bench.Burnett is a resident of Allegan and has worked…

The Allegan Summer Tennis Program recently wrapped up its 2025 season.And, as usual, the long-running program brought out dozens of children to learn the fundamentals of the sport at the Gary Ellis Courts on the campus of L.E. White Middle…

   We often ask each other, “What are your plans for today?”  which really means “What are your goals to accomplish and then check off your to-do list?”  Or we ask ourselves about our plans for the day. Is there…

Here we go again. This time it is too close to home. Another alleged nut-job gone crazy injuring a dozen people, some critical at a Wal Mart, not with a gun, but with an ordinary pocketknife. If it weren’t for…

By Gari Voss Summer months are packed with outdoor activities, special events, family memories, and more. With the busy family schedules, many residents forget that there is often a “primary” election in August. On August 5, 2025, from 7am to…

 The Plainwell Department of Public Safety is pleased to announce that several kayakers reported missing earlier Saturday have been successfully located and removed in the Kalamazoo River. All individuals are safe and accounted for. At approximately 7 pm on Saturday, a…

By Gari Voss Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced on July 21, 2025, the appointment of Christopher Burnett to complete the Honorable William A. Baillargeon’s term on the Allegan County 57th District Court bench.Burnett is a resident of Allegan and has worked…

By Gari VossThe news could not have been worse. Village Market employee Jordan Otto and her husband Michael had been in an automobile accident as they were headed home from a shower. Jordan was pregnant and near delivery, but a…

By James Windell West Michigan is the leader of the blueberry industry because of the ideal acidic soil and the lakeshore climate that promotes a thriving crop. Although blueberries are now grown all over the U.S., West Michigan is still…

By James Windell What the public talks about in the public comments portion of the South Haven City Council meetings is always a foreshadowing of later events in that meeting. So it happened on Monday, July 21, 2025.The second person…

By Tom Renner South Haven beaches have been packed during the current sweltering heat wave. A response to a report of a missing child at the South Beach on Wednesday brought a quick response from city beach safety, police and…

By James Windell David Flack is the only person who filed to run for the soon-to-be open position in Ward 3 in South Haven’s City Council elections. That position is available because George Sleeper has served two terms and is…