Battle of the Books brings excitement and retro reads to the PAC
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor For 25 elementary school teams from across Allegan County, Saturday was all about books, teamwork and a little friendly competition.The annual Battle of the Books competition returned to the Plainwell Performing Arts Center, bringing together students…
Otsego High School earns Gold status on AP School Honor Roll
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor Otsego High School has been recognized at the Gold level on the College Board’s 2024–25 AP School Honor Roll, placing it among the top-performing high schools in Michigan for Advanced Placement success.OHS was one of 170…
Plainwell police warn residents about law enforcement impersonation scam
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor The Plainwell Department of Public Safety is warning residents about a sophisticated phone scam involving callers who falsely claim to be court officers or law enforcement personnel.The alert comes after a recent incident in which an…
Plainwell swim & dive defends conference championship
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor PLAINWELL—The Southern Central Conference boys swim finals returned to Plainwell on Saturday, Feb. 28.And the host Trojans made sure the celebration stayed home.Plainwell captured its second straight conference championship — and did so in style —…
Allegan falls to top-ranked Dundee in quarterfinals
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor KALAMAZOO—The scoreboard told one story during the Division 3 boys wrestling state quarter between Allegan and Dundee Friday, Feb. 27, at Wings Event Center.The Tigers told another.Top-ranked Dundee—the No. 1 team in Division 3 and the…
Life as Performance Art
My father would occasionally remind me that the older I got the better I would have to dress so I wouldn’t look like an old codger.Then he would point to someone and quietly add: “That fellow over there, he is…
Historic Allegan Presbyterian Church closed
By Gari Voss The decision is final. The First Presbyterian Church on Cutler Street in Allegan has been closed by the Presbytery of Lake Michigan in Portage. The final service was Sunday, March 1, 2026, and members of the congregations…
County makes changes to senior home-delivered meals
By Gari Voss The Allegan County Board of Commissioners approved the continuation of the Home Delivery Meals to eligible seniors. In a conversation with Dan Wedge, the Deputy County Administrator of Services, he wanted to emphasize that the program, which…
Dorr Twp. approves 12-month moratorium on data centers
By David Young The Dorr Township Board Thursday evening decided to issue a 12-month moratorium on any development of data centers by Microsoft.The move was urged and cheered on loudly by more than 75 people who attended the meeting at…
Mike’s Musings: Opinion: It’s Time to Ban Cell Phones From Classrooms
Walk into almost any classroom in America today and you’ll see a familiar sight: heads tilted down, thumbs scrolling, students half-present as glowing screens command their attention. Teachers often joke that they’re competing with a device designed by some of…
Senior Home Meal delivery changes
By Gari Voss The Allegan County Board of Commissioners approved the continuation of the Home Delivery Meals to eligible seniors. In a conversation with Dan Wedge, the Deputy County Administrator of Services, he wanted to emphasize that the program, which…
Historic Allegan Church closes doors
By Gari Voss The decision is final. The First Presbyterian Church on Cutler Street in Allegan has been closed by the Presbytery of Lake Michigan in Portage. The final service was Sunday, March 1, 2026, and members of the congregations…
New K-9 team brings safety, support to PCS
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor A pair of new faces will soon be seen around Plainwell Community Schools.Ginny, a K-9 service dog, and her handler Jean Freeman will be at PCS beginning Monday, March 2.Ginny is trained for both therapy and…
Otsego secures first outright league title in a decade
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor OTSEGO—A decade.That’s how long it had been since the Otsego girls basketball team had won the Wolverine Conference championship outright.That changed on Friday, Feb. 20, when the Bulldogs cruised past visiting Paw Paw 70-37, locking up…
Life as Performance Art
I watched a DVD of George Clooney’s 2005 film, “Good Night and Good Luck.” It’s as relevant now as it was two decades ago in theaters.It’s the story of American news (radio, print and television) Edward R. Murrow when he stood…
Two Allegan Tech Center students honored for life-saving actions
Two students connected to the Allegan Tech Center were formally recognized at a recent Allegan Area ESA Board of Education meeting for their heroic, life-saving actions that demonstrate the real-world impact of career and technical education.Christian Nichols and Tessa Dyer,…
Major water main break leaves Allegan citizens without drinking water
By Gari Voss The Drinking Water Warning came from Allegan’s City Hall on Thursday morning, February 19, 2026. The problems began on Wednesday evening at about 8:30pm when the city water team became aware of a water main break. Water…
Boy taken into custody after splatter gun incident at Plainwell Middle School
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor A 13-year-old boy was taken into custody after allegedly shooting two female students with a splatter gun inside Plainwell Middle School on Thursday, Feb. 19, according to the Plainwell Department of Public Safety.Officials say the incident…
Mike’s Musings: A Moment Worth the Wait — Why the U.S. Hockey Gold Feels So Good
Sometimes a sports moment turns into something bigger than a medal — it becomes a balm for a weary national psyche, a reminder of resilience, pride and unbridled joy. That’s exactly what happened when Team USA’s men’s hockey team edged…
Former Plainwell orthodontist sentenced to 60 years for child exploitation
Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher Thomas Patrick Shannon, the former owner of Shannon Orthodontics in Plainwell and Grandville, has been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on child exploitation charges — the maximum allowed under the law. On Monday, U.S. District…
