Pipeline leak shuts down gas to 5K+ homes
A natural gas transmission pipeline damaged near Fennville Wednesday cut off service to some 5,200 customers in the Saugatuck/Douglas/Fennville area. More than 200 Michigan Gas Utilities and other crews from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois and continued working to restore service…
Easter egg hunts scheduled in Plainwell, Otsego
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor Easter is fast approaching.That, among other things, means it’s time once again for the local Easter egg hunts in Plainwell and Otsego.The egg hunt in Plainwell is scheduled for Saturday, April 12, at Hicks Park. Registration…
PHS orders shelter in place due to photo of gun
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor A shelter-in-place order was issued for Plainwell High School on Wednesday, April 2.The order followed the discovery of photographs depicting a PHS students with what appeared to be a handgun and was issued “out of an…
Dunn earns spot on Cincinnati’s opening-day roster
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor CINCINNATI—After getting his first taste of Major League Baseball with the Cincinnati Reds last season, Saugatuck High School graduate Blake Dunn entered spring training battling for a spot on the Reds’ opening day roster.Mission accomplished.Dunn won…
Otsego softball takes two from Plainwell
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor PLAINWELL—The cold never bothered me anyway.That’s a line from the hit song “Let It Go,” which was featured in the Disney hit movie “Frozen.And that could also be the motto for the Otsego softball team from…
Beacon Health to acquire Allegan, Plainwell hospitals
By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher For the second time in six years, Allegan’s hospital will be under new ownership. Beacon Health System is a South Bend-based, non-profit healthcare provider with more than 8,100 associates, 1,000 physicians, half a dozen hospitals in Northern…
Hopkins Tech Vikes face stiff state competition,head to internationals
By Gari Voss Thursday, April 3, 2025, Hopkins High School Tech Vikes began the preliminaries for the FIRST in Michigan State Robotics Competition. After intense competition all season, Tech Vikes 2054 entered the competition ranked 25th in Michigan. They would…
Mike’s Musings: Measles comeback? Stop the hysteria
I keep receiving emails from public health officials about the threat of measles. Just like a week ago, I read a release that announced two cases of measles had been diagnosed in Michigan. I had thought measles were a thing…
Life as Performance Art
I keep hearing rumors about the Administration selling off the U.S. Post Of-fice as another cost-cutting measure. Maybe it is true; maybe not; maybe the idea is being floated to see what our reaction will be.I think it is goofy…
Plainwell mill damaged by strong winds
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor The storm system that swept through the area during the evening on Sunday, March 30, brought with it heavy rain and damaging winds.Among the casualties of those winds was Building 2 of the mill complex on…
Otsego Arts Competition seeks to draw artists from SW MI
By Elizabeth Abbott The Otsego Arts Council is excited to host the fourth Otsego Arts Competition, formerly known as The Art Thing.Beginning in 2021, this event has been an opportunity for local artists to display art and compete for cash…
Hawkeye baseball rallies for victory
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor HAMILTON—After suffering a pair of losses to Spring Lake the previous day, the Hamilton baseball team hosted Spring Lake for a single game on Friday, March 28.And it appeared as though the Hawkeyes would drop a…
Boys Track Preview
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor ALLEGANCoach: Mike ChalupaTop returning athletes: Sylar Bush, sr. (pole vault, sprints); Jacob Cranmer, sr. (sprints); Colby Bishop, soph. (sprints/jumps); Oliver Burnett, soph. (distance); Kellen Chalupa, soph. (distance); Hunter McKee, soph. (distance); Cooper Prentice, soph. (distance); Ezra…
Con Agra closure puts Fennville on edge
By Piper Raab The million square foot fruit canning and frozen fruit processing manufacturing plant, Con Agra Foods, located in the city of Fennville, officially announced a future closure plan, slated for June 27th, 2025. City Administrator, Katie Beemer said,…
Seven inmates honored at graduation ceremony
By Piper Raab The Community Reentry Unit Program for qualified inmates at the Allegan County Corrections Center is a quarterly intensive education and life skills preparation program with a Christian foundation. The program is directed and managed by Lead Jail…
Planwell mill strongly damaged in latest storm
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor The storm system that swept through the area during the evening on Sunday, March 30, brought with it heavy rain and damaging winds.Among the casualties of those winds was Building 2 of the mill complex on…
Mike’s Musings: Nuclear energy is back
With all the talk about solar and windmill energy and how they will power our country in the future, we hear very little about nuclear plants that are being recommissioned.Nuclear power is considered by many to be the most efficient,…
Life as Performance Art
President Trump has announced he plans to somehow annex or take over Canada and make it into our 51st state.I am not certain of the finer details of his aspiration and question if he has any real plans. Besides, we…
Autism program to move from OPS to home districts
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor For the past several years, Otsego Public Schools has served as host to a county-wide autism program.However, that will change at the conclusion of the current school year.Due to a space crunch faced by OPS, Level…
Otsego names three finalists for superintendent role
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor On Saturday, March 22, the Otsego School Board interviewed a pool of seven candidates for the district’s soon-to-be vacant superintendent position.That pool was narrowed to three finalists, who participated in a second round of interviews on…
