Champions!
A pair of local swimmers came home with championships from the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 3 State Finals at the Holland Aquatic Center on Saturday, March 14.Otsego senior Liam Smith (left) won in both the 200-yard IM and…
Otsego, Plainwell set for big weekend of high school musicals
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor For musical theater fans, the Otsego-Plainwell area will be the place to be next week.Both Otsego High School and Plainwell High School will take the stage with their annual spring musicals, offering audiences two distinct productions…
Allegan tennis faces Portage Central, Otsego
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor PORTAGE—The Allegan girls tennis team got an early look at its 2026 lineup with preseason action at the Maple Street YMCA.The Tigers faced Division 1-ranked Portage Central as well as former Wolverine Conference rival Otsego in…
Softball Preview:
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor ALLEGANAs she enters her first season as head coach at Allegan, Danielle Brodhagen said the team has one primary focus.“We’re focusing on being women of integrity,” she said.Because if the players on the team approach everything…
Life as Performance Art
Sometime in the 1970s my late wife Pat was hired to run an elder artists program for the City of Chicago. Her job was to recruit senior citizens to design and make art to be sold in places like Carson…
Allegan Folklife Music-Art Festival returns to AHS
By Gari Voss Thanks to the Allegan Folklife, the Music and Art Festival returns to the Allegan High School Performing Arts Center, 1560 M-40, Allegan, on Saturday, March 28, 2026, beginning at 10am. When the doors open, guests will become…
Hopkins Schools going all out to get bond approved
By Joseph SchultzAlthough the upcoming millage request was not officially on the agenda, it remained a prominent topic during Monday night’s Hopkins School Board meeting. Held at Sycamore Elementary in Dorr, the meeting room featured posters displaying details about the…
Townships seek hot meal reinstatement
By John RaffelCorrespondent ALLEGAN — Following the Allegan County Board of Commissioner’s vote last month to award the county millage taxpayer funded senior meals program to a Kent County organization when the current contract expires March 31, the Gun Plain…
Mike’s Musings: Speculators, not war are driving gas prices higher
Every time Americans pull up to the pump, they’re told the same story: gas prices are high because of global supply problems, geopolitical tensions, or refinery issues. Those factors certainly play a role. For instance the war with Iran has…
Christian Neighbors hosting Stuff the Bus food drive
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor Christian Neighbors is asking the community for help stocking its food pantry to help those in need.The organization will host its latest Stuff the Bus food drive on Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21, at…
Siblings celebrate state championships
Saturday, March 7, is a day that will always hold a special place in the hearts of the members of Nieuwenhuis family from Plainwell.Because it was on that day that siblings Madison and Dylan each earned a Michigan High School…
Plainwell cheer team places sixth at Division 2 State Finals
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor MOUNT PLEASANT—The Plainwell competitive cheer team capped another strong season Saturday with a sixth-place finish at the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 State Finals at McGuirk Arena on the campus of Central Michigan University.The…
Life as Performance Art
I love laughter within boundaries of good taste. We laugh when we see a pompous, self-important individual slipping on the sidewalk; it is not funny when it happens to one of The Olds or someone who is disabled. Rule #1:…
3300 customers to be without power as Consumers upgrades
By Gari Voss Consumers Energy and ITC Michigan are partnering to make upgrades to electrical equipment in the Wayland area that will improve electric service for customers in the community.The overnight work will impact about 3,300 customers in the area…
Full house at Monterey meeting to contest solar project
By Joseph Schultz It was a full house Monday night as the Monterey Planning Commission reviewed NorthStar Clean Energy – Allegan Solar LLC’s plans for a 101-megawatt solar energy system and a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Monterey and…
Boss sentenced to13.5 years in prison
Judge Emily Jipp says it was because of the ‘justice and mercy’ of a family that the man who killed their eight-month-old daughter in a fatal drunk driving crash would not be spending life in prison. Terry Boss, 56, was sentenced to 13.5…
Mike’s Musings: A tornado for the ages- so many pitch in to help
When the tornado tore through Three Rivers, Michigan on the afternoon of March 6, it left behind a landscape that residents will remember for years. In a matter of minutes, powerful winds—later rated an EF-2 tornado with speeds near 130…
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…
