Allegan County News & Union Enterprise

Obituary: William Lee Reurink, 69

Obituary: William Lee Reurink, 69

Editorial StaffAug 31, 20221 min read

William Lee Reurink “Wilber,” age 69, lost his ten year battle with cancer and passed away peacefully, while surrounded by his family, Tuesday, August 16, 2022 in Wayland, MI. He is survived by his siblings Tom, Bob, Caroline, Mike, Cathy,…

Obituary: Harold L. Franklin, Jr., 87

Obituary: Harold L. Franklin, Jr., 87

Editorial StaffAug 31, 20222 min read

Harold L. Franklin, Jr., 87, of Dyersburg, TN, passed away on Tuesday, August 23, 2022, at West Tennessee Healthcare Dyersburg Hospital.Harold was born on October 12, 1934, in Lansing, MI, to the late Harold Franklin, Sr. and the late Marguerite…

Life as Performance Art

Life as Performance Art

Editorial StaffAug 31, 20226 min read

     JM Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, also wrote the script for a play, and later a movie, he called The Old Lady Shows her Medals.  It is set right after World War One in London.  The plot is disarmingly simple: an…

Sorry, but I don’t want to pay for your loan

Sorry, but I don’t want to pay for your loan

Editorial StaffAug 31, 20223 min read

It’s so great to be a taxpayer in the United States. Our government continues to pile on the middle class with new tax after new tax.Now we are being told we must contribute to the $500 billion slush fund that…

Strong storms blow through county producing outages

Strong storms blow through county producing outages

Editorial StaffAug 31, 20222 min read

Jason WesseldykSports Editor For the second time in less than a month, a strong storm system ripped through the area.The most recent of those storms hit the Otsego and Plainwell between 3:30 and 3:45 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 29. And…

Riverfront to lose zipline; moved to Events Center

Riverfront to lose zipline; moved to Events Center

Editorial StaffAug 31, 20223 min read

A view from the top of the Zip Line tower on the Allegan Riverfront gives riders a new view of the Kalamazoo River before landing on the tower on the opposite shore. By Gari Voss Allegan Event announced that it…

Weekend events plentiful as summer comes to close

Weekend events plentiful as summer comes to close

Editorial StaffAug 31, 20227 min read

Nanette Voss-Herlihy and daughter Lily get suited up for a ride across the mighty Kalamazoo River on the Zip Line. Labor Day will be the last opportunity to make this excursion. Art on the Riverfront offers anyone interested in art…

Weaver leads Wayland boys to win at mini invitational

Editorial StaffAug 24, 20221 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor WAYLAND—The Wayland boys cross country team eked out a win by the slimmest of margins at the season-opening Wayland Mini Invite on Monday, Aug. 22.The buoyed by the winning effort of Devin Weaver (17:48), the Wildcats…

Allegan swim wins opener

Editorial StaffAug 24, 20221 min read

The Allegan girls swim & dive team came home with a 92-89 win over Portage Northern in its first meet of the season.Bella Festerling had the team’s only individual top honors, winning both the 50 and 100 freestyle, while also…

Pray for Alzheimer’s cure

Pray for Alzheimer’s cure

Editorial StaffAug 24, 20223 min read

Of all the conditions or diseases, one might encounter, Alzheimer’s/dementia is in my opinion the worst.Many of us know a mother, father or a close relative that has suffered from this disease that saps almost all memory from a person.…

Life as a Performance Art

Life as a Performance Art

Editorial StaffAug 24, 20227 min read

   Play, we are told, is the work of children.  Einstein wrote that when children play it is the beginning of all research. A classic example that philosophy might be the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.  As a youngster his mother sat…

Weekend festivals bring crowds to Allegan

Weekend festivals bring crowds to Allegan

Editorial StaffAug 24, 20225 min read

From Wednesday into Sunday, barns throughout the Allegan County Fairgrounds abounded with booths features thousands of ideas for using fiber. Artists sat at tables and looms working or teaching workshop participants. Serious competition can be fun. Aura Wahl-Piotrowski guides Pygora…

Mike’s Musings: Don’t be scam victim

Mike’s Musings: Don’t be scam victim

Editorial StaffAug 17, 20223 min read

By Mike WilcoxPublisherScammers are everywhere these days, often where you least expect them.I ran into a group a couple nights ago while trying to call Spectrum to fix my internet.Spectrum wants you to make all inquiries online, so they do…

Life as Performance Art

Life as Performance Art

Editorial StaffAug 17, 20226 min read

By G.C. Stoppel A recent TV insurance commercial shows an older man trying to help young people not turn into their parents. Good luck with that one. Why run from their attributes and quirks when it gives you instant status as…

Students receive free backpacks, school supplies

Students receive free backpacks, school supplies

Editorial StaffAug 17, 20223 min read

A total of 100 backpacks filled with school supplies were given out to area students. (Photo provided) Children were able to pick up free backpacks at the final Otsego Summer Fun Nights event. (Photo provided) By Jason WesseldykSports Editor Otsego…

Downtown Plainwell’s sidewalk sales thrive despite rain

Downtown Plainwell’s sidewalk sales thrive despite rain

Editorial StaffAug 17, 20222 min read

Among the businesses to participate in the Plainwell sidewalk sales were (at right) Dance Kraze, (above) Hart’s Jewelry and (below) Plainwell Flowers. (Photos provided) By Jason WesseldykSports Editor Merchants in downtown Plainwell were hoping for sunny, warm weather for the…

Football Preview:

Football Preview:

Editorial StaffAug 17, 202215 min read

Fennville quarterback Ben Peterson releases a pass in a game against Bloomingdale last season. Peterson threw seven touchdowns in the game. (File photo) J.R. Hildebrand returns as the starting quarterback for a Martin team that went 11-1 last year. (File…

Obituary: Richard Steffen

Obituary: Richard Steffen

Editorial StaffAug 17, 20221 min read

Richard Steffen passed away peacefully at his home on July 13, 2022 with his 5 children by his side. Richard was born June 15, 1935 and is survived by his children, Mark Steffen, Mike Steffen, Debra Moresco, Denise Nealy and…

Cheshire joins Lee Township to full fund high speed internet

Cheshire joins Lee Township to full fund high speed internet

Editorial StaffAug 17, 20222 min read

By John RaffelCorrespondent ALLEGAN – The Board of Commissioners at its August 11 meeting, chairman Jim Storey said, approved matching allocations from the three townships’ American Rescue Plan (ARPA) dollars for the expansion of broadband/high speed internet access.“Cheshire dedicated $216,874…

Pride event, including drag queen story hour, set for riverfront

Editorial StaffAug 17, 20226 min read

By Gari Voss The last time Allegan, Speak Up! hosted an event was the Black Lives Matter “Sit In” on June 6, 2020. Their voices were heard peacefully in order to protest needless violence towards Blacks propagated by the death…