Allegan County News & Union Enterprise

Foupht sentenced to 50-75 years

Foupht sentenced to 50-75 years

Editorial StaffJul 13, 20222 min read

Steven Lee Foupht By Jason WesseldykSports Editor An Otsego-area man who pleaded guilty to charges related to the production and possession of child pornography learned his fate on Thursday, July 7.Appearing in the 48th Circuit Court, Steven Lee Foupht received…

Authorities rescue kayakers from Kalamazoo River

Authorities rescue kayakers from Kalamazoo River

Editorial StaffJul 13, 20222 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor GUN PLAIN TOWNSHIP—Authorities rescued a group of kayakers who were stranded on the Kalamazoo River in Gun Plain Township on Saturday, July 9.One of the kayakers reportedly had a deep facial cut. That individual was taken…

Obituary: Paul Victor Engelmann, 64

Obituary: Paul Victor Engelmann, 64

Editorial StaffJul 13, 20223 min read

Dr. Paul Victor Engelmann, 64, of Plainwell, Michigan, passed away on July 5, 2022 at Vicinia Gardens Assisted Living and Memory Care in Otsego, Michigan, due to frontotemporal dementia. He was preceded in death by his mother, Patricia Park Engelmann,…

Obituary: Florence May Schafer, 92

Obituary: Florence May Schafer, 92

Editorial StaffJul 13, 20222 min read

Florence May Schafer, 92, of Allegan, MI passed away Saturday, July 9, 2022 at her home. Born February 7, 1930 in Kalamazoo, she was the daughter of the late Alvis and Ann (Nowakowski) Kremer. She married Gerald Schafer on August…

Obituary: L. Jean Barnes, 88

Obituary: L. Jean Barnes, 88

Editorial StaffJul 13, 20221 min read

L. Jean Barnes passed away June 30, 2022. Jean was born March 1, 1934 at her grandfather Barnes home in Bravo, Michigan. Jean attended several schools and graduated from Fennville High School in 1952. She also attended Nazareth College School…

Mike’s Musings: America at a Critical Crossroads

Mike’s Musings: America at a Critical Crossroads

Editorial StaffJul 13, 20223 min read

Editors Note: I wrote this one year ago, and now find it more relevant than it was when it was written.I’m growing more and more concerned that our republic will struggle to maintain its standing as a leader in this…

Life as Performance Art

Life as Performance Art

Editorial StaffJul 13, 20227 min read

   It was just after we returned from watching the Independence Day parade here in Saugatuck that our phone rang.  It was Pat’s oldest son, telling us that he and his wife were safe. At first, we were confused by their message,…

Authorities rescue kayakers from Kalamazoo River

Authorities rescue kayakers from Kalamazoo River

Editorial StaffJul 13, 20222 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor GUN PLAIN TOWNSHIP—Authorities rescued a group of kayakers who were stranded on the Kalamazoo River in Gun Plain Township on Saturday, July 9.One of the kayakers reportedly had a deep facial cut. That individual was taken…

Allegan City awarded $2 million for improvements

Allegan City awarded $2 million for improvements

Editorial StaffJul 13, 20223 min read

The City of Allegan is proud to share that it has been selected to receive $2,000,000 in funding in the upcoming State budget to help rebuild Downtown Allegan’s infrastructure.The securing of this $2,000,000 award was made possible by a multi-disciplinary…

Council votes 4-3 to allow Pride event on riverfront

Editorial StaffJul 13, 20224 min read

By Leslie Ballard The July 11 Allegan City Council Study Session lasted longer than anticipated while the regular meeting was brief.The City Council held a public hearing regarding establishing an Industrial Development District (IDD) for Tantrick Brewing Company at 138…

Perrigo asks FDA to approve first OTC birth control pill

Editorial StaffJul 13, 20223 min read

Perrigo Company plc (NYSE: PRGO), a leading global provider of Consumer Self-Care Products, today announced that HRA Pharma, a Perrigo company, has submitted its application to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first-ever over-the-counter (OTC) birth…

Incident forces closure of US-131 for hours

Incident forces closure of US-131 for hours

Editorial StaffJul 6, 20221 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor On the eve of Independence Day, drivers traveling along US-131 in Allegan County were forced to find an alternative route.A stretch of US-131 near mile marker 50 near Plainwell was closed for approximately four hours on…

Plainwell reminds residents about guidelines for signs

Editorial StaffJul 6, 20222 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor Sign, sign, everywhere a sign.Those words are as relevant today as they were in 1971 when the Canadian rock group The Five Man Electric Band released their song “Signs.” Be they signs for garage/yard sales, political…

Otsego Library offers Nemo game

Otsego Library offers Nemo game

Editorial StaffJul 6, 20222 min read

A checklist of “Finding Nemo” characters can be picked up at the Otsego Library (above). A couple of youngsters find Crush (below). (Photos provided) By Jason WesseldykSports Editor In the 2003 hit Pixar movie “Finding Nemo,” it’s the little clownfish’s…

OPS urges familes to apply for free/reduced meals

OPS urges familes to apply for free/reduced meals

Editorial StaffJul 6, 20224 min read

After being able to offer free meals the past two school years thanks to a federally funded program, Otsego Public Schools will return to charging for meals in the 2022-23 school year. Students could still qualify for free or reduced…

Iva B. Sweet, 86

Iva B. Sweet, 86

Editorial StaffJul 6, 20222 min read

Iva B. Sweet was born November 6, 1935 to the late Russell and Donna Wesseling in Allegan, MI. She graduated from Allegan High School and for a time worked at DeLano Printing and Allegan General Hospital. She married her husband,…

Patrick T. “Pat” McLaughlin, 83

Patrick T. “Pat” McLaughlin, 83

Editorial StaffJul 6, 20222 min read

Pat passed away Wednesday, June 29, 2022 at his home in Martin. He was born June 30, 1938, in Lake Odessa, the son of Paul and Mabel (Weber) McLaughlin. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Army. He worked…

Life as Performance Art

Life as Performance Art

Editorial StaffJul 6, 20226 min read

    For several years I was an adjunct college history instructor. On the first day of class, after the initial introductions and small talk, I would always ask for a show of hands from those who truly liked history.  If I was…

We can’t ignore Fentanyl any longer

We can’t ignore Fentanyl any longer

Editorial StaffJul 6, 20223 min read

Made in China, transported by Mexico, fentanyl has risen to the top of the opioid chain as the leading cause of drug deaths in America. Unfortunately our leaders seem to be consumed with other situations, ie Covid and war, so…

Crowds gather on riverfront to enjoy festivities

Crowds gather on riverfront to enjoy festivities

Editorial StaffJul 6, 20222 min read

By Leslie Ballard The July 3 Jubilee was quite a success judging by the crowds swarming the riverfront to enjoy the music, visit the food trucks and vendors, take advantage of the social district, and enjoy the zip line and…