Allegan County News & Union Enterprise

Boys Basketball Season Preview

Editorial Staff Nov 19, 2025 13 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor ALLEGANBrian Baker may be new to the role of head coach at Allegan, but he is definitely not new to coaching hoops.Baker has 25 years of coaching experience.And he’s been encouraged by what he’s seen so…

Mike’s Musings: Thanksgiving us your time to express thanks

Mike’s Musings: Thanksgiving us your time to express thanks

Editorial Staff Nov 19, 2025 4 min read

Thanksgiving has a way of arriving right when we need it most. After another year filled with the usual mix of noise—politics, inflation, crises abroad, and the ever-present rush of everyday life—this holiday stands as a rare invitation to stop,…

Life as Performance Art

Life as Performance Art

Editorial Staff Nov 19, 2025 6 min read

Mother had a copy of a painting she kept in her Thanksgiving dinner file folder. Right after Halloween she took down our elementary school finger-painted masterpieces and used four magnets to hold the print on the refrigerator door. With it…

Wayland Union Schools cut ribbon on new admin building

Wayland Union Schools cut ribbon on new admin building

Editorial Staff Nov 19, 2025 5 min read

By Gari Voss Wayland Union School District has a new Administration Building that is far more than office space for central office staff. The official ribbon cutting on Monday, November 10, 2025, gathered representatives from TowerPinkster (the design team), Triangle…

Citizens, City discuss strategic plan

Citizens, City discuss strategic plan

Editorial Staff Nov 19, 2025 2 min read

Residents and business owners around Allegan gathered at the Allegan City Hall to examine a variety of pictures and renderings of Downtown Allegan. Each photo asked questions regarding what residents felt would improve that section of the city. Envisioning addressed…

Human remains found in Otsego Twp. ‘Welfare Check’

Editorial Staff Nov 19, 2025 2 min read

By Elizabeth FersztContributing Writer  Allegan County authorities encountered a grisly discovery at the 600 block of Lincoln Ave. (Hwy 89), heading east into the village of Otsego last week. During a routine welfare check, possibly for a missing person, human…

Mitchell honors Jepkemawith Veterans Day speech

Mitchell honors Jepkemawith Veterans Day speech

Editorial Staff Nov 12, 2025 4 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, major hostilities of World War 1 were formally ended.Since then, Nov. 11 has been set aside to honor military veterans, first known…

Residents reminded about winter parking rules

Editorial Staff Nov 12, 2025 2 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor With the calendar having turned from October to November, the City of Plainwell issued a reminder to its residents regarding the ordinance regulating overnight parking.Per the ordinance, parking a motor vehicle or trailer overnight, within the…

Plainwell swim & dive finishes second at league finals

Editorial Staff Nov 12, 2025 4 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor BATTLE CREEK—Host Harper Creek ran away—or, more accurately, swam away—with the SCC title on Saturday, Nov. 8, racking up 527 points.But the three local girls swim & dive teams—Plainwell, Otsego and Allegan—had plenty to celebrate as…

Life as Performance Art

Life as Performance Art

Editorial Staff Nov 12, 2025 4 min read

For someone who is not a certified member of the Handyman’s Union and a complete all-thumbs fiasco in most do-it-yourself projects, I find myself having to make a stop at a hardware store a couple times a week. Especially in…

Merson community mourns loss of store destroyed by fire

Merson community mourns loss of store destroyed by fire

Editorial Staff Nov 12, 2025 3 min read

By Gari Voss The call came to Gobles Pine Grove Fire Chief Brian Cronk at 5:58am that smoke was pouring from the northwest section of Merson Store at M-40 and 102nd Avenue. By the time Gobles Pine Grove and Allegan…

City Council re-elects Perrigo as mayor, schedules open houses

Editorial Staff Nov 12, 2025 13 min read

By Gari Voss The Allegan City Council reelected Traci Perrigo as Mayor and Peter Hanse as Mayor Pro Tem then handled some previous business. Police Chief Jay Gibson reviewed statistics for 2025 and updated the council on several situations that…

Do you need help? Write Us!

Editorial Staff Nov 12, 2025 2 min read

By Mike WilcoxOwner/Publisher Every year, as the Christmas season draws near, I’m reminded just how generous our communities can be. For nearly two decades, Wilcox Newspapers has hosted what’s become one of my favorite traditions: our Annual Christmas Wish Program.It…

Mike’s Musings: The True Spirit of Christmas Lives in Helping Others

Mike’s Musings: The True Spirit of Christmas Lives in Helping Others

Editorial Staff Nov 12, 2025 3 min read

As the Christmas season approaches, the lights, music, and festive cheer remind us of joy, family, and tradition. But amid the celebration, it’s also a time to remember what this season truly represents — compassion, generosity, and community. For many…

Merson Store engulfed by fire

Merson Store engulfed by fire

Editorial Staff Nov 6, 2025 4 min read

By Gari Voss The call came to Gobles Pine Grove Fire Chief Brian Cronk at 5:58am that smoke waspouring from the northwest section of Merson Store at M-40 and 102 nd Avenue. By the timeGobles Pine Grove and Allegan Fire…

PHS presents ‘Back to the ‘80s’ this weekend

PHS presents ‘Back to the ‘80s’ this weekend

Editorial Staff Nov 5, 2025 3 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor Great music, iconic fashion statements and iconic dance moves brought to life.That, according to Hannah Sheikh, is what audiences members can expect when they come out to see Plainwell High School’s production of “Back to the…

Plainwell band places second at state finals

Editorial Staff Nov 5, 2025 3 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor DETROIT—Refined.That’s the one word Plainwell High School band director David Hepinstall used to describe the PHS marching band’s performance at the Michigan Competing Band Association Flight IV State Championship on Saturday, Nov. 1.The judges on hand…

Otsego’s Dennany selected for US Youth Soccer roster

Editorial Staff Nov 5, 2025 3 min read

Otsego junior Peyton Dennany is pretty good at soccer.How good, you ask? Well, she’s ranked 10th in the nation as a midfielder.And that earned her a coveted spot on the US Youth Soccer roster, giving her the opportunity to train…

Allegan volleyball partners with Gobles for Wings Home

Editorial Staff Nov 5, 2025 4 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor High school sports, when done right, are about much more than wins and losses. They’re about teaching life lessons that the athletes can carry with them into adulthood.Such was the case for the volleyball programs from…

Mike’s Musings: Government shutdown can be averted- takes politicians to act instead of grandstand

Mike’s Musings: Government shutdown can be averted- takes politicians to act instead of grandstand

Editorial Staff Nov 5, 2025 4 min read

Another week has passed, and much of our federal government remains shuttered. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are either furloughed or working without pay. National parks are closed, small business loans are on hold, and millions of Americans are…