
Obituary: Lois Marie Hays
Lois Marie Hays, 91, of Allegan, MI passed away Saturday, July 20, 2024 at Allegan County Medical Care Community. Born August 16, 1932 in Allegan, MI, she was the daughter of the late Troy E. and Dorothy (Mattison) Clawson and…
Obituary: Rosemary (Toots) McKinnon
Rosemary (Toots) McKinnon passed away at her home in Allegan on July 10, 2024. Rosemary was born December 2, 1932 in Kalamazoo, the daughter of Keith and Georgia McKinnon. She graduated from Hopkins High School in 1951 where she received…
Life as Performance Art
On Saturday the thirteen of this month, Pat and I were out along the lakeshore for beautiful evening at Ox-Bow School of the Arts. There is not cell phone service there, so we missed hearing the news of the…
Surviving members of the Savage family released from hospital, time to heal
By Donald Talonen The three surviving members of the Savage family from Kalamazoo, involved in a fatal car accident, have been discharged from the hospital.The accident occurred on Sunday, June 30, at the intersection of 136th Avenue and 58th Street…
Allegan City receives $100k grant for Mahan Park
By Gari Voss The City of Allegan’s Council meeting began with the resignation of Dave Redding. Redding had come on the council to fill a vacant seat then was voted into a second term. After making a statement of gratitude…
Mike’s Musings: One would never imagine an assassination attempt, a president resigning in one week
What a week for the history books. First a former president, now the leading candidate for president, survived an assassination attempt, then his opponent, the current president announced he would no longer be running for a second term.I’m still confused…
Fire destroys home on Mariette St. in Plainwell
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor Fire destroyed a home in the 100 block of Mariette Street in the City of Plainwell on Sunday, July 14.The blaze was reported at approximately 7:40 p.m., and firefighters from Plainwell Public Safety were on the…
Ransom Library seeks renewal of operating millage
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor The future of Ransom District Library in Plainwell will be decided when voters head to the ballots on Tuesday, Aug. 6.The library is seeking a renewal of its operating millage that was initially passed in 2014.The…
Nieuwenhuis places runner-up at Nationals
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor FARGO, N.D.—Winning a championship is hard.Repeating as champion might be even harder.Yet that’s exactly what Plainwell High School wrestling standout Madison Nieuwenhuis had the opportunity to do at the Junior & 16U Nationals last weekend.One year…
Allegan’s Garvin garnering plenty of attention
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing in at 300 pounds, Allegan junior Sully Garvin makes quite the impression when he walks in a room.He’s also made quite an impression on college football evaluators and coaches.Listed as a three-star…
Obituary: Hazel Marie (Russell) Guigue
Hazel Marie (Russell) Guigue passed peacefully on July 13, 2024, in South Haven. Hazel was born to her late parents Harold and Francis (Bushee) Russell on July 30, 1930, at her family homestead. Graduated 1948 from South Haven high school…
Obituary: Kathryn Pearle Mankin
Kathryn Pearle Mankin, 97, died July 10th, 2024, in Wings Home hospice of Allegan.Kathryn was born November 25, 1926, in Mendon Illinois to Earl B and M. Grace (Hawe) McCelland. She married Bernard J. “Bud” Mankin on October 3, 1947,…
Obituary: Jeanne Sands
Jeanne Sands, 93, passed away Monday, June 24,2024, at Fountain View Assisted Living in Grant, Michigan. Jeanne was the second of two daughters born to Charles and Pauline Owen. She grew up in Springfield, Missouri, graduating from Springfield High School in…
Obituary: Reverend Paul Newell Ray
Reverend Paul Newell Ray, a cherished minister and pillar of the Rochester, Wisconsin community, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Thursday, July 4, 2024 at the age of 85. Pastor Ray’s journey of faith and service touched the hearts…
City of Allegan awarded $1 million for dam improvements
By Gari Voss The City of Allegan was announced as one of 22 projects that would receive funding through the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s (EGLE’s) Dam Risk Reduction Grant Program. EGLE stated that a high-hazard dam…
Allegan native Tyler Merren set to make fifth Paralympic appearance
By Donald Talonen Allegan native Tyler Merren is making headlines as he prepares for his fifth trip to the Paralympics, representing Team USA in goalball at the 2024 Paris Games. Despite being diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease as a…
August Primary offers many candidates, particularly on GOP side
By Gari Voss Absentee/Early Voting ballots for the August 6, 2024, Primary Election have been made available. Voters who are Early Voters have received their ballots, and completed ballots are rolling into precinct offices. This is an extremely important election…
Mike’s Musings: Tone down political Rhetric demand answers from ss
Like many of you I was in shock when I heard there was an assassination attempt on former president Trump’s life while he was speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania. It had been 43 years since the barbaric act of…
Life as Performance Art
Another “Old” in the grocery checkout lane ahead of me asked the clerk, “Is this the airport?”“What do you mean?” she asked, baffled.“I’d expect to pay this much for a bottle of water there, but not here,” he said.She rolled…
Bicyclist killed in July 4 hit-and-run accident
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor A hit-and-run accident in Cooper Township on Thursday, July 4, claimed the life of a bicyclist.The accident happened at approximately 11 p.m. at North Riverview Drive and East B Avenue in Cooper Township. The victim, a…

Do you need help? Write Us!
By Mike Wilcox
Owner/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 started simply enough. We asked readers who were struggling to write in and tell us what would make their Christmas a little brighter. The idea was to connect local families in need with local people who wanted to help. Over the years, it’s grown into something truly special—and this year, we’re doing it again.
























