By Jason WesseldykSports Editor During her athletic career, Shyonna Thompson displayed a willingness to try new things, particularly when it came to her spring sports.After playing softball as a freshman and sophomore, Thompson participated in track & field before moving…

   Earlier this month a longtime friend sent me one of his favorite quotes from Ecclesiastes: “Whoever increases knowledge increases sorrow.”  He added a modern refrain: “And spikes our anxiety.”  I thought about it the next morning when I went…

By Gari Voss The day could not have been more beautiful as Bridgefest 2025 rang in summer for Allegan, MI on Saturday, June 14, 2025. Locust Street offered the Art Market and community tents. Brady Street above Mahan Park and…

Through hundreds of donations totaling tens of thousands of dollars, a project to bring a new park with an amphitheater and splash pad to downtown Fennville has received a major boost.  The city of Fennville reached its goal in a crowdfunding campaign…

For some reason I feel the need to move from one house to another, or one office to another, every few years. This time my fiancé and I, decided to move from our condo to a house on an acre…

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor It was a record-setting year for the Otsego High School Class of 2025 when it came to academic achievement.Each year, OHS bestows special recognition on seniors who are graduating with a grade point average of 4.0…

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor For each of its graduating classes, Plainwell High School honors students who compiled a grand point average of 4.0 or higher.This year, 21 members of the PHS Class of 2025 fit that criteria and graduated with…

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor The driver who caused a deadly drunk-driving crash on US-131 near Plainwell last August received his sentence on Monday, June 2.Mattawan resident Joshua William Bommerscheim, 20, was sentenced to 48 months to 15 years in prison…

A strong defensive unit has been the calling card for the girls soccer team throughout the season.Just how good has the Bulldogs’ defense been?Consider this: Through its first 17 games of the season, Otsego had 12 shutouts with the Bulldogs…

    Over the past three decades and a sprinkling of years I have been fortunate to know a now-retired professor of mathematics at a small university here in Michigan.  Someone once said, “Math is just numbers,” but the subject is…

(I wrote this a few years ago but wanted share it again. Heck I might share this column over and over for years to come. The man meant so much to me)This week I give pause to reflect on my…

Summer in Allegan, MI really begins when Bridgefest hits Riverfront Park and the surrounding streets. All are invited to enjoy time with family and friends while exploring the community tents along Locust and Hubbard Streets, dropping into the many shops…

Allegan County Health Department (ACHD) has confirmed a measles case in Allegan County. ACHD is working closely with the Kent County Health Department and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to investigate the situation in an effort…

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared a state of emergency in Allegan County after storms and two tornadoes whipped through the area on May 15.The declaration frees up state resources for the county to help local response and recovery efforts. It may…

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor The Plainwell High School Class of 2025 will always hold a special place in PHS principal Marvin Taylor’s heart.“With this being my first year at PHS, I will have many fond memories with this year’s graduating…

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor With the weather refusing to cooperate, Otsego Public Schools officials were forced to move the district’s graduation ceremony into the high school gymnasium on Wednesday, May 21.And while Otsego High School principal Thomas Reed wasn’t exactly…

Otsego junior Emma Hoffman entered the MHSAA Division 2 Girls Track & Field State Finals as the prohibitive favorite to win state titles in the 1,600 and the 3,200.She didn’t dissapoint, as she did, indeed, secure both of those championships.…

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor HAMILTON—Otsego junior Emma Hoffman made some history at the Division 2 Girls Track State Finals on Saturday, May 31.With a win in the 1,600 (personal-best 4:52.86) already under her belt, Hoffman won the 3,200 with a…

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor SOUTH HAVEN—For the second year in a row, a district girls soccer contest between Allegan and Hopkins came down to a shootout.And for the second year in a row, it was the Tigers who came out…

   Growing up, we had the usual generational divides in our home.  When my parents were born, they were included as part of the Silent Generation who lived through the Spanish Flu, Roaring Twenties, Great Depression, World War Two.  Right…