Allegan County News & Union Enterprise

Obituary: Brenda Elaine Tran

Obituary: Brenda Elaine Tran

Editorial StaffSep 25, 20243 min read

Brenda Elaine Tran 78 years old Brenda passed away on September 6th, in her daughter’s home, surrounded by her loved ones after courageously living with Alzheimer’s for many years. Brenda was born on September 14th, 1945, to Ronald and Blanche…

Obituary: Dorothea (Dort) Blanche Spahn (Healy)

Obituary: Dorothea (Dort) Blanche Spahn (Healy)

Editorial StaffSep 25, 20242 min read

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dorothea (Dort) Blanche Spahn (Healy) of Gobles Michigan. She was born on April 30, 1928, in Gobles Michigan.  She was the daughter of Vernon and Blanche Healy of Gobles.…

Obituary: Roger Allen Smith

Obituary: Roger Allen Smith

Editorial StaffSep 25, 20243 min read

Roger Allen Smith, passed away peacefully at the age of 79 on September 20, 2024, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Born on July 26, 1945, in Allegan, Michigan, to his late parents Leonard and Helen (Heath) Smith.Roger’s life journey was marked by…

Life as Performance Art

Life as Performance Art

Editorial StaffSep 25, 20247 min read

    As I have written many times in the past, I have long been entranced by newspapers.  You might, quite rightly, accuse me of being addicted to them.  It has been that way since I was in elementary school and…

Trowbridge Dam clean-up ready to roll

Trowbridge Dam clean-up ready to roll

Editorial StaffSep 25, 20246 min read

By Gari Voss Activity has increased along 26th St. at the site of the Trowbridge Dam. The boat launch on the Kalamazoo River at the Dam is now officially closed until 2027. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that…

Death of Lee Township woman being investigated as homicide

Death of Lee Township woman being investigated as homicide

Editorial StaffSep 25, 20242 min read

Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher On the morning of Thursday, September 19th, Allegan County Central dispatch received a call from the Fennville Shell gas station. They were concerned about one of their employees – Mrs. Mable Mills, a 43-year-old from Lee Township.Mills,…

Art of Recovery celebrated on the Allegan Riverfront

Editorial StaffSep 25, 20247 min read

By Gari Voss The City of Allegan made it official at their September 23, 2024, City Council meeting. Mayor Roger Bird proclaimed September 27, 2024, as Allegan’s Day of Recovery. This puts an exclamation mark on the national Month of…

Mike’s Musings: The day Santa was booed

Mike’s Musings: The day Santa was booed

Editorial StaffSep 25, 20243 min read

I would like to thank the dozens of readers that commented on my Bicycle Hippie finds sobriety column from last week. It certainly was a change of pace from my ranting and raving about government overreach, so much so I’m…

OHS students improve leadership skills at Rotary camp

OHS students improve leadership skills at Rotary camp

Editorial StaffSep 18, 20242 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor Relaxing. Hanging out with friends. Working to make some money.These are among the activities in which high school students traditionally engage during the summer months.For a group of four Otsego High School upperclassmen, part of this…

Elementary XC City Championship

Elementary XC City Championship

Editorial StaffSep 18, 20243 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor When Otsego High School cross country coach Steve Long began the elementary cross country program in the district two years ago, he did so with a certain goal in mind.“I think initially starting this program was…

OPS, PCS comment on safety concerns at schools

OPS, PCS comment on safety concerns at schools

Editorial StaffSep 18, 20243 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor During the past week, officials from Otsego Public Schools and Plainwell Community Schools emailed a letter to parents/guardians of students in their respective districts.Both revolved around issues involving school safety.The letter from Plainwell officials went out…

Allegan tennis places second at home invitational

Editorial StaffSep 18, 20241 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor The Allegan boys tennis team welcomed five teams—including Holland Christian, the top-ranked team in Division 4—to town on Saturday, Sept. 14, for the Allegan Invitational.The tournament was played using a blind-group-draw format, and the Tigers finished…

Otsego tennis earns first-ever win over Sturgis

Editorial StaffSep 18, 20242 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor STURGIS—A dominant showing in doubles helped propel the Otsego boys tennis team past Wolverine Conference rival Sturgis on Monday, Sept. 16.The Bulldogs swept the four doubles flights to go with one singles win to give them…

Obituary: Steven R. Pope

Obituary: Steven R. Pope

Editorial StaffSep 18, 20242 min read

Age 68 Grand Junction Passed away Sunday, September 15th, 2024 at his home.  Steve was born August 12, 1956 in Sault Ste Marie Michigan, son of the late Howard and Lorraine Pope, and lived the majority of his life in the…

Mike’s Musings: The bicycle hippie who overcame addiction

Mike’s Musings: The bicycle hippie who overcame addiction

Editorial StaffSep 18, 20243 min read

I was riding my bicycle last Saturday (yes, the same bike I fell and broke my hip from a year ago) when I was about 8 miles from home, and I heard a loud splat. I knew immediately my bsck…

Scouts remember 9-11 at Veterans Memorial

Scouts remember 9-11 at Veterans Memorial

Editorial StaffSep 18, 20241 min read

Allegan Cub Scout Pack 3026 hosted a Scout Salute in memory of those lost on 9-11-2001. Members of Pack 3026, Scouts BSA Troop 91 and Troop 191, and Girl Scout Troop 80024 participated in the event at the Allegan Veterans…

Life as Performance Art

Life as Performance Art

Editorial StaffSep 18, 20247 min read

     After I wrote the Faces in the Crowd piece on teaching penmanship in school, my mind drifted  slightly sideways toward learning how to print in the first and second grade, and then cursive writing a year later.  That class…

Judge: Lubbers’ Name Ok to Appear on November 5 Ballot

Judge: Lubbers’ Name Ok to Appear on November 5 Ballot

Editorial StaffSep 18, 20242 min read

By Rita Williams A Kent County Judge has denied a challenger’s attempt to keep an Allegan County Board of Commissioner Candidate from appearing on the ballot.On September 13, 2024, Judge George Quist denied Democratic Challenger Christi Allen’s request to prevent…

Substitute teacher violently threatened students, triggered shelter in place

Editorial StaffSep 18, 20242 min read

By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher A shelter in place order was issued at South Haven’s Baseline Middle School on Tuesday, September 10th, following unsettling comments made by a substitute teacher.According to the mother of one of the students in class that…

Otsego Creative Arts Festival slated for Sept. 28

Otsego Creative Arts Festival slated for Sept. 28

Editorial StaffSep 11, 20243 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor If you’re looking for some good family-friendly fun, then downtown Otsego is the place to be on Saturday, Sept. 28.The 37th Annual Otsego Creative Arts Festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering…