Obituary: Roland A. Coats
Roland A. Coats, 87, of Spring Lake, Michigan passed away peacefully on Feb. 7, 2025. Roland was born on Oct. 12, 1937, to Ralph and Ruth (Bunday) Coats in Marshall, Michigan. Roland spotted the love of his life, Fern (Watson)…
Obituary: David Theodore Kurtz
David Theodore Kurtz, born May 22, 1952, of Albion, Michigan, passed away peacefully on Feb. 6, 2025, at Allegra Nursing and Rehab in Jackson, Michigan. He was 72 years old. David was the eldest child of Theodore and Lucille Kurtz.…
Men Who Cook dazzles with more unique dishes and volunteer devotion
by Sylvia Benavidez Men Who Cook brought 41 cooks to the serving table and a unique variety of flavors including crowd favorites like macaroni and cheese. Citizens to Beautify Albion sponsored the event at the First Baptist Church in Albion…
Anna’s House of Flowers 40th Anniversary marking so much more than a chronological number
by Sylvia Benavidez Anna’s House of Flowers has been in business in Albion for 40 years and the shop has managed to survive in hard economic times and good. Owner Anna Merritt shared her perspective on her flower shop’s longevity.…
Mike’s Musings: State mandated minimum wage increases will damage small business
You gotta feel for small businesses. Not only are their pricing and services under attack by big box stores and internet giants from here and China, they must weave through a ton of regulations placed on them by the government.The…
Leisure Hour closes its doors after 130th party last Sundayby Sylvia Benavidez
The Leisure Hour Club located next to the Kalamazoo River at 211 Market Place, in Albion, opened its doors at 4 p.m. Sunday for a final send off. Michigan’s oldest member only club could no longer afford to operate in…
Historical Notebooks: Good Mariages
by Jim Whitehouse Having just celebrated a wedding anniversary that ended in a 5, it occurred to me that we give special credence to zeros and fives. Sure, we tend to make a big deal out of 16 (drivers’ licenses)…
Leader of Jackson gang admits to conspiracy to traffic unique form of fentanyl
DETROIT – A Houston, Texas resident and leader of the violent Jackson street gang the “Thorough Bread Family,” Tamarious “Poogi” Faulkner, pleaded guilty last week to conspiracy to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl, Acting United States Attorney Julie A.…
A new public safety officer and official titles for interim staff
Funding for Albion’s water improvement project main focus of Monday’s council meeting New ADPS officer introduced. Funding for water improvement project discussed Monday’s city council meeting began with the introduction of a new public safety officer. Robert Haas was introduced…
Jackson County Sheriff’s Department hands out awards to youth in their Explorer Program
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department recently held their Explorer Program Awards Banquet. At the event, several awards were presented. Tim Soto-Steiner received the Most Improved award, the Community Service Award went to Matt Kestner, while the Physical Fitness award went…
City of Jackson welcoming new Police Chief
The City of Jackson will be welcoming a new Police Chief. At the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 11, Christopher Simpson will be sworn in as the next chief of the Jackson Police Department. This change in police leadership…
Mike’s Musings: Even county governments spend unwisely: Case study, Allegan County
Our government, whether it is at the local, county, state or federal level, makes numerous decisions on how they spend taxpayers’ money. Some we can agree with, some we can’t. I would like to think with the advent of social…
Mike’s Musings: Defund NGO’s, and do it now
If you’ve been watching the crisis at our southern border, you might wonder what has happened to the millions of illegal immigrants that crossed the border the last few years. Where do they go, and how are they supported you…
Looking Out: Off sides
by Jim Whitehouse “Mom, what’s that bird?” says a boy sitting next to me on the sidelines of a futebol pitch, which I’ve been told by my Brazilian friend Sergio is the same thing as a soccer field. My beloved…
Jackson Public School Board elects officers; discusses budget
The Jackson Public School Board convened its first meeting of 2025 Tuesday evening to elect new officers and discuss budgeting strategies. The motion for candidate selection of board president drew immediate appraisal from Board Trustee Kesha Hamilton in response to…
Jackson cold snap
With seasonal temperatures approaching single digits and below this week, the importance of local partners in the community challenged with the task of intervening on extreme temperatures and those most vulnerable became apparent. The week began with frigid temperatures and…
Grass Lake, Lumen Christi remain undefeated in boys basketball
The varsity basketball teams from Grass Lake and Lumen Christi Catholic high schools remain undefeated with wins last week. Both teams are 12-0 midway through the season. Here are basketball scores from local high school boys basketball teams. Waverly 74,…
Obituary: Lema Nell Smith
Lema Nell Smith, A rose named Lema Nell Smith, bloomed in Alamo, Georgia on Dec. 5, 1938. The eldest of eleven children from the union of Theo & Annie (Wood) Davis. She went home to be with the Lord on…
City approves contracts, discusses plans for Stoffer Plaza and hears the importance of the PIT Count Project
At Tuesday’s Albion City Council meeting, Maurice Barry gave a presentation on the annual Point-in-Time count. The project is a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. Albion participates in this annual count…
Obituary: Sharon Price
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Sharon Price, a cherished mother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and devoted partner. Sharon passed away on Jan. 11, 2025, at the University of Michigan Hospital, surrounded by her loved…
