It turns out I’m a rarity: of all the last or surnames in the U.S., Stoppel ranks at 52,970th from the top of the charts. Still, with some 6.2 million Stoppels, it’s not surprising to discover at least two more…

By John RaffelCorrespondent LAWTON — Lawton’ soccer team delivered a dominant performance Friday night, shutting out Coloma 8-0 to improve to 5-3 on the season.Junior Lilleonah Mandujano paced the offensive surge with a hat trick, while Senior Maya Tag and…

The news that Spirit Airlines has shut down operations after more than three decades in the sky feels like the end of an era—and not just for bargain travelers. For this frequent Spirit traveler, the news was devastating. I woke…

By James Windell After a lengthy Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, May 4, 2026, the members of the South Haven City Council faced a long agenda for its regular first-Monday-of-the-month meeting.However, apparently the Committee of the Whole meetings…

By James Windell We know your beloved pet runs your household, but does your dog or cat have the right stuff to run the City of South Haven?If you think they have what it takes, Al-Van Humane Society has a…

By Tom Renner The Rotary Club of South Haven marked its 70th year of service to the community and beyond with an anniversary celebration on Friday, May 1. The club was chartered in February, 1956 with an initial membership of 25,…

By James Windell When the South Haven History Club went to the State competition for National History Day recently, they garnered lots of compliments.“There were a lot of compliments given to me that South Haven students really represent themselves well,”…

By Elizabeth Ferszt One year ago last month, the Seifried family of Allegan County experienced the worst kind of tragedy possible: the loss of their 8-month-old daughter, Lucia Iris. On April 26, 2025, a drunk driver plowed into their front…

Thanks to an extremely generous donation by local caterer Dorene Serbenski to the Friends of the Paw Paw District Library, the May 14-16, 2026 book sale at the Library will feature a wonderful selection of over five hundred cookbooks from…

A ribbon cutting was held Saturday, May 2, for the new Maple Island Bridge. The new bridge is 200 feet long and was designed by Abonmarche Engineers and built by Riverworks Construction. It replaces a bridge that was built in…

The U.S. Postal Service announced April 9 first-class stamps would rise from 78 to 82 cents July 12. Not good news but inflation is touching everything.The problem is people are buying fewer stamps because we are sending fewer first-class letters.…

By John RaffelCorrespondent SOUTH HAVEN — Both teams were strong in pitching on Tuesday, April 21, but Coloma was just a little bit better at the plate in 3-2 victory over South Haven’s softball game. Addison Dekoning started the game…

If solar panels and windmills weren’t enough, the newest intrusion to our lands and quality of life is the need to grow the number of data centers in America and Michigan exponentially. And that has created a frenzy among the…

By Elizabeth FersztContributing Writer A new incident of illegal cockfighting was recently uncovered in South Haven. According to the Van Buren County Prosecutor’s Office, defendant Jesse Gamino (age 57) pleaded guilty to one count of animal fighting on April 21, 2026 in…

By Tom Renner Arbor Day in South Haven was celebrated by the traditional planting of a tree in a city park on Friday, April 24. South Haven Rotarians joined kindergarteners from Lincoln School in planting a red oak in Stanley Johnston Park…

By James Windell Sandra Tyrrell remem bers when the South Haven Christian Science Church was a thriving religious community.“My late husband and I moved to South Haven in 1989 and I became a member in 1991,” says Sandra Tyrrell, one…

Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher “I just shot my boyfriend,” 44-year-old Jennifer Dana Moore told 911 dispatchers just after 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, while calling to report the shooting inside her homeDeputies with the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office were promptly dispatched…

Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher On the morning of April 23, Scotland resident Ian Catterall was walking his dog Rany along a beach in Ayr, Scotland, when he saw a photo on the ground of four individuals standing outside a home. When he…

PAW PAW – The streets of Paw Paw were filled Monday afternoon, April 27, with flashing lights and school spirit as the community gathered to send its local innovators off to the world stage. A police escort of Village of…

A fire Thursday afternoon, April 23, destroyed a Gobles home, located on the corner of Vine and West Exchange streets. Gobles-Pine Grove and Bloomindale fire departments battled the 3:10 p.m. blaze. Paw Paw Fire Department was dispatched at 3:18 p.m.…