By Jason WesseldykSports EditorIt’s been said that good things come to those who wait.That was the case for the Saugatuck boys basketball team.After dropping their first eight games of the season, the Trailblazers broke into the win column thanks to…

By Scott SullivanEditorTrumping the SharkThere’s go big or go home, then there’s stealing a shark out of an aquarium. Three sharknappers did so in San Antonio last month, smuggling it out in a baby stroller.Viewers’ knee-jerk reaction to coo at…

By Scott SullivanEditorThe Saugatuck Township Planning Commission was scheduled Tuesday, Jan. 20 to weigh a proposed 36-unit The Enclave condominium development on 9.718 acres at 6549 Old Allegan Road, adjacent to Blue Star Highway.Johnny Walker, with Exxel Engineering, on Dec.…

1-22 Stoppel-cr By G.C. StoppelTwice, in less than 12 hours and from two different sources, I heard basically the same message on how to deal with the swirling chaos in much of the news.The first was when I watched the…

Every few years, the same frustrated question resurfaces: With all the money, technology and brainpower in the world, why haven’t we cured cancer yet? It’s a fair question. We’ve put men on the moon, decoded the human genome and carry…

Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher The United States often fascinates those from other countries. From food, sports, and politics to nearly everything in between, American life can feel markedly different from the typical European experience. One of its greatest marvels is the…

By Jason WesseldykSports EditorAs far as second-year Saugatuck boys basketball coach Ty Rock was concerned, effort was not an issue in his team’s SAC Central contest with host Holland Black River on Friday, Jan. 9.“The guys played hard,” Rock said.Rather,…

By Scott SullivanEditorAge of InnocenceI can’t tell you how many women mistake me for Tom Brady. Is it my movie star looks? Seven Superbowl rings? Status as football’s GOAT? Untold millions?“No,” said Madge at the Pullman Tavern. “It’s your personality.…

By Scott SullivanEditorThe hand-sewn “seeds” shown above, part of Kayla Powers’ exhibit “Interwoven: The Art of Flourishing Together,” can be shared and sown at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts through May 8.Michigan-rooted textile artist Kayla Powers, 37, notes they…

By Scott SullivanEditorSaugatuck City Council Monday approved Fleis & Vandenbrink Engineering-recommended change orders for its now substantially-completed new restrooms at Mt. Baldhead Park.This city last spring contracted low bidder Midwest Construction to do the work for $298,000, budgeting contingency costs…

The year that my late wife Pat turned 95, MENSA sent a reporter to interview her about her nine decades as a professional artist and writer.The writer first asked who or what inspired her to become an artist. Pat explained…

Not long ago, I set aside part of my workday to ask the Internal Revenue Service a simple question. This wasn’t a complicated audit issue or a dispute over taxes owed. It was a basic inquiry that should have taken…

Peter Colvin of Douglas and doubles partner Mark Mark Kenworthy of Grand Rapids, who qualified for the U.S. Senior Pickleball Nationals Dec. 5-9 in Daytona Beach by winning the Northern Regionals Doubles Tournament. But they placed just ninth. “It wasn’t…

By Scott Sullivan Editor The Wildwood Lane Association can place a new monument sign at its entrance after Douglas City Council Monday a planned unit development amendment allowing it. The site condominium development, city planning and zoning administrator Sean Homyen…

Bob Eder of Saugatuck Township has joined the Friends of the Blue Star Trail board of directors. Eder and his wife Janet relocated here from Chicago in 2020, moving into a vacation home they have owned since 2008. He is…

By Scott SullivanEditorMr. Sunshine“In the depth of winter, I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer.” – Albert Camus Good ol’ Al, Mr. Sunshine. Camus’ opening for “The Stranger”: “Mother died yesterday. Or perhaps today. I’m not sure,”…

Not all ducks fly, though this one did at least metaphorically down the Schultz Park sled hill last week. (Photo by Scott Sullivan

By Jim HaydenCorrespondentThe final curtain call for a Saugatuck barn that hosted summer plays for almost 50 years is coming in 2026.The former Red Barn, at 6357 63rd St. northeast of town, is expected to be razed and replaced with…

Every December, Sen. Rand Paul releases his annual Festivus Report, a nod to the fictional holiday made famous by Seinfeld. The tradition includes an “airing of grievances,” and for taxpayers, there is no shortage of them.I just got the opportunity…

When the holiday season began to wind down I checked the little recipe box that contained the names and addresses of people on our Christmas card list. Every year a few new names are added. Every year a few more names get…