Saugatuck/Douglas Commercial Record

Laketown may flip to Mersman as manager

Laketown may flip to Mersman as manager

Editorial StaffJan 8, 20253 min read

By Jim HaydenCorrespondentWith Al Meshkin retired as of Jan. 3, Laketown Township is without a manager. The board at a special meeting Dec. 30 put contract negotiations for a new one on hold until Jan. 8.In the absence of a…

Mike’s Musings: Congress should not ban TikTok

Mike’s Musings: Congress should not ban TikTok

Editorial StaffJan 8, 20253 min read

There has been a new push in Congress to out right ban or heavily regulate TikTok. I’m neither a user nor am I fan of social media in general. However, to ban or heavily regulate the most popular social media…

Life as Performance Art

Life as Performance Art

Editorial StaffJan 8, 20255 min read

What was once known as suicide has been renamed by some “Assisted dying.” Both terms make me uncomfortable.Western culture has long abhorred suicide. The ancient Romans considered it a serious offense against the person, their family and the empire. If…

Blue Star

Blue Star

Editorial StaffDec 31, 20243 min read

By Scott SullivanEditorMaking WayFor Christmas my head exploded. An abscess between my left eye and brain threatened both and hurt like hell till they gave me morphine. Then I could even endure Ohio State winning in football as much as…

Mike’s Musings: Dose of DOGE needed to curb government spending

Mike’s Musings: Dose of DOGE needed to curb government spending

Editorial StaffDec 31, 20243 min read

Maybe DOGE has a good thing going. DOGE, the acronym for Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, has been charged with eliminating waste and inefficiency at the federal government level.I have been a…

Life as Performance Art

Life as Performance Art

Editorial StaffDec 31, 20245 min read

‘Twas a week before Christmas and all the preparations were done. Well, almost.The Nativity creche Pat received as a child is in place on the fireplace mantle. It is always the first decoration to go up and the last to…

Saugatuck boys drop two games

Editorial StaffDec 24, 20241 min read

The Saugatuck boys basketball team heads to Christmas break with a 2-6 record following a pair of losses last week.The Trailblazers dropped a 59-30 decision at home to Bridgman on Tuesday, Dec. 17, before suffering a 53-42 road loss at…

Blue Star

Blue Star

Editorial StaffDec 24, 20244 min read

By Scott SullivanEditorBurnt by Unlearnt“We learn from history that we don’t learn from history,” German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel wrote in 1837. Less than a century later Adolf Hitler was führer there.We learned the same nothing here last year…

2024: What a year it was

Editorial StaffDec 24, 202413 min read

By Scott SullivanEditor How have we survived 2024? Some of us with aplomb, others might prefer a bomb. Our annual Year in Review: JanuarySaugatuck High School thespians will present Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on midwinter nights Jan. 19-21.Saugatuck City…

Next Laketown manager still unsure

Next Laketown manager still unsure

Editorial StaffDec 24, 20242 min read

By Jim HaydenCorrespondent A special Laketown Township Board meeting scheduled for Dec. 17 had to be canceled due to a lack of quorum. No new special meeting date has been announced, leaving the township with the chance of having no…

Mike’s Musings: Those that gave deserve praise and accolades

Mike’s Musings: Those that gave deserve praise and accolades

Editorial StaffDec 24, 20243 min read

Don’t tell me people are inherently stingy and rude. Because what I witnessed this holiday season was just the opposite. As many of you know we had our Christmas Wish Fund in December, like we have done for many years…

Life as Performance Art

Life as Performance Art

Editorial StaffDec 24, 20245 min read

‘Twas a week before Christmas and all the preparations were done. Well, almost.The Nativity creche Pat received as a child is in place on the fireplace mantle. It is always the first decoration to go up and the last to…

Fast start propels Trailblazers past Clippers

Editorial StaffDec 18, 20243 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports EditorMARTIN—Start strong and then hold on.That was the formula the Saugatuck boys basketball team used to secure a 43-36 SAC divisional win over Martin on Friday, Dec. 13.The Trailblazers, who improved to 2-4 overall, led 12-0 after…

Sand slide

Sand slide

Editorial StaffDec 18, 20241 min read

Looked like a green Christmas for Saugatuck’s Oval Beach and surrounding environs last week, but weather forecasters were anything but unanimous. Whatever the elements bring, here’s a wish days and nights will be bright for us all. (Photo by Scott…

Blue Star

Blue Star

Editorial StaffDec 18, 20244 min read

By Scott SullivanEditorChristmas BirdsCivilized wildlife abounds in these parts, especially with Christmas coming. Hence a Tri-Community Wildlife Committee was born to save us from their/our excesses.The Australian outback saw a similar fate after World War I “soldier settlers” were incentivized…

Douglas OKs $285K start of Ferry fix

Douglas OKs $285K start of Ferry fix

Editorial StaffDec 18, 20242 min read

By Scott SullivanEditorDouglas City Council Monday approved spending $285,337 for water main, sewer and surface restoration on now-closed Ferry Street.That will cover Douglas’s sole responsibility in the two-pronged project to reopen the key north-south link to homes and tourist attraction…

Mike’s Musings: Businesses, citizens come to the aid of disadvantaged families

Mike’s Musings: Businesses, citizens come to the aid of disadvantaged families

Editorial StaffDec 18, 20243 min read

People say times are tough, and if you sat down next to me while we were reading about all the horrible situations families had endured this past year, you could do nothing but agree.Our annual Christmas Wish Program was conducted…

Life as Performance Art

Life as Performance Art

Editorial StaffDec 18, 20244 min read

I thought my father was a bubble or two off center because he was obsessed about never being late. He believed the only way to be on time was to arrive somewhere 10 minutes early. The bank opens at 9 a.m.,…

Saugatuck boys drop game to archrival Fennville

Editorial StaffDec 11, 20242 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports EditorFacing a 16-point deficit at halftime, the Saugatuck boys basketball team closed the gap to seven points in the closing minutes of its game with archrival Fennville on Monday, Dec. 9.But the Trailblazers would get no closer…

Obituary: Regina Marie Johandes

Obituary: Regina Marie Johandes

Editorial StaffDec 11, 20242 min read

Regina Marie Johandes 60, passed away peacefully to join her Lord and Savior on Nov. 17, 2024 at Trillium Woods Faith Hospice Home with exceptional care from the nurses and aides at the facility.Regina was born on July 14,1964 to…