Blue Star
By Scott SullivanEditorChinatown“Let’s go to the Asian shop,” said Flannery.“Which Asian shop?” I asked.“The one I went to when I was 16.” That was eight years ago. “They had seaweed,” my daughter said.“I didn’t know you liked seaweed.”“I don’t,” she…
Life as Performance Art
In many ways, Jimmy Carter was a good President. He was decent, honest, free from personal scandals, and along with his wife, Rosalind, set the example of a good long-term marriage. A good man, but it turned out he…
Mike’s Musings: STR’s Are They good or bad?
STR’s, or in layman’s terms, Short Term Rentals are a hot topic all over the United States, and even abroad, but nowhere are they a heated topic of discussion than in resort communities.In the areas, some of my newspapers cover,…
Blue Star
By Scott SullivanEditorGrand ValleyHalf a league, half a league, Half a league onward … into Grand Valley, where Ottawa Impact lies.“Siri says go straight,” said my daughter Flannery. I switched lanes from the Saugatuck exit to continue due west towards…
July 4 fun is here!
By Scott SullivanEditorHoliday weekends in Saugatuck-Douglas mean serious fun. With July 4 falling on a Thursday this year, why not expand your fun two or three more days?Saugatuck’s annual July 4 parade has returned post-Covid to smalltown epic proportions, packed…
Douglas diner opens doors
By Scott SullivanEditorHappystance, Katie Fris’s dream for restoring downtown Douglas’s intermittently empty 8 Center St. into a daily breakfast and lunch diner, opened last week after lots of labor.People packed indoor and outdoor tables during peak hours of the eatery’s…
Obituary: Ann Gould (Childs) Gray
Ann Gould (Childs) Gray passed peacefully in Douglas, Michigan, on June 28, 2024, at the age of 80. Born in Michigan City, Indiana, on January 26, 1944, to her late parents Theron Jr. and Ruth (Ramlow) Childs. Ann lived a…
Life as Performance Art
Growing up, I had no need for an alarm clock ringing in my ears. I was awakened by the hideous stench after The Olds plugged in the percolator for their first cups of coffee. I don’t know the name…
Mike’s Musings: Assange finally freed, but more accountability needed
One could not escape all the clutter on the airwaves and internet concerning the debate between Biden and Trump this past week. The subject was pontificated on at length, everywhere. How badly did Biden, lose, everyone asked. Will he pull…
Share River Bluff Park ideas Thursday
By Scott Sullivan Editor Want to help restore Saugatuck Township’s River Bluff Park? A public open house Thursday, June 27, in the Saugatuck-Douglas District Library, 174 Center St., Douglas, will be your chance. From 5:30 to 7 p.m., township parks…
July 4 fun to pack full weekend
By Scott Sullivan Editor Holiday weekends in Saugatuck-Douglas mean serious fun. With July 4 falling on a Thursday this year, why not expand your fun two or three more days? Saugatuck’s annual July 4 parade has returned post-Covid to smalltown…
E. Coli advisory receives mixed reception
By Scott Sullivan Editor Last week’s Oval Beach E. Coli warning didn’t keep everyone out of Lake Michigan. Five days of 90° heat sent many into the waves regardless, witness the photo above taken June 19. The City of Saugatuck…
Two if by sea
Saugatuck, Holland and Park township fire crews hit Lake Michigan June 18, joined by a county marine division craft and U.S. Coast Guard chopper prepped for airborne transfer. Swimmers at risk, caught in rip currents, happen. Efficient, quick and practiced…
Blue Star
By Scott SullivanEditorHeat WaveThe book “Ban This Book” has been banned by the Indian River County (Fla.) school board. Members voted 3-2 to ax Alan Gratz’s 2017 children’s tome after Jennifer Pippin, local Moms for Liberty chair, complained it was…
Help make River Bluff Park dreams real
By Scott SullivanEditorWant to help restore Saugatuck Township’s River Bluff Park? A public open house Thursday, June 27, in the Saugatuck-Douglas District Library, 174 Center St., Douglas, will be your chance.From 5:30 to 7 p.m., township parks committee leaders will…
Life as Performance Art
On late cold nights when I was growing up, I would listen to my father’s shortwave radio receiver. I could not make sense of the amateurs sending Morse Code but delighted in finding an English-speaking commercial station. There were many, but the…
Mike’s Musings: Lawmakers misbehavior goes unpunished
Nobody knows who, nobody knows why, but $17 million of our money (taxpayers) has been paid out to federal lawmakers accused of sexual (as well as other types of discrimination) misdeeds from 1997 to 2017.Personally, I think this is despicable.…
Township eyes phased-in campground plan
BY SCOTT SULLIVAN EDITOR California-based Autocamp has scaled back plans from 112 total to 76 phase-one campsites on 29.24 acres 34.61 Blue Star Hwy. because “stuff” happens — specifically, need to dispose of sewage. The Saugatuck Township Board June 12…
Township hires Viridis for park design
BY SCOTT SULLIVAN EDITOR The Saugatuck Township Board June 12 hired Viridis Design Group for $10,500 to prepare a final landscape design for now-undeveloped 7.5-acre Amalanchier Park next to Riverside Cemetery at 3461 Clearbrook Drive. It will be incorporated into…
SHS junior is swift photo Study
Saugatuck High School junior Leilani Schoonmaker’s journey through a lens crescendoed — so far, at least — with National Scholastic Art Awards Gold Medal recognition. Her black-and-white photo of the 2023 Portage Cross Country Invitational start made Schoonmaker SHS art…
