Saugatuck/Douglas Commercial Record

Saugatuck soccer team claims three victories

Editorial Staff May 1, 2024 2 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports EditorFirst-year Saugatuck girls soccer coach Jim Theis was impressed by the performance of South Haven’s goalie when his team squared off with the visiting Rams on Monday, April 29.“She had a lot of saves,” Theis said of…

Obituary: Anne L. Westenbroek

Obituary: Anne L. Westenbroek

Editorial Staff May 1, 2024 1 min read

Anne L. Westenbroek, age 74, of Saugatuck passed away on Saturday, April 13, 2024. Anne was born in Pontiac on April 24, 1949, moved to Saugatuck in 1983 and has called it home ever since.Anne was a local bus driver for…

Obituary: Janet Boyce McCormick

Obituary: Janet Boyce McCormick

Editorial Staff May 1, 2024 2 min read

Janet Boyce McCormick, age 92, of St. Louis, Mo. and a longtime Douglas summer resident, walked the Runway to her heavenly home on Friday Jan. 5, 2024.Jan was born in St Louis, where she attended Christ the King Elementary School,…

Blue Star

Blue Star

Editorial Staff May 1, 2024 4 min read

By Scott SullivanEditorProtest ContestI was sorry to miss the Satanic Temple’s invocation before last week’s Ottawa County Board meeting. When I looked at both sides, clouds got in my way.Ordained Minister of Satan Luis Cypher called on the hosts to…

New med center slates open house May 8

New med center slates open house May 8

Editorial Staff May 1, 2024 2 min read

By Scott SullivanEditorIt’s here! Holland Hospital will herald opening of its new 16,940-square-foot medical building at 6490 Blue Star Hwy., Saugatuck Township, with a community open house Wednesday, May 8, from 3 to 6 p.m.The facility, which officially opens May…

New med center slates open house May 8

New med center slates open house May 8

Editorial Staff May 1, 2024 2 min read

By Scott SullivanEditorIt’s here! Holland Hospital will herald opening of its new 16,940-square-foot medical building at 6490 Blue Star Hwy., Saugatuck Township, with a community open house Wednesday, May 8, from 3 to 6 p.m.The facility, which officially opens May…

Neighbors object to Hutchins Lake marina plans

Neighbors object to Hutchins Lake marina plans

Editorial Staff May 1, 2024 3 min read

By Scott SullivanEditorFifty-seven Hutchins Lake residents have sued to stop a developer from building what they call an illegally-permitted marina on the lake’s northeast side.David DeGroot, whose DeGroot Family Trust owns 79 acres, subdivided into 11 lots, with 500 feet…

Life as Performance Art

Life as Performance Art

Editorial Staff May 1, 2024 5 min read

Democrats and Republicans will hold national conventions this summer in Chicago and Milwaukee, respectively.I advise you avoid traffic snarls at these mutual admiration society meetings. Prices are apt to inflate then and there as well.Protesters are sure to turn out…

Mike’s Musings: Wanna make millions, become a politician

Mike’s Musings: Wanna make millions, become a politician

Editorial Staff May 1, 2024 3 min read

Like most of you, I chose the wrong profession if my goal was to make a lot of money. It seems the best way to achieve financial success is to run for elected office, in particular a federal office.It would…

Obituary: Andrew Russell Wilkinson

Obituary: Andrew Russell Wilkinson

Editorial Staff Apr 24, 2024 5 min read

Five months after the Watergate break-in and about a month after Jackie Robinson made his last public appearance, Andrew Russell Wilkinson was born on Nov. 16, 1972.He was raised by men of science and capable, free-spirited women with fine taste…

Blue Star

Blue Star

Editorial Staff Apr 24, 2024 4 min read

By Scott SullivanEditorSubpar Sushi ManWho needs civics classes when we can learn watching local leaders fight over playgrounds? For advanced studies, turn to Traverse City, where two men engaged in what police called a “sword fight” over subpar sushi.One brought…

Rural route

Rural route

Editorial Staff Apr 24, 2024 1 min read
Roundabout dig takes negotiating too

Roundabout dig takes negotiating too

Editorial Staff Apr 24, 2024 3 min read

By Scott SullivanEditorNo one likes road construction — until it’s over. Some Blue Star Highway businesses affected by roundabout building at Old Allegan Road das the tourist season starts feel the pinch acutely.“We anticipated most, but not all of that,”…

Saugatuck soccer claims pair of victories

Editorial Staff Apr 24, 2024 2 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor SAUGATUCK—Neave Rewa and Jen Schock formed quite the dynamic duo for the Saugatuck girls soccer team in its SAC showdown with visiting Watervliet on Monday, April 22.Schock scored two goals, while Rewa scored one and assisted…

Mike’s Musings: Nothing new about college students protesting

Mike’s Musings: Nothing new about college students protesting

Editorial Staff Apr 24, 2024 3 min read

What goes around, always comes around again.I remember the early 1970’s when college students as well as others took to the streets of campuses and cities to protest what they thought was an unjust Viet Nam War. It was a…

Wishbone House reprieve doesn’t end concerns

Wishbone House reprieve doesn’t end concerns

Editorial Staff Oct 5, 2022 5 min read

By Scott SullivanEditorA family of man greets guests at Wishbone House, the Douglas thrift shop and cat adoption center given a reprieve by the 501c3 Wishbone Pet Rescue Alliance board after a Sept. 21 town hall meeting helped raise more…

Teen zeal

Teen zeal

Editorial Staff Oct 5, 2022 1 min read

What’s not to love about a crisp early fall Saugatuck High School football game during which players and fans dressed in pink for breast-cancer awareness? Carter Miller (right) wasn’t cleared to play due to injuries but greeted teammates including Jefferson…

Blue Star

Blue Star

Editorial Staff Oct 5, 2022 4 min read

By Scott SullivanEditorFactions, friction, fictions, fractures election factors. Schisms, prisms, prisons … The IncineratorConsummating college transfer I was in Room 102, ground floor of Harrison Hall, Purdue, above seven more men’s floors and east east eight women’s. Winter term’s start.…

Saugatuck volleyball outlasts Delton

Editorial Staff Oct 5, 2022 2 min read

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor SAUGATUCK—Following the third set of its SAC Central showdown with visiting Delton on Tuesday, Sept. 27, the situation appeared rather bleak for Saugatuck.But, as so often is the case, appearances were deceiving.Despite being down 2-1, the…

Mike’s Musings: My childhood playground destroyed by Ian

Mike’s Musings: My childhood playground destroyed by Ian

Editorial Staff Oct 5, 2022 3 min read

It was with great sadness that I viewed the videos and photos of the destruction to Fort Myers Beach caused by Hurricane Ian. I had spent many days of my youth and young adulthood enjoying the weather and beaches of…

By Mike Wilcox
Owner/Publisher

Every year, as the Christmas season draws near, I’m reminded just how generous our communities can be. For nearly two decades, Wilcox Newspapers has hosted what’s become one of my favorite traditions: our Annual Christmas Wish Program.

It started simply enough. We asked readers who were struggling to write in and tell us what would make their Christmas a little brighter. The idea was to connect local families in need with local people who wanted to help. Over the years, it’s grown into something truly special—and this year, we’re doing it again.