Obituary: James Yaroch
James Alan Yaroch April 13, 1951- December 19th, 2024 The Heavens received their own gift this holiday season when God welcomed back James A. Yaroch on Dec. 19, 2024, at 4 a.m. James lived a vibrant and dynamic life that…
Obituary: William Hebert
William (Bill) John Hebert, age 83, of Hamilton, passed away Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, at his home surrounded by his family and loved ones. Bill was born on July 11, 1941, in Grand Rapids to William H. and Eileen J.…
Life as Performance Art
In December I wrote our list of Christmas cards was shrinking each year. Often this was because a friend had passed away. Our card would come back with a yellow USPS sticker saying it was undeliverable and the person’s address…
Mike’s Musings: State mandated minimum wage increases will damage small business
You gotta feel for small businesses. Not only are their pricing and services under attack by big box stores and internet giants from here and China, they must weave through a ton of regulations placed on them by the government.The…
City eyes plans, priorities for ’25-‘26
BY SCOTT SULLIVAN EDITOR Saugatuck City Council and staff met Jan. 24 at the Saugatuck Yacht Club to review progress made this 2024-25 fiscal year and where to focus resources for the next. “The city ended fiscal year 2023-24 with…
County OKs ’25 work on township roads
The Allegan County Road Commission Jan. 14 green-lit Saugatuck and Laketown Township major road improvements for the 2025 construction season. Roads deemed minor and private will be funded through the townships’ own millages. The commission is responsible for snow removal,…
More studies needed on Blue Star Trail
BY SCOTT SULLIVAN EDITOR “Hurry up and wait,” remain keywords for Friends of the Blue Start Trail, who learned last week construction on its North Section (from the Kalamazoo River bridge to Holland Street in Saugatuck Township) has been put…
Saugatuck girls upend Fennville in Never Forgotten Game
By Jason WesseldykSports EditorFENNVILLE—For the record, the Saugatuck girls basketball team bested archrival Fennville 56-33 on Saturday, Feb. 1.But for Trailblazers coach Kevin Tringali, the outcome of the game was secondary to the more important meaning of the night.The game…
Blue Star
By Scott SullivanEditorBird FluWhy is the bird flu big news? Birds have always flown. You mean avian influenza? OK, that’s different, but still What does that have to do with the price of eggs?Word’s gone viral since a second case…
Oompa Loompa!
The Saugatuck Public Schools Drama Club presentation of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” Friday through Sunday, Jan. 31 through Feb. 2, drew appreciative audiences and a large cast including (from left) Petra Johnson, Elizabeth Moorer, Annika Vanderbeek, Greta Stockburger, Joey…
Genetski pulls out of Laketown search
By Jim HaydenCorrespondentDoes anyone want to be Laketown Township manager?Allegan County clerk and Saugatuck resident Bob Genetski last week withdrew his name from consideration for the position vacated Jan. 3 after 35-year manager Al Meshkin retired.In an email dated 1:34…
Obituary: Patricia Dewey
Patricia Dewey, 97 Patricia Dewey of Saugatuck passed away at 97 on Jan. 29, marking the end of an era. A native of Chicago, Pat began her lifelong artistic journey at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)…
Obituary: Nancy McKenna
Nancy McKenna, 69 Nancy McKenna, 69, of Annapolis, Md., passed away on Jan. 26, 2025, after a four-year battle with ovarian cancer. Until the end, she valiantly maintained her sense of humor, with a ready smile for her medical team…
Mike’s Musings: Even county governments spend unwisely: Case study, Allegan County
Our government, whether it is at the local, county, state or federal level, makes numerous decisions on how they spend taxpayers’ money. Some we can agree with, some we can’t. I would like to think with the advent of social…
Life as Performance Art
Sixty years ago a classmate said something insulting and demeaning. It left me with a choice: I could either turn his nose to 12 or tattle to the teacher. I chose the latter and right after school he turned my…
Saugatuck boys fall at Galesburg
By Jason WesseldykSports EditorGALESBURG—The results might not have been there, but the effort was.That was Saugatuck boys basketball coach Ty Rock’s takeaway from his team’s SAC showdown with Galesburg-Augusta on Friday, Jan. 24.The Trailblazers fell behind 13-7 in the opening…
Obituary: Deborah Beaman
Deborah Mary (Payne) Beaman passed away Jan. 20, 2025. Deborah was born Feb. 15, 1949 in Grand Rapids to Lloyd and Arlene (Clum) Payne. She graduated from Grandville High School and Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts…
Obituary: Joan Brigham
After 100 years living in our rapidly changing world, Joan Eddy Brigham (Kathryn Joan Eddy) left an indelible impression on the lives of many people. She passed peacefully on Jan. 12 in Zeeland after experiencing two strokes. In her long…
Blue Star
By Scott SullivanEditorStart Like FinnishLearning Finland is the World’s Happiest Country has plunged me into depression. By the time I pay for a 12-hour flight that will cheer me up, I’ll be too broke for a sauna, then to jump…
Tentative Ferry fix schedule set
By Scott SullivanEditorThe fix is in for Ferry Street, closed to motorized traffic since Aug. 2 after a Warnock Drain sinkhole was found nearby.Douglas City Manager Lisa Nocerini said a Jan. 22 preconstruction meeting with involved parties had slated these…
