News

Jacksonburg and the great Erie Canal

Jacksonburg and the great Erie Canal

Editorial Staff Sep 12, 2025 6 min read

By Ken Wyatt You could say that Clinton’s Folly led to the founding of Jacksonburg in 1829-30. Or, to use a more geographically precise descriptive, you could credit Clinton’s Ditch. History has been kinder, for we remember it as the…

Albion’s brick street gets protective treatment

Albion’s brick street gets protective treatment

Editorial Staff Sep 12, 2025 3 min read

By MAGGIE LANOUE Contributing Writer Downtown Albion’s red brick Superior Street, a symbol of the city’s history and identity, has been closed to traffic this week while crews carried out a maintenance process designed to preserve its distinctive surface for…

Search warrant yields two arrests at two Mendon locations

Editorial Staff Sep 12, 2025 2 min read

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director MENDON — Two people were arrested in Mendon after a search warrant was executed at two locations Friday.According to the Mendon Police Department, officers executed search warrants in the 2700 block of Pleasant Road and the…

Man arrested in Mottville by Special Response Team

Editorial Staff Sep 12, 2025 1 min read

MOTTVILLE TWP. — A man the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office deemed to be a “known violent offender” in a press release was arrested in Mottville Township Wednesday.According to deputies, the county’s Special Response Team were called at 6 p.m.…

Minivan drives through side of Doherty Hotel

Minivan drives through side of Doherty Hotel

Editorial Staff Sep 12, 2025 2 min read

By Christopher Johnson At approximately 9 AM this past Monday, emergency responders were dispatched to the Doherty Hotel in downtown Clare after a vehicle crash.The driver, a male in his 60s, had been overcome by a medical episode, causing him…

Returnables at crux of Redding mess, not enough board members for quorum

Editorial Staff Sep 12, 2025 5 min read

By Genine Hopkins Clare County’s Redding Township continues to have issues this time stemming from accusations of misappropriation of bottle return funds for the generator along with some missing papers from the Township Treasurer, James Kaminski, who resigned at the…

St. Joseph County Grange Fair ‘Growing the Future’ with 2025 Fair

St. Joseph County Grange Fair ‘Growing the Future’ with 2025 Fair

Robert Tomlinson Sep 12, 2025 12 min read

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director CENTREVILLE — The biggest event on the calendar in St. Joseph County will be, according to the theme this year, “Growing the Future” for this year’s edition. The 2025 St. Joseph County Grange Fair will take…

Father-son argument devolves into vicious stabbing

Jordan Wilcox Sep 11, 2025 2 min read

Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher On the night of Wednesday, September 3rd, Kalamazoo County Dispatchers were alerted to a stabbing in Schoolcraft Township. Around 8:50 pm, Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers arrived at the Hall home on West VW Avenue between South…

Wings West and Wings Event Center to close, hockey parents worried

Wings West and Wings Event Center to close, hockey parents worried

Jordan Wilcox Sep 11, 2025 4 min read

Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher For many years, Wings West has been more than a building. It has been a gathering place, a training ground, and a second home for athletes, families, and fans. The beloved Texas Township hockey arena opened in…

Township to hand off harbor reins

Editorial Staff Sep 10, 2025 1 min read

After two years hosting and coordinating Kalamazoo Lake Harbor Authority meetings, Saugatuck Township is ready to hand off duties to either KLHA partners Douglas or Saugatuck cities. “With that service period complete,” wrote township manager Daniel DeFranco for the Tuesday,…

Laketown offers Fox revised contract

Editorial Staff Sep 10, 2025 2 min read

By Jim Hayden Correspondent The Laketown Township Board agreed at a Sept. 2 special meeting offer a revised contract to Stephanie Fox to become the township’s next manager.  It comes with an amendment that the board evaluates her performance after…

Drain assessment takes city by surprise

Editorial Staff Sep 10, 2025 3 min read

By Scott Sullivan Editor It’s better late than never for Saugatuck city property owners whose parcels will be assessed for Warnock Drain work under Ferry Street in Douglas. The Allegan County Drain Commission, acknowledging it failed to give Saugatuck city…

Car blaze makes Crossfire toast

Car blaze makes Crossfire toast

Editorial Staff Sep 10, 2025 1 min read

By Scott SullivanEditorA Kia Crossfire was toast after catching fire on the corner of Blue Star Highway and 64th Street Thursday, Aug. 31 just afternoon.Saugatuck Township Fire answered a 12:01 call to find the Crossfire engulfed in front of the…

25th Mt. Baldhead Challenge is a hit

25th Mt. Baldhead Challenge is a hit

Editorial Staff Sep 10, 2025 3 min read

By Scott SullivanEditorFrom wind-whipped lakeshore to sand dune’s summit to post-race party in Coghlin Park, the 25th annual Mt. Baldhead Challenge Saturday engaged 759 registered runners and countless more volunteers in a dual quest:

Everybody loves a parade!

Everybody loves a parade!

Editorial Staff Sep 10, 2025 1 min read

The Allegan County Fair hosted its annual parade on Monday, Sept. 8, with hundreds of spectators lining the route from downtown Allegan to the grand stand on the fairgrounds.As usual, the Otsego High School marching band and the Otsego Middle…

Learn ‘n Grow Learning Center adds community garden

Learn ‘n Grow Learning Center adds community garden

Editorial Staff Sep 10, 2025 3 min read

Preschool students at Learn ‘n Grow Early Childhood Education Center in Otsego are used to getting their hands dirty outside, as they are explore and play in all kinds of weather conditions.But their newest outdoor adventure is yielding some delicious…

LG Energy suffers second major accident in two months

LG Energy suffers second major accident in two months

Jordan Wilcox Sep 10, 2025 4 min read

By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher For the second time in less than two months, there’s been another major accident at LG Energy Solution. On Saturday, September 6th, there was a massive chemical spill at the Fillmore Township plant responsible for producing electric vehicle…

SHAES to commemorate Patriot Day

SHAES to commemorate Patriot Day

Editorial Staff Sep 10, 2025 1 min read

To commemorate Patriot Day and in honor of the 343 members of FDNY who perished on September 11, 2001, the South Haven Area Emergency Services Honor Guard will stand guard at the downtown South Haven Firefighters Memorial on Thursday, Sept.…

DDA approves South Haven Pavilion improvements

DDA approves South Haven Pavilion improvements

Editorial Staff Sep 10, 2025 3 min read

By James Windell At the Downtown Development Authority Meeting on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, the DDA approved plans to move forward with proposed improvements to the pavilion in the downtown area.In introducing the project at the meeting, Suzanne Brock, DDA…

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.