News
Battle of the Books sets record for participation
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor It was a record-breaking year for the annual Battle of the Books competition.A total of 27 elementary school teams from four Allegan County school districts participated in the event at the Plainwell Performing Arts Center on…
Allegan girls beat Schoolcraft, fall to Hopkins
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor The Allegan girls basketball team hoped to end the regular season on a high note.Jayden VandenAkker and Maddie Antkoviak did their part to ensure that happened.VandenAkker scored a game-best 18 points and Antkoviak joined her in…
“Justice for Otsego” founder succumbs to cancer
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor Mary Zack, founder of the advocacy group Justice for Otsego, passed away on Saturday, March 1. She was 43.An Otsego native, Zack was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1997 at the age of 17.In the years…
County residents dissatisfied with local propane company after buyout
By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher If there’s one thing rural residents rely on this time of year, it’s propane.Hopkins Propane is the area’s largest propane supplier. Founded in 1958, Hopkins served as the Grand Rapids Area’s premier independent propane supplier for…
Deer tries to crash through county medical care facility window
By John RaffelCorrespondent ALLEGAN — Former Allegan County commission chairman James Story reported last month Allegan County Medical Care Facility Director Kim Turcott was walking to her car at the end of the day when a deer rushed by her,…
Dyckman Bridge will be closed for repairs
By James Windell Travel to the Michigan Maritime Museum and other destinations north of the harbor in South Haven will be hampered starting at 8:00 am on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.That’s when repairs on the Dyckman Bridge will begin as…
South Haven Police Chief resigns after one month on job
By James Windell Since a press release from the City of South Haven announced the resignation of the chief of police on February 25, the rumor mills have been busy.The press release from the city only cites personal family business…
The 26th Annual Island Sit raises money for community
By James Windell For the 26th year, We Care’s Island Sit fundraiser in South Haven accepted donations from the public to help those in need.Executive Director of We Care I.N.C., Erika Morrison, was pleased with the response of both the…
SHAWSA gets wastewater system improvements update
By James Windell The South Haven Area Water & Sewer Authority received a progress report about the wastewater expansion feasibility study at its regular meeting on February 26, 2025.Presented by the firm of Fleis & Vanderbrink, a civil engineering firm…
Commissioners approve to borrow $7.5 million for DTRF
By Paul GarrodStaff Writernews4garrod@gmail.com PAW PAW – Van Buren County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Feb. 25, authorized the county treasurer to borrow up to $7.5 million for the Delinquent Tax Revolving Fund to ensure timely reimbursement to taxing authorities.The…
Max Gilbert to ski in Special Olympics
LAWTON – Max Gilbert began volunteering at White Oaks Assisted Living and Memory Care, Lawton, in October 2024. In addition to volunteering at White Oaks, Gilbert finds time to at-tend Van Buren Intermediate School District, (VBSISD) powerlifting and running six…
4-H auction and breakfast nets nearly $4k in donations
The recently held Van Buren County 4-H Leaders’ Association Auction and Breakfast was well attended by 90 guests, and 40 4-H youth. The breakfast brought in $680. The in-person auction, by Shane Harris, Harris Auction Services, Cassopolis, brought in $1,302,…
Can you identify this Vehicle?
Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott reported that Sheriff’s deputies are asking for help from the public to identify the suspect in a hit and run crash that occurred in the 32000 block of County Road 669 in Porter Township.…
Draft Safe Streets for All plan for St. Joseph County available to review
By Robert TomlinsonNews Director CENTREVILLE — A comprehensive action plan for improving roads in St. Joseph County for the future was unveiled for the first time last week. On Friday, the St. Joseph County Road Commission revealed the first draft…
ABC’s ‘20/20’ to highlight how DNA, forensic genealogy helped solve Swartz murder
Updated 11:41 p.m. March 4, 2025 By Robert TomlinsonNews Director THREE RIVERS — A Three Rivers cold case that was solved a couple of years ago will be highlighted as part of an upcoming episode of the ABC newsmagazine “20/20.”…
Breaking The Ice
The Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual IceBreaker fundraising event Saturday, Feb. 22 at the recreation hall of Armstrong International in Three Rivers. The event featured a silent auction, live auctions, and a taco bar that was…
TR Library to retain law firm for Fabius contract negotiations One month remains until current contract expiration
By Robert TomlinsonNews Director THREE RIVERS — With just 31 days to go before their current library services contract with Fabius Township officially expires, the Three Rivers Public Library will be getting legal representation to help negotiate a new contract…
Sturgis schools ‘re-imagining’ process gets underway with consulting firm
At its meeting Feb. 17, Sturgis Public Schools Board of Education approved a partnership with consulting firm Wightman to “re-imagine” physical spaces throughout the district. An initial meeting with representatives from Wightman was set for Feb. 27, to begin the planning process. Wightman…
City Commission approves sidewalk assessment, street-vacation request Board also receives details regarding public safety department projects
By Dennis Volkert Sturgis City Commission on Wednesday held public hearings to consider approval of special assessment rolls related to an East Jerolene Street sidewalk project, and for a second resolution to vacate a portion of North Fourth Street. For the…
Egg prices continue to soar
By Rachael Humphrey The budget friendly breakfast staple continues to rise in price. According to the latest consumer price index (CPI) the national average for a dozen eggs is $4.95. Compared to the average low of $2.04 in 2023 that…
