News

By Paul GarrodStaff Writernews4garrod@gmail.com PAW PAW – Two dogs that ventured out on Ackley Lake, Paw Paw, on New Year’s Day and fell through the ice, were both successfully rescued by the Paw Paw Fire Department.Paw Paw Fire Chief Kyle…

By Paul GarrodStaff Writernews4garrod@gmail.com PAW PAW – This year’s Paw Paw High School Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held Jan. 16, between the girls’ and boys’ varsity basketball games, approximately 7 p.m. at Paw Paw High School.A reception…

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director CONSTANTINE — As a student at Constantine High School in the mid-to-late 2000s, Casey Smagala and his family weren’t able to afford many extracurricular opportunities that would have enhanced his educational experience, in particular the school’s…

By Frank Passic             Happy New Year everyone. It was heartening to learn recently of the establishment of an Albion Arts Center in the old Water Works building at 107 E. Cass St. This historic building has been modernized and…

By Ken Wyatt Every small town knows about its forgotten generations. These are the young people small towns raise – but then lose to big cities with jobs and better opportunities. Walter C. “Chris” Heisler was one such small-town product.…

By Sylvia Benavidez During the Cookie Walk and Gift Wrapping for the Friends of Albion’s Animals at the Albion District Library, 12-year-old Taylor Weston, Clarence Township, brought $240.00 to the event and handed it over to one of the volunteers.…

At the Dec. 17 Sturgis City Commission meeting, the board OK’d a first review of amendments to the city’s marijuana ordinances. Will Prichard, community development director, outlined proposed revisions. One is for medical cannabis and the other adult-use, to clarify and expand…

Crew members from Sturgis Department of Public Services on Dec. 30 prepared for repair of a water-main break on Cherry Avenue near Michigan Avenue. MISS DIG provided emergency service for the situation, said Tom Sikorski, director of DPS. Dennis Volkert/Sentinel

Curbside recycling in the city of Sturgis will remain on its twice-monthly collection schedule throughout January. Beginning in February, the sequence will switch to every-other-week. City clerk/treasurer Ken Rhodes confirmed the arrangement earlier this week. Service will continue to alternate between properties…

Typically, the board meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, although some exceptions apply to accommodate “Sturgis Fest” week and some holidays. In addition, special sessions may be announced throughout the year, as situations arise. Meetings begin at…

STURGIS, Mich. — The Strand Theater, a beloved downtown landmark in Sturgis for over six decades under family ownership, has been listed for sale, with its final day of operations set for December 31, 2025.Third-generation owner Eric Saitz announced the…

The city of Sturgis recently reiterated its snow removal policy. Snowfall of 1-3 inches will be addressed with de-icing and plowing as necessary. In some cases, it may involve plowing of intersections, major streets and local roads. Snowfall of 4 inches or more…

By Genine Hayden This winter started early and it has given only a small reprieve for Christmas before coming back with a vengeance beginning Friday and hitting hardest Sunday night through Monday.  About half of the residents in Clare County…

By Christopher Johnson According to Clare’s Fire Chief, Sam Eberhart, he has never seen a busier time for the city’s fire department than the week just gone.From 8 o’clock Friday morning until 6 o’clock Monday night, there were between 80…

By Paul GarrodStaff Writernews4garrod@gmail.com With Mother Nature delivering a one-two knockout punch of rain, ice and snow late Sunday night and Monday morning, Van Buren County Road Commission (VBCRC) crews began an early start Monday to their work week. The…

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office recently experienced an historic milestone, its first all-female general road patrol shift. Though other deputies are assigned to township-specific cars, this shift handles the countywide general road patrol Shown in photo from left, Deputy…

The Paw Paw Fire Department served as Santa’s personal escort as the Jolly Old Elf made his way on a fire truck through the community on Wednesday, Dec. 24. The fire department has served as Santa’s escort for several years,…

By Scott SullivanEditorMonday’s blizzard brought chaos to local roads when a northbound semi slid off I-196, plunged down the Old Allegan Road overpass and caught fire there.First responders — who battled whiteout conditions, heavy snow and 45-60 mph wind gusts…

By Scott SullivanEditorNew Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance executive director Elaine Sterrett Isely no stranger to nonprofit environmental leadership.Isely took over as the SDCA’s fulltime director Nov. 1 on heels of the group’s 17-year co-founder and board president David Swan’s announcing…

By Aaron MitchellOtsego City Manger The year 2025 was a great one for the City of Otsego!We started with a few plans and ideas that we planned on tackling throughout the year, but as you could imagine, there were a…