News

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor On Friday, March 7, the City of Plainwell will host its annual Art Hop, which highlights the work of local artists in downtown boutiques, shops, restaurants and pop-up spaces.And in preparation for the events, organizers are…

By Gari Voss The Wes Leonard Heart Team came to birth from the tragedy of Wes Leonard collapsing after making the game winning shot for the Fennville High School basketball team. No one knew exactly what to do and attempts…

By Gari Voss Allegan City Council’s January 17, 2025’s business began with the First Reading of Ordinanc-es 525 and 526, which is a zoning text amendment that would allow for temporary marijuana events. They moved forward to adjusting the meeting…

SOUTH HAVEN — South Haven Area Emergency Services (SHAES) responded to a record number of calls during 2024, according to the department’s Annual Report.Marking its 28th year, the SHAES Authority serves the city of South Haven and the townships of…

By James Windell The members of the Black History Leadership Society have been persistent in their efforts to keep Black history alive. Each February, in celebration of Black History Month, the Black History Leadership Society (BHLS) presents a program at…

By James Windell The South Haven City Council approved a quote from Davis Construction, Inc. to repair the Dyckman Avenue Bridge.Although it has been known for several years that the Dyckman Avenue Bridge over the Black River needed repairs, the…

By James Windell One sure fire way of generating discussion – and sometimes division – on the South Haven City Council is to place an item related to Short Term Rental (STR) on the agenda for a City Council meeting.That…

Charlene Bare and Richard Szotek, volunteers at Community Thrift Shop, Paw Paw, recently celebrated their 90th birthdays with a birthday cake given in honor to the pair by the thrift shop. Bare has been a Community Thrift Shop volunteer for…

Following the successful passage of the 2024 bond, Mattawan Consolidated School is currently undergoing changes and improvements throughout the district. The high school’s James A. Weeldreyer Auditorium is currently seeing microphone upgrades, industry standard LED lighting and a new AV…

Paw Paw High School’s 2PawRobotics female team members gave a successful presentation to the 100+ Women Who Care of Van Buren County on Wednesday, Jan. 15, and were the recipients of $9,000. The 100+ Women Who Care of Van Buren…

Lawton Community Schools have announced the 2024-25 Lawton Blue Devil Hall of Fame inductees. Named to this year’s Hall of Fame induction class are Troy and Janine Johnson (shown at far left) – Outstanding dedication in coaching, volunteerism, and supporting…

With recent extreme cold, Sturgis Department of Public Services is asking residents to be aware of frozen water lines. To help prevent water lines from freezing, city officials recommend that residents allow a slow stream of water, around the size…

The Jackson Public School Board convened its first meeting of 2025 Tuesday evening to elect new officers and discuss budgeting strategies. The motion for candidate selection of board president drew immediate appraisal from Board Trustee Kesha Hamilton in response to…

With seasonal temperatures approaching single digits and below this week, the importance of local partners in the community challenged with the task of intervening on extreme temperatures and those most vulnerable became apparent. The week began with frigid temperatures and…

At Tuesday’s Albion City Council meeting, Maurice Barry gave a presentation on the annual Point-in-Time count. The project is a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. Albion participates in this annual count…

Dr. Tonya Bailey told those in attendance at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Diversity Celebration that “change starts with us.” The annual Diversity Celebration took place last Friday morning at the American 1 Event Center. A sold-out center featured…

By Sylvia Benavidez Monday night temperatures were quickly dropping throughout the evening to the eventual zero degrees at midnight, but that did not dissuade attendance at the 8th Annual MLK Celebration & Resource Fair. Cressie Vargo, one of the organizers,…

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director THREE RIVERS — The legacy and beliefs of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. were recognized and celebrated in Three Rivers this week, with a number of events, celebrations and reflections.Called “Becoming the Beloved Community,”…

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director FABIUS TWP. — A proposed amendment to Fabius Township’s solar ordinance could help open the door for an in-the-works solar energy project in the township. On Tuesday, Jan. 14, the Fabius Township Planning Commission recommended for…

By Dennis Volkert “Winter Blues” took place Jan. 17 in downtown Sturgis. It was the first segment of the 2025 festival season presented by Sturgis DDA. Almost a dozen music performers, in a variety of styles, were featured at participating businesses. Also featured…