News

Leitha Jennings turned 105 this past Thursday 2/5/2026.She worked for Fisher body in Pontiac where she was an accountant for 37 years. Born in the depression with 2 siblings she remembers her mother cooking and making their clothes.She has lived…

By David Hutchinson The Special Meeting was held in the Surrey Township Hall on January 27. All five board members were present—Mike Coon, Mindy Campbell, Glenna Bradbury, Dixie Adams, and Paul Ghinelli. More than ten people attended. The meeting was…

Sturgis Department of Public Safety’s fire division is investigating cause of a blaze Feb. 4 at a home at 229 N. Maple St.  Upon arrival, around 5 p.m., flames and smoke were visible from second-story windows on the north and…

So the groundhog didn’t see his shadow Monday, per myth meaning six more weeks of winter. We are Michiganders, we can handle it. Last weekend’s sunshine outbreak brought to light the beauty of downtown Saugatuck, as seen in Ted Swoboda’s…

By Scott SullivanEditorSaugatuck Township and the Land Conservancy of West Michigan have signed a memorandum of understanding by which conservancy will fund 5-percent, up to $200,000 of its costs to establish a new 119-acre Riverside Park and nature preserve on…

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor With snowbanks continuing to rise along city streets, the City of Otsego has begun using wing blades on its plow trucks in an effort to keep roads passable during a winter that shows little sign of…

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor After nearly four years of service, Christian Neighbors has announced that Food Pantry Director Amy Van Putten is stepping away from the role.In a statement, Christian Neighbors said Van Putten “has been so much more than…

By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher Pushback against proposed data centers continued in Dorr Township this weekend, as the local Facebook group “Dorr Township MI – We the People” hosted a Saturday meeting with lawmakers, residents, and industrial experts who believe Microsoft’s…

By Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher Dementia is a tragic, progressive decline in mental ability that causes memory loss, cognitive deterioration, and functional impairment. It affects more than 55 million people worldwide and is the seventh-leading cause of death. Its most well-known…

By Gari Voss The second Friday in a row found businesses and individuals expressing their belief that President Donald Trump’s use of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) teams and the Department of Home Security (DHS) to disrupt communities…

South Haven Area Emergency Services (SHAES) responders were called to the city’s South Beach at 3:05 p.m. Sunday to a report of a subject who fell while on the Lake Michigan ice shelf approximately 100 yards offshore.The subject suffered a…

By James Windell The Black History Leadership Society celebrates Black History Month on Sunday, February 15, 2026, at Lily of The Valley Church in Covert.It will be the 48th Annual Celebration by The Black History Leadership Society and this year…

PAW PAW – Sgt. Lena Wresinski, assigned to the Paw Paw Post, was recognized as the 2025 Trooper of the Year. The Gerstacker Trooper of the Year Award recognizes the MSP trooper or sergeant who symbolizes outstanding professional ethics, dedication…

By Paul GarrodStaff Writernews4garrod@gmail.com PAW PAW – The Paw Paw Fire Department was dispatched to the 63000 block of 38th Street in Paw Paw Township at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 23, for the report of a structure fire with…

By Paul GarrodStaff Writernews4garrod@gmail.com PAW PAW – The Paw Paw Village Planning Commission will meet Thursday Feb. 5, for a public hearing on two items, a site plan review for Culver’s restaurant, who has proposed building on County Road 665,…

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director CENTREVILLE — A Sturgis man was formally arraigned and charged Monday for the alleged sexual abuse of his adopted daughter over nearly a decade. According to St. Joseph County Prosecutor Deborah Davis, 57-year-old Raymond Bontrager was…

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director CENTREVILLE — A Sturgis man was arrested Sunday on criminal sexual conduct charges that prosecutors allege stem from nine years of purported sexual abuse of his adoptive daughter. According to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office,…

A water main break has led the city of Sturgis to issue a boil-water advisory for a limited number of homes on West West Street and North Clay Street.  The precautionary measure is due to a loss of pressure in…

By ELIZABETH FERSZT Contributing Writer Jackson County Sheriff’s officers and Michigan State Police troopers braved subzero temperatures and unstable ice to save a person in crisis early Saturday. JSO officers responded to an emergency call Jan. 25 at about 6:30…

By ELIZABETH FERSZT and KATHRYN PALON Contributing Writers Frederick Lewis Noakes, 43, was arraigned Jan. 23 in the courtroom of Magistrate Christopher Dickerson on felony charges related to a Jan. 21 fire that injured two other men. According to a…