News
County Sergeant credited with saving man from burning residence
By Paul GarrodStaff Writer ANTWERP TWP. – A Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office sergeant is being credited with saving the life of a man who was unable to get himself off his burning bed early Tuesday morning May 7, according…
Modified “live hand grenade” found in Columbia Township
COLUMBIA TWP. – On Friday, May 10, Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott reported that Van Buren County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 50000 block of County Road 388 in Columbia Township at approximately 6:34 p.m. for a report…
Mattawan school voters approve two bond issues
MATTAWAN – Voters in the Mattawan Consolidated School District said “yes” to two bond proposals, resulting in a total investment of $110 million toward the betterment of the district’s students and community. “This momentous achievement marks a significant milestone in…
Van Buren District Library millage proposal passes
DECATUR – On May 7, Van Buren County residents showed their support for the Van Buren District Library by voting to approve a millage increase. This decision will provide vital funding for library services.Dan Hutchins, Van Buren District Library director,…
Area News Briefs
Adventure begins at the Van Buren District Library DECATUR – Starting Saturday, June 8, the Van Buren District Library extends an invitation to everyone to pick up a reading log and begin a great summer adventure. This year’s summer reading…
Storms pass through St. Joseph County with widespread damage State of emergency declared by governor; storm assessment ongoing
By Robert TomlinsonNews Director COLON — Strong storms that were possibly tornadic in nature passed through St. Joseph County Tuesday night.The storms caused widespread damage to businesses and homes in the central and northeast parts of the county, particularly in…
$15 million left of Health Park grant put back in state general fund
By Pat MaurerCorrespondent The remainder of grant funding earmarked for Clare’s Complete Health Park project – originally a $25 million grant awarded in 2022 and now down to $15 million unused in grant funding — has been put back into…
Closure of Marion Village Market still dominates conversation in the area
By Genine Hopkins Marion and surrounding townships are still numb from the closure of their only supermarket, Marion Village Market, a couple of weeks ago, and conversations are still buzzing about the fate of the empty store.As reported last in…
Dates set for high school graduations
By Pat MaurerCorrespondent The four neighboring schools: Clare, Farwell, Harrison and Coleman will all have Graduation Ceremonies this month.Both Clare and Farwell are both planning Graduation ceremonies at 1 pm on Sunday May 19th.Clare will hold theirs at Brookwood Athletic…
Escaped Amish horse killed by vehicle
By Pat MaurerCorrespondent Michigan State Police were called to a location on Blanchard Road by the report of horses running loose Saturday morning, May 4th.They were called out around 5:15 by a Blanchard man who had noticed five horses near…
Marion Schools honors teachers
Marion Public Schools and Marion Schools Education Association honored two hard-working individuals.Janet Mort was honored as the Outstanding Person in Education and Jessica Eising was honored as the Friend of Education for the 2023-24 school year. The contributions were announced…
Osceola in process of updating master plan
The Osceola County Planning Commission is currently in the process of updating the County Master Plan. The Master Plan will provide a vision for the County through the year 2040. If you would like to shape this vision you can…
Marion seniors win AAA award
Jordan WilcoxAssistant Publisher Marion High School seniors Mara Jolly, Bonnie Kiger, Taylor Kruse, and Madison Sutten are all recipients of the West Michigan D League’s AAA Award for excellence in Academics, Attitude, and Athletics. They were honored last month at…
St. Joseph County tornado confirmed as EF-2
By Robert TomlinsonNews Director ST. JOSEPH COUNTY — An assessment was made Thursday on the severity of Tuesday’s storm system that barrelled through St. Joseph County, damaging homes and businesses along its path. The National Weather Service in Northern Indiana…
Kilpatrick back to help Douglas plan
By Scott SullivanEditorRyan Kilpatrick, Douglas community and economic development director from 2009 to 2014, will consult with city again about meeting affordable housing goals.City council Monday hired Kilpatrick’s Flywheel Community Development Services for $3,500 to conduct a housing workshop and…
Farmers’ markets open in Plainwell, Otsego this month
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor The calendar has turned from April to May.And that means, among other things, it’s time for the local farmers’ markets to open for the 2024 season.The Plainwell Famers’ Market—located this year off of M-89 on the…
Otsego High School holds prom at Warner Vineyards
By Jason WesseldykSports Editor May 4 has come to be known as Star Wars Day.You know, “May the Fourth be with you.”It seemed only fitting, then, that the students who organized this year’s Otsego High School prom decided to go…
What’s the Storey Jim, in or out?
By Donald Talonen Recently, Jim Storey has found himself in the middle of a controversial situation regarding the Allegan County elections. It was reported that Storey might have been disqualified due to unresolved issues with campaign finance report filings from…
Fallen firefighter Gail VanAuken honored firetruck 1511
By Donald Talonen The rain didn’t stop the celebration dedicated to Gail VanAuken. The firehouse was packed with friends, family, and even strangers for the unveiling of fire engine 1511 in honor of the fallen firefighter, just in time for…
