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 were down and warming centers were opened across the area. Clare County Emergency Manager Jerry Read More…
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 to 90 calls across the county. That doesn’t include the walk-in emergencies that were also Read More…
By John RaffelCorrespondent SOUTH HAVEN — Lyne Badenhorst enjoyed a strong sophomore season for South Haven golf and is looking forward to two more years with the Rams.She shot a 107 in the regionals for 35th place, This was her second season as a varsity golfer. She recalls 2024 “was a pretty good year for Read More…
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 Road Commission said that although drivers began at 4 a.m., not all roads would be Read More…
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 Ashley Weber, Deputy Katie McMillian, and Deputy Andrea Walker-Skinner.Photo courtesy/Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office
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, beginning during COVID-19.Courier-Leader photo/Paul Garrod
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 — found the driver had escaped the truck with help from a bystander. But the Read More…
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 his retirement effective Dec. 31.The new director most recently spent 12 years in executive leadership Read More…
By Scott SullivanEditorBowl BingeThey said it was impossible — watch every holiday college bowl game — and dumb to boot, which meant somebody had to do it. Why not me?First things first: head to Tiny Giant to stock up on beer, chips, porn and other Man Cave essentials. Second, hunker in.Fun kicked off Dec. 13 Read More…
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 few projects that were kind of thrust onto us that needed our immediate attention.Overall, I Read More…