By Scott SullivanEditorRich LaBombard is out after four years as Douglas city manager. He emailed council July 24 he was resigning effective Aug. 25, and members accepted it Monday, first day after veteran clerk Pam Aalderink retired, turning her reigns…

In mid-July, Traverse City hair salon owner/stylist Christine Geiger drew national attention for posting on social media anyone ID’ing neither man nor woman is not welcome at her business.“If a human identifies as anything other than a man/woman,” she posted…

I sometimes stand in wonderment at the inefficiencies and heavy handedness of our federal bureaucracy. As a taxpayer I think the sheer number of federal government employees and their inefficiencies costs us billions a year, and we need to get…

By Maggie ConklinBlooming MeatballsMy friends Ingrid, Liz and I loved watching videos by Ziqi Li, a young woman who lived in northern China with her grandmother and made just about everything from scratch. They had a large garden, she foraged…

By Scott SullivanEditorSnarlThe red truck in the left lane said “Liberty.” Took forever on the construction-constricted freeway to get around it. Relax, let the road flow through you.Picture trucking Liberty cross country, unloading at docks using dollies, forklifts, palettes ……

Like swallows winging in spring back to Capistrano, Starfarm, the Starfarm ‘80s band will return to Saugatuck Friday night at Coghlin Park for the kick-off party of the 2023 Venetian Festival.The Saugatuck-Douglas Rotary Club is new organizer of weekend events…

We tried to cancel but we failed. A movie and a video have been the subject of much controversy for the past few weeks and attempts to cancel them have only fueled the fire to make them more popular.I went…

I expect after Independence Day newspaper columns, TV and social media pundits bemoaning American patriotism is on the slippery slope down. They point out we have lost love for our country. Let’s look more closely.How do you measure patriotism? Ratio of…

By Maggie ConklinMaple for Hot FlashesI can’t think of anyone who hasn’t been affected by menopause. If not the woman herself, then a husband, sibling, parent, child or friend of the suffering lady.Hot flashes and night sweats are the leading…

By Scott SullivanEditorTidy BowlMy hearing is bad. So when someone summoned me to grab balls and hit the lanes, I thought they they meant hurling bowls at pins. I decided to do more research.Hardwood lanes 60 feet long (same as…

By Scott SullivanEditorJune was busting out all over for Douglas Police, who responded to 166 calls within city limits and five outside last month. Noteworthy, Chief Steve Kent told city council Monday, were:

     Back in the bad old days, suicide was a felony, a serious criminal offence with substantial penalties.  That might seem a bit odd since someone who took their own life is dead and cannot be charged with a crime. True, but…

This has been a concern for many in the USA. Some of us believe our economic foe is exerting way too much influence on our country and by buying up U.S. acreage, that influence will only increase. My friend and…

What do you get when you mix sunshine, water, moonlight, boating, music, food, and fun? The Saugatuck Venetian Fest. The annual party on the water returns July 28 through 30 in Saugatuck and Douglas with a theme of “Green Venetian”…

The Saugatuck Public Schools board has given superintendent Tim Travis highest-possible ratings for being highly effective, demonstrating acumen across areas including student outcomes, resource allocation and management, processes and procedures plus leadership team relations and development. Michigan requires yearly such…

Saugatuck City will host and help sponsor traditional July 4 festivities Tuesday including a noon parade plus Coghlin Park laser lights, music and fireworks at dusk. Local volunteer Birdie Holley will organize this year’s parade at noon from in front…

By Scott SullivanEditorPowerless“Dad, I won’t bury you in Sleepy Hollow,” said Flannery. “It’s for pets.”“And I’m not one? Eternal rest among dogs, cats, birds, snakes, a monkey … How don’t I qualify?”Blame a summer 2009 harebrained dad plan when I’d…

By Jim HaydenCorrespondentGates of the ex-Fennville Dump closed 45 years ago, but a June 19 site walk through by city officials and environmental scientists could lead to a cleanup and transformation.The inspection was step one in working with the Allegan…

By Jason WesseldykSports Editor SAUGATUCK–It’s been said that timing is everything.And while it wasn’t an easy decision, Bill Dunn sensed the time was right for him to step down from his longtime role as Saugatuck High School/Middle School athletic director.“In…

   It was with great relief that I read the publishers of the late PG Wodehouse have summoned up the courage to reprint his tales of Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves, odd-ball uncles, fierce and ditzy aunts, and an assortment…