— An 8-month-old girl has died following a crash in Trowbridge Township Saturday evening according to the Allegan County Sheriff's Office who said it may have involved alcohol and excessive speeding A 56-year-old Martin man was driving westbound in a white pickup truck on Baseline Road near Hillsdale Drive at a high rate of speed when he sideswiped an eastbound vehicle and lost control and struck a family standing near Baseline Lake The man and infant were taken to the hospital and the entire department feels for the family,” Captain John Paul Damveld of the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office said “We believe speed and alcohol may have been factors.” The driver was arrested at the scene and remains in custody He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday at 1:30 p.m who said investigators are awaiting toxicology results and data from the department’s accident reconstruction team to determine the vehicle’s speed at the time of the crash “Every witness on the scene said the suspect smelled of alcohol,” Damveld said adding that nearby surveillance footage also points to possible impairment Authorities are urging drivers to use caution on rural roads where shoulders are limited and curves can be sharp This incident remains under investigation by the Allegan County Sheriff's Office — The parents of an 8-month-old baby girl who died in an Allegan County crash have issued a statement following an outpouring of support from their community a 56-year-old Martin man was driving west on Baseline Road near Hillsdale Drive at a high rate of speed when he sideswiped an eastbound car and lost control left the road and hit a family standing near Baseline Lake: Matthew my family and I were sitting in our yard watching the sun set," the Seifrieds wrote in a statement "One minute our baby girl was playing in the grass the next minute she was holding Jesus’s hand." The baby and the 56-year-old driver were taken to the hospital "Our hope and prayer is that through her death and story so many lives will be saved and turn to Christ We are incredibly upset but we are so grateful to the Lord for blessing us with Lucia’s beautiful soul for almost 9 months." Both parents shared with News Channel 3 they are thankful for all first responders who came to Lucia's rescue adding they are "overwhelmed by the love Community members are invited by the Seifrieds to attend a visitation for Lucia which is scheduled for May 9 at Frederick Funeral Home in Cincinnati A Mass of Christian Burial is also scheduled at Mary Queen of Heaven Church in Erlanger Burial is scheduled to be held at Mother of God Cemetery in Ft The 56-year-old driver was arrested at the scene and He was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday on three felony charges she was the daughter of the late Larry Arthur and Wanita (Grauman) Waigand cultivating her love of gardening at an early age and graduated from Allegan High School in 1964 Sharon made her mom go through a specific checkout lane because she thought the carry-out guy was cute with his big smile and dimples He joined the Army and it wasn't until years later after she had graduated and gotten her own apartment that she ran into him again at Hardings while trying to find a basket for her poodle Sharon and Larry married at the Congregational Church in 1967 and Sharon and Larry spent their time supporting their children's endeavors As their kids went through elementary school Sharon happily offered her time as a room mother and the president of the PTO She also helped at North Ward Elementary in the office She was happiest when helping others and giving to her family and friends Sharon worked as a secretary for Allegan Public Schools for over forty years spending time at the middle school before taking her organizational talents and love of typing to the high school She fondly regarded the high school staff and teachers at the high school as her own children Sharon had a knack for knowing which interviewees would fit best with the staff and could always be counted on to do her work well and thoroughly She left big shoes to fill when she retired in 2021 Students also recognized how kind and helpful Mrs her the honor of Grand Marshal of the Homecoming Parade twice during her tenure at the high school Sharon loved to bake and give food to others She combined her skills as a wonderful cook and a talented gardener to make jellies and canned items for events at the school and church She enjoyed sending cards to friends and family to encourage them and let them know she was thinking of them Sharon was devoted to her faith and enjoyed serving in the church by teaching Sunday School and Vacation Bible School and filling the role of Youth Director at First Congregational Church for two years She believed that God's Grace and prayers from people who cared about her were the best gifts she ever received Sharon believed family was the core and foundation of life She loved watching her four grandchildren grow up and could quite often be found sitting in the bleachers at one of their sporting events She was an extremely proud mother and grandma and her family filled her heart with joy beyond words She always put the needs of those she loved above her own Tony (Kelly) Fales and Jenny (Troy) Aldrich; siblings and Addy Fales; and numerous nieces and nephews She will be deeply missed by her family and friends The family will receive friends at First Baptist Church on Saturday A funeral service will begin at the church at noon and Sharon will be laid to rest in Oakwood Cemetery immediately following Memorial donations may be made to the Youth Program at the First Baptist Church of Allegan at 1290 32nd Street (M-40 South) Allegan The City of Allegan has ended its consideration of contracting out police services. After community input sessions and a review of a potential agreement with the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office the City decided to end further discussion of a budget option to contract with the county for police services The idea was first publicly discussed at the April 14 Allegan City Council meeting when City Manager Joel Dye presented it as one of several options to reduce expenses to pay for infrastructure projects. “Yesterday our community came out loud and clear to support retaining our Police Department as is,” Dye said Contracting with the county for police services is no longer an option on the table. “As we have shared but we still need to raise approximately $11 million over the next decade to repair roads in addition to costs to replace lead water service lines maintain our parks and other important infrastructure projects We simply don’t have money in our current budget for continued investment in our City’s critical infrastructure. “We must find a financial path that allows us to provide City services while paying for infrastructure needs We will work collaboratively with our community to find a solution they can both support and participate in.” At the direction of City Council Dye had outlined the idea to contract police services with the county as one of four potential options to reduce expenses and secure funds to support needed infrastructure projects Such an arrangement would have saved as much as $750,000 in the first year and $460,905 annually after that funds that would have been used to pay an infrastructure bond. “We thank Joel Dye and City staff for their diligent work in responding to the City Council’s request to explore funding options for future infrastructure improvements,” said Allegan Mayor Traci Perrigo. “We look forward to engaging the community in constructive dialogue as we discuss how to fund these needs in our City.” In preliminary discussions with the county the City intended to have 1:1 transfer of officers  to patrol the City Additional discussions showed those officers would be required to spend up to 25% of their time outside the City of Allegan which Dye said was a “nonstarter” for City staff and City Council. The City hosted three listening sessions on Tuesday April 22.  More than 100 residents as well as nonresidents attended these meetings Support to keep police services with the City was overwhelming. “We are deeply appreciative of the outpouring of support for the City of Allegan Police Department,” Chief Jay Gibson said “We look forward to moving beyond this conversation as we continue to serve and protect our community.” City of Allegan staff will continue to explore other financing options including a millage and additional cost reductions — Michigan Gas Utilities says it expects to have visited all customers' homes and businesses by the end of Sunday to restore natural gas service the utility says its crews will have visited 60% of homes and businesses affected by the outage Utility crews started working to restore natural gas to homes and businesses in Allegan County on Friday including in the Fennville Crews are manually turning on gas meters and relighting gas appliances and and they ask customers not to try to turn on their own service We are getting to each customer as quickly as possible," Michigan Gas Utilities said in a news release Saturday afternoon An estimated 5,200 customers of Michigan Gas Utilities were affected by the outage a contractor working for the Michigan DNR "unintentionally struck a high-pressure gas pipeline" while working on a hydrology construction project near Fennville according to a statement from the department The utility says its crews have focused on critical customers wastewater treatment facilities and emergency service buildings "If no one is able to provide access when crews arrive they will leave a tag on the door with a number to call and our crews will come back," the statement said Michigan Gas Utilities and TC Energy — the natural gas company which maintains the transmission line — held a press conference at Fennville City Hall City Administrator Katie Beemer detailed the three-phase process of the restoration will likely take "about two days.""We're committed but also as safely as we can," said Brendan Conway Conway said utility crews will work until midnight prioritizing "critical customers," including hospitals and fire departments They plan to resume the restoration process at 7:00am on Saturday Regarding late-night restoration efforts in residential areas Conway said homeowners should "leave a light on" to indicate their desire for immediate service "We don't want to wake up the kids and get the dog barking," Conway said "If you're okay with us coming back tomorrow you can keep your lights off and we will [come back]." "We're really grateful for all the workers who have joined us from Minnesota we are really just very grateful," Beemer said For more on the natural gas outage, click here A shelter operated by the American Red Cross is currently available at Third Coast Community Church in Laketown Township call Allegan County Transportation at 269-673-4229 or the Interurban Transit Authority at 269-857-1418 Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X - Instagram - YouTube — Six local soldiers of the Civil War were honored with gravestones in Allegan on Saturday The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and the Friends of Allegan’s Oakwood Cemetery gathered to dedicate the gravestones in Oakwood Cemetery partly due to the background of a lot of the soldiers "A lot of these [soldiers] were just farmers They were young kids that left the farm and went to the unknown and it's really important that we honor them," said Len Schaefer of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War did the research into the graves and provided the headstones Surviving relatives of one of the soldiers were present at the dedication NILES—The girls tennis teams from Allegan and Brandywine met for a SAC/Lakeland match on Monday 2 doubles were fierce.And while the teams split those flights—Allegan’s No 2 team of Madison Cook/Ireland Dewey won 4-6 1 team of Taylor Fuller/Hanna Kievit lost 6-3 7-3—it was the Tigers who prevailed overall by a 5-3 score.“Just like in years past this match was very competitive,” Allegan coach Damien Arthur said.Also winning for Allegan were No 3 doubles Sophia Augustine/Emma Scheffler (6-4 Allegan traveled to Grand Rapids for the seven-team Mustang Invitational at NorthPointe Christian the tourney also featured two other teams ranked in Division 4: No 6 NorthPointe.And despite missing four of its top 14 players the Tigers tied Elk Rapids for the most matches won and ended up in fourth place.NorthPointe won 3 doubles Augustine/Scheffler had the best showing for the Tigers 4 doubles Kelley/Kaylee Haas were runner-up.Two days before that the Tigers swept league rival South Haven 8-0.At singles 3 Augustine/Haley Mellon both dropped just one game by Amos Nabors and Tylor Brummett | News Channel 3 — One person is dead and three others were hurt after an Allegan County crash Saturday night A truck was going west when it went across the centerline and hit a truck heading east The truck ended up hitting a tree and people already off the road Two of those people were taken to the hospital and one of them died The driver of the truck and the passenger were also taken to the hospital by Katie Sergent and Princess Jhané Stepherson | News Channel 3 The City of Allegan will be keeping its police department.After more than 100 residents provided feedback and a review of a possible agreement with the Allegan County Sheriff's Office 2025 they've decided to end discussions of a budget option to contract with the sheriff's office for police services — The City of Allegan will be keeping its police department After strong community opposition and a review of a possible agreement with the county sheriff's office Allegan city officials announced Wednesday they've scrapped a controversial proposal to disband the Allegan Police Department and replace it with county deputies our community came out loud and clear to support retaining our Police Department as is,” City Manager Joel Dye said Contracting with the county for police services is no longer an option on the table." We simply don’t have money in our current budget for continued investment in our City’s critical infrastructure." Dye had suggested contracting the Allegan County Sheriff's Office as one of multiple options to reduce expenses to pay for infrastructure projects on April 14 would have saved the city as much as $750,000 in the first year and $460,905 annually after that Funds would have been used to pay an infrastructure bond “We must find a financial path that allows us to provide City services while paying for infrastructure needs,' Dye said "We will work collaboratively with our community to find a solution they can both support and participate in.” The proposed change would not have reduced the number of officers on the streets who noted alternatives such as tax increases or cuts to other city services are still on the table Allegan Police Chief Jay Gibson was vocally opposed to the plan citing concerns for his staff’s livelihoods and the quality of police service for city residents “They’re going to have coverage,” Gibson said He added that his officers would face significant losses if the department was disbanded Some of them have pensions that’ll be frozen.” the city intended to have 1:1 transfer of officers to patrol the city Other discussions showed those officers would be required to spend up to 25% of their time outside of Allegan something that Dye noted was a "nonstarter" for the City's staff and city council members “We are deeply appreciative of the outpouring of support for the City of Allegan Police Department,” Chief Jay Gibson said “We look forward to moving beyond this conversation as we continue to serve and protect our community.” City of Allegan staff are expected to continue exploring other financial options — The Allegan County Sheriff's Office is searching for a man who they said was recklessly firing a gun Friday morning at a Dorr Township residence Deputies were called to a home on 21st Street near 142 Avenue around 10:40 a.m after it was reported that a man was "being disorderly on the property and recklessly discharging a firearm," the sheriff's office said Authorities and a K-9 unit tried searching for the man the sheriff's office does not believe Ras-Devries is a threat to the general public Deputies said the 26-year-old was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call Allegan Central Dispatch at 269-673-3899 — Natural gas is steadily being restored to homes in Allegan County after thousands of residents were left without it since Wednesday due to pipeline damage reportedly caused by a Department of Natural Resources contractor The transmission pipeline was restored by TC Energy just before 6:45 pm on Friday according to Michigan Gas Utilities and operator TC Energy allowing utility crews to begin restoring the crucial amenity home by home as of Friday evening Crews immediately prioritized restoration at vital locations followed by full restoration efforts of homes and businesses down the line - starting in Fennville where the provider pipeline is located according to Brendan Conway of Michigan Gas Utilities Full restoration will take at least a couple of days who told News Channel 3: "It's pretty slow because it's door to door One of the first homes to have their natural gas restored told News Channel 3: "I was lucky." Kramer said his family had electric heaters to stay warm laundry - all that comes to an end." He hopes restoration will happen quickly for people who it's been even harder on including families with young kids and older folks The high-pressure pipeline was "unintentionally struck," according to a spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) by a contractor during a construction project in Allegan County The large crew behind this restoration effort is made up of 200 people from several states "We want them to know this has been a nonstop effort on everyone's behalf," Conway said in regard to the thousands of people still living without natural gas The Michigan DNR issued the following statement in regard to the damaged pipeline: by Teanna Barnes and Mackenize Dekker | News Channel 3 and Saugatuck in Allegan County remain without gas service following Wednesday afternoon's natural gas line leak A third party contractor was digging and hit the transmission line for the gas main which carries gas from Canada to homes in Allegan County grills and electric blankets to stay warm," Donna Johnson Multiple agencies responded to the initial gas leak with the Allegan County Sheriff's Office closing several roads and the nearby railroad system while it was being contained Michigan Gas Utilities brought in crews from all over the Midwest to assist according to Fennville's City Administrator Some crews are currently going door-to-door turning off home meters while others are simultaneously working to repair the transmission line a number of safety checks need to take place crews can begin turning people's gas back on starting near where the break first occurred "It's kind of a multi-stage process,“ Beemer said "And we will be working 24/7 until this is repaired.” In the meantime, Beemer said there are a number of resources available for those who have been affected. The American Red Cross has options for shelters and warming centers, and the city is compiling a list of locations to take showers or use hot water. "The Red Cross will be opening a shelter this evening for those impacted by the gas leak outage. The shelter will be at Third Coast Community Church, 6069 Blue Star Highway in Saugatuck," said David with the Red Cross. “We want to make sure that all our residents that are affected by this, feel that they're supported throughout this, however, they need to be supported,” Beemer said. Michigan Gas Utilities was able to turn off the gas line in the affected area Wednesday night, and the Allegan County Health Department said Thursday that service may not be fully restored for several days. Impacted residents are advised to contact Michigan Gas Utilities with inquiries concerning restoration times, and those in need of assistance are encouraged to contact the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767. READ MOREMajor gas line leak disrupts service for 5,200 homes in Allegan County sheriff saysby Stephanie Forth | News Channel 3 — Multiple law enforcement agencies and technicians are working to repair a major natural gas line leak reported in Allegan County Wednesday afternoon the Allegan County Sheriff's Office said the gas company was able to turn off the gas line to the affected area but could not provide an estimated restoration time The outage is affecting about 5,200 households in the Fennville the sheriff's office closed 57th Street from East Main Street to 120th Avenue as well as 122nd Avenue from 55th Street to 58th Street in the Fennville City/Clyde Township area --those roads have since reopened The gas company was made aware of the leak around 2:40 p.m. at which technicians were sent to start working on the repair Affected residents who need assistance are encouraged to contact the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767 The sheriff's office was assisted by Michigan State Police A missing woman from Allegan County has been found deceased 67-year-old Nancy Louise Eichler-Oconnell was last seen on Thursday She was found in the early morning hours of April 11 by Allegan County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol and Michigan DNR personnel The Allegan County Sheriff's Office thanks everyone who was helping first responders locate her — The search for a missing woman ended in tragic news when emergency crews located her body 67-year-old Nancy Eichler-O'Connell was last seen Thursday near her home in Saugatuck Township according to the Allegan County Sheriff's Office but deputies were searching the Kalamazoo River The 67-year-old was reported to not have a car Family members reported her missing when they could not get in touch with her over the phone The sheriff's office later determined she did not take her phone when she left her home including the Allegan County Dive Rescue Team and Allegan County Medical Examiner’s Office Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube WEST MICHIGAN — Just one case in the Ottawa/Allegan area is affected by the Michigan Supreme Court's ruling on Thursday that requires re-sentencing for 19- and 20-year-olds given automatic life sentences without the possibility of parole Jamasa Derring was found guilty of three counts of first-degree He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 2000 Derring was 19 when he shot and killed Dustin Sherrell 17; executioner-style in the Sherrell family residence on April 1 He was friends with and a neighbor to the victims the prosecution said Derring and Dustin Sherrell had murdered Antonio Flores six weeks prior The prosecution argued Derring killed the victims to silence them According to The Daily Reporter Derring and his fellow inmate Michael Jackson attempted to escape Lakeland Prison in 2012 and even had heavy work gloves for the attempt to scale the wire-topped fences that surround Lakeland Officers found Jackson nearly atop the 20-foot fence the Michigan Supreme Court expanded a 2022 ban on automatic life sentences without the possibility of parole for 18-year-olds to include 19- and 20-year-olds Justice Elizabeth Welch wrote the young adult sentences for murder convictions violates the state constitution's ban against cruel and unusual punishment More: Michigan court bans automatic life without parole sentences for murderers who are 19, 20 "Late adolescents who are 19- or 20-years-old share with 18-year-olds the same mitigating characteristics of late-adolescent brain development," Welch wrote The ruling retroactively applies "to all relevant criminal cases," meaning any affected prisoner could ask a judge for a new sentence Prosecutors were given a list of cases following the ruling — Cassidey Kavathas is the politics and court reporter at The Holland Sentinel Contact her at ckavathas@hollandsentinel.com A community emergency shelter is now available for residents living in the Fennville and Saugatuck areas following a widespread gas outage that occurred Wednesday the Allegan County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday The shelter is operating out of Third Coast Community Church located at 6069 Blue Star Highway in Saugatuck The sheriff's office said the shelter will offer essential services and support and residents planning to stay are encouraged to bring the following items: community members may call the American Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767 Those in need of transportation assistance may call Allegan County Transportation at 269-673-4229 or the Interurban Transit Authority at 269-857-1418 with the sheriff's office closing several roads and the nearby railroad system while it was being contained According to the Allegan County Health Department full restoration of service may take several days ALLEGAN COUNTY — As the old saying goes there are two seasons in Michigan — winter and construction Although there’s a bit of winter still to get through plans for construction season are starting to take shape The Allegan County Road Commission announced projects for 2025 earlier this month The ACRC is responsible for maintaining 1,800 miles of roadway and 154 bridges throughout the county The roads are broken up into 522 miles of “primary roads” and 1,278 miles of “local roads” based on factors like connectivity and traffic volume More: Laketown approves $850K for six roadwork projects. Here's the list Maintenance and repairs on primary roads are funded in part by a countywide road millage the millage is a 1-mill tax most recently renewed for six more years in 2024 Township funds and grant money also help fund projects The county is broken up into six “millage areas,” each containing four townships Revenue from the road millage is split equally among the six areas annually with a fund balance for each area carrying over from year to year Projects are selected by reviewing pavement surface evaluation and ratings (PASER) history of the road and other conditions like cause of pavement damage Road projects range from maintenance to reconstruction according to ACRC Managing Director Craig Atwood “Crack seal is just filling cracks in the road surface,” Atwood said “Chip sealing is when we spray a layer of asphalt emulsion with small stones on top to provide a new surface where we’ll see an environmental protection factor to keep water out and also to keep the sun from oxidizing and aging the road surface Fog seal is a very light layer of emulsified asphalt we spray over the top of the chip seal to lock in that stone.”    putting a new layer of asphalt over an existing road; “mill and fill,” or grinding down a layer of asphalt and then resurfacing it; and “crush and shape,” where an existing road is pulverized and then paved over the road commission is proposing more than 130 miles of roadwork Some projects span multiple millage areas and are listed under each affected area “There’s going to be a pretty good-sized project,” Atwood said “That’s one of those crush and shape projects That road is going to be closed for a while.”  chip and fog seal 6.06 miles of 64th Street from Blue Star Highway from the county line in Laketown and SaugatuckChip and fog seal 4.14 miles of Old Allegan Road from Blue Star Highway to 58th Street in Saugatuck and ManliusRenovate shape and resurface 5.52 miles of Blue Star Highway from 118th Avenue to the Douglas City Limits in Saugatuck and Ganges“That will be a lengthy project “I think that one is going to be split up into a couple different sections.”   — Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. — Allegan County communities have teamed up to open a emergency shelter for those impacted by the ongoing natural gas outage Approximately 5,200 Michigan Gas Utilities (MGU) customers are affected The Allegan County Sheriff's Office says the outage is concentrated in the Fennville It's located at Third Coast Community Church in Laketown Township Officials say the shelter will offer essential services and support Residents planning to stay should bring: medications changes of clothing and important documents call the American Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS by Tylor Brummett | News Channel 3 — The Allegan City Council could make a major decision about a proposal that would eliminate the city's police force The plan would move control of the city from the Allegan Police Department to the Allegan County Sheriff's Office Dye told News Channel 3 that the police department currently employs nine certified police officers the sheriff's office would create nine positions with staff members who'd patrol the city while at the same time it's very much a human scale issue and that doesn't fall lightly on me," Dye said "This has been a real struggle as I've looked at these options." The proposal is needed as council members figure out the budget that would fund the city from July 2025 to June 2026 Dye also told News Channel 3 the money is needed to fund road and sidewalk repairs "We have to invest where people live," Dye said we're looking at options for us to do this We need to find about $500,000 a year to help pay for the bond Allegan Police Chief Jay Gibson disagrees with the plan He told News Channel 3 that his department works well with the Allegan County Sheriff's Office but believes this will make the city less safe Gibson is also concerned about what this means for his officers that's what makes me sick to my stomach because it's going to alter their lives," Gibson said benefits and some of them have pensions will be frozen." While the chief and city manager disagree on the proposal they're both encouraging people to share their thoughts during the city's next board meeting on April 28 I am writing to correct the misinformation in the April 17 edition of the paper that mischaracterizes the April 14 meeting of the Allegan City Council you’d be left with an entirely wrong idea of what happened during the meeting As with so many other Michigan municipalities the City of Allegan is facing budget challenges from paving roads and managing our water system to paying for employee benefits and maintaining our parks We’re also watching as federal grants that benefit our City continue to face the chopping block we have a backlog of infrastructure projects we need to tackle over the next decade As I shared with Council during Monday’s meeting the total cost for these projects for the next 10 years in our streets funds is approximately $14.2 million This simply isn’t available in our current budget City Council has asked us to come up with a plan to pay for these infrastructure projects which we will need to sell bonds in order to complete We estimate we need an average of $500,000 each year for the next 5 years to finance the initial projects it is anticipated we will need an additional $500,000 annually for a total of $1 million annually to finance all projects This would cover the costs of paying back the bonds we’ve taken a hard look at the budget to see where we might be able to cut costs While we’re continuing to look to reduce our overall expenses City Council has already been presented with the possibility of contracting with the county for police services We recognize the vital role of public safety in our community and would never We do need to look at doing things differently which is currently being considered by City Council is a different way of paying for public safety The City of Allegan has had preliminary discussions with Allegan County to see what an arrangement would look like and it is my intent that each officer and support staff be given the opportunity to land at the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department We recognize some people will worry about a decline in service if we make this change similar to what we do with our fire services These will spell out our expectations of service levels in terms of response times patrols on the road and assistance with code enforcement West Michigan municipalities such as Hudsonville Fennville and Saugatuck have begun contracting for public safety services with Ottawa and Allegan counties with success Managers in these communities have told me residents and businesses are seeing similar road patrols and response times after the switch which has saved each municipality hundreds of thousands of dollars we anticipate it would be nearly $750,000 in savings in the first year of the switch and then an ongoing savings of $500,000 a year thereafter We’ve had nearly a decade of success with our fire services being contracted to the Allegan Fire District and we anticipate contracting with Allegan County for policing services will allow us to continue providing this vital service while saving costs We recognize this is not simply a math equation It’s not just what color uniform an officer will put on in the morning We know this will have a major impact on each member of the department – and our entire community Our Police Department is the most professional team I’ve worked with in my 25 years in local government and 8 years as the City Manager for the City of Allegan They are all top-notch individuals and function extremely well together as a team All are local graduates and most have decades of service with us All are known and respected in our community This plan would allow them to continue to serve our community ensuring we can maintain a high level of trust and quality service with officers safeguarding the City It would also allow us to realize significant costs savings and reinvest those dollars in our community to tackle much-needed infrastructure projects We are currently in the exploratory stages of this discussion with City Council Nothing is off the table at this point – and nothing is a done deal we’re planning to listen to our community to hear directly from you If the community is adamant about retaining our police department we could look at the possibility of a voter-approved millage The intent was to bring this conversation to the forefront once we had more information to share The City has established a section on our website to provide timely We commit to being transparent during this process We look forward to hearing the thoughts of residents and business owners and to having robust conversations about the best path forward The police didn’t fail us why should they go Put those funds to our Reliable City Police And to add to the other comments – our Schools need them too Cutting the police force will only increase the amount of response time needed to get to a scene of an incident Since the City manager makes more money than usual City managers we should start cutting his salary as well as cutting staff in City Hall We will not have the amount of police staff even if the county kicks in the cover an incident All you need is two or three things to happen at once and the city will be at peril Would you want your teenage daughter who is undergoing an attack to have to wait till the cops show up because there is no more city police force or would you rather see cuts in staff and other places to keep on to provide the excellent service That our police provide Maybe this will be the situation that will get a citizens in this city aroused enough to get involved in what is happening to our city Let’s have our voice heard at city Council Keep the Allegan City police force so that our families and property may be protected with the excellent service they give I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposal of disbanding our dedicated Allegan City Police Department in favor of contracting services through the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department While I understand and acknowledge the financial challenges our city faces—rising costs and uncertain funding sources—the solution should not come at the expense of one of the most critical and trusted institutions in our community: our local police force The Allegan City Police Department is more than just a public safety service It is an integral part of our community fabric These officers are not just employees; they are our neighbors our school resource officers and familiar faces who have built relationships with residents and businesses over years and its unique challenges in a way no external department ever could Shifting public safety to the county may offer short-term savings but it comes with long-term costs we cannot afford—reduced responsiveness and a loss of the deep community trust our local officers have built Despite contractual promises of service standards the City will ultimately be one of many clients vying for the county’s attention We risk becoming just another line item in a much larger jurisdiction rather than a community with a dedicated team of officers committed solely to our safety and well-being which does good work across the county are stretched thin We have a large county and they cannot match the tailored attention or local knowledge that our own department provides Public safety should never be compromised for cost-saving convenience let’s explore alternative solutions: a modest public safety millage or launching a community-led fundraising effort to protect our police force If our city leadership truly believes this community values its local officers then they should give the people a voice—at the ballot box—before making such a permanent and consequential change We owe that to the officers who have served us loyally and to the residents who trust them to do so I would much rather see a tax hike than lose the city police The comparison of the two counties is so obvious that ANYONE should be able to see there shouldn’t be a comparison Such comparison shows Allegan County is understaffed for the size of the county when you use Ottawa County as the control county I can’t believe this is even a thought or consideration These officers—and my husband among them—have poured so much time and now they serve to protect the same places that shaped them They are more than just the uniform they wear They are a familiar face at the grocery store They are the curve in the road you always take home the comfort in knowing someone who truly cares is looking out for you So when I read things that question their value or their right to be here (roads are more important?) —I can’t just scroll past it And they deserve better than this—they deserve our support for the late-night calls no one else wanted to answer the silent check-ins when something didn’t feel right Because this town isn’t just a dot on a map to them—it’s their home they can just go to the county or another department and get a new job,”—please understand This isn’t just a job you walk away from like clocking out of a shift The relationships these officers hold within this community are deep You can’t replicate that with a new face in a fresh uniform You can’t train someone overnight to understand the nuances of this town— like the way these officers know which streets need extra eyes after sunset You can’t replace the years of built trust with someone who doesn’t know the names behind the doors they’re sworn to protect And connection is what makes a community safe Please attend the city council meeting on April 28th – City Hall @ 6pm to show support and speak up for your local PD. If you can’t attend email the city mayor tperrigo@cityofallegan.org We need to flood the emails of the city council members There will most definitely be a decline in services if the City Police Dept is eliminated The council report is not comparing apples to apples here comparing Ottawa and Allegan Counties Allegan County has a total of approximately 106 deputized officers to cover 825 sq miles Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office employs approximately 141 officers to cover 563.5 sq miles How in the world do you think there would not be a decline in services by eliminating the City Police who also employ the School Resource Officers City of Allegan records show Joel Dye V held two jobs from 2018 to 2024 From 2019 to 2024 Joel Dye V held job of City Manager In year 2024 Joel Dye’s salary was 4 percent higher than average City Manager salary in the state of Michigan I believe some city officials need to take pay cuts to help alleviate this deficit problem WOODTV.com (WOOD) — Thousands in the Fennville area have lost heat in their homes amid a natural gas outage that’s expected to last until Friday A major gas line leaked Wednesday afternoon It’s unclear where and how the line leaked Energy provider Michigan Gas Utilities said it was damaged by a third party Over 5,200 homes are now without natural gas in Saugatuck, Douglas, Saugatuck Township, Ganges Township, Clyde Township and Fennville. Temperatures have been in the high 30s and mid 40s Thursday, though it’s expected to warm up to the 50s this weekend Around 9 p.m. Thursday night, Michigan Gas Utilities said it expected repairs to the pipeline to be complete Friday said he lost natural gas Wednesday afternoon my furnace didn’t work and checked my stove and had no gas,” Chatterson said “I guess last night about 2:30 in the morning I was thinking ‘Boy I wish this was on.’ The house was getting a little chilly.” Dozens of Michigan Gas Utilities crews have been in the area throughout Thursday They say they’re shutting off gas at each customer’s meter they’ll come back to homes and businesses to turn it back on “Everybody’s out here working on it I thank them for that right now,” Chatterson said “Because their butts are out here trying to keep us warm is working to repair the damage to their pipeline Michigan Gas Utilities says you don’t need to turn off gas service to your appliances because natural gas is no longer being fed into the pipeline One of many businesses that have temporarily closed because of the outage is Root Cafe in downtown Fennville They need hot water to come back for required handwashing and dishwashing but I think of the local citizens,” said Dawn Soltysiak “It snowed in April last night.” Soltysiak is more worried about the community in need of warmth “It’s still winter in Fennville,” Soltysiak said This area makes the majority of the revenue in summer and fall I feel more that I can’t service people who can’t heat up their houses right now.” A community emergency shelter has been set up at Third Coast Community Church, 6069 Blue Star Highway, Saugatuck according to the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office People who stay there should bring their own medications changes of clothes and important documents Anyone affected by this outage who needs help from the American Red Cross should contact them at 1.800.733.2767 according to the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office these are the actual most popular baby names so far in 2025 Whether it’s a short vacation or they’re jetting off to begin their career show the future traveler you care with a meaningful graduation gift National Teacher Appreciation Week begins May 5 take advantage of these freebies and deals Submit photos, videos and news tips here. was officially charged with open murder related to the homicide of his mother He is expected to return to court for a probable cause hearing on Feb — A West Michigan man has been charged with the death of his mother was charged with one count of homicide - open murder and one count of motor vehicle - unlawful driving away in the death of Mable Mills This comes three days after an open murder charge against the 23-year-old was announced by the Allegan County Prosecuting Attorney's Office on Monday Mable Mills was found dead inside her Lee Township home on Sept 19 after she did not show up to her job at a Shell gas station in Fennville for two days in a row Her absence was especially unusual as coworkers previously told News Channel 3 "she never no called who was living with his mother at the time was arrested two days before deputies found his mother's body the 23-year-old was arrested by the Berrien County Sheriff's Office after crashing his mother's car and resisting officers Deputies believe the 43-year-old mother was killed the same day her son was arrested Craig Mills was not issued a bond at Thursday's hearing Detectives have yet to announce an official cause of death for Mable Mills The Allegan County Community Foundation Youth Endowment Fund guided by the foundation's youth advisory council (TAG Team) provides grants to eligible organizations supporting the youth of Allegan County 4-H programs are based on the four core values of 4-H: head They help teens build critical thinking skills (head) develop compassion and social skills (heart) and make a commitment to their health and well-being (health) 4-H has been a leader in positive youth development Its connection with land-grant universities like Michigan State University and the U.S Department of Agriculture ensures the programs are backed by science and research state and national organizations look to 4-H for expertise in helping young people grow 4-H educators and specialists create new programs update existing ones and conduct research to understand the ever-changing needs of youth and families Through Michigan State University Extension, 4-H is available in every Michigan county, including Allegan County. In Allegan County, the 4-H program was recently named a recipient of the Allegan County Community Foundation’s Teens Aiding Growth grant This funding was allocated by the Teens Aiding Growth (TAG) Team Teens from Allegan County high schools meet ten times a year to represent their peers’ interests within the community foundation The foundation works to ensure the youth in Allegan County live in safe and supportive environments and have access to high-quality learning opportunities Allegan County 4-H applied for the TAG grant to support non-traditional 4-H programming for youth in the county The funding provided by this grant will allow county 4-H staff to create new 4-H programs outside the traditional 4-H clubs one might see at the county fair The programs provided by this grant will allow youth to develop new skills build stronger communities and increase accessibility The partnership between the Allegan County Community Foundation and Allegan County 4-H exemplifies a shared commitment to empowering local youth through meaningful opportunities By supporting non-traditional 4-H programming the TAG grant will enable young people to explore new interests develop valuable skills and contribute to their communities in innovative ways This collaboration not only strengthens youth development in Allegan County but also ensures that future generations have access to enriching experiences that foster growth Visit the Allegan County Community Foundation website to learn more about the important work they do MSU Extension relies heavily on community partnerships to increase the reach of their work. For more information about MSU Extension and 4-H in your community, contact your local 4-H program coordinator Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work This information is for educational purposes only Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned The 4-H Name and Emblem have special protections from Congress We comply with the Federal Trade Commission 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) — Otsego Public Schools will no longer house a countywide Autism program that services students from nine school districts and two schools Otsego Public Schools had to make the tough decision after receiving an influx in students that left no additional space for the program superintendent of Allegan Educational Service Agency Allegan Area ESA oversees the Level III program for all Allegan County public schools This program has been housed at Otsego Public Schools for the last several years some grade levels have a higher number of students than others," Brown said "That causes some space constraints." Brown said Allegan Area ESA reached out to other school districts in the region and no one had space to house the program Allegan Area ESA made the decision to return students to their local districts Level III services will be provided in the individual districts Allegan Area ESA teachers will also transition and will be assigned to individual school districts "They will be serving as coaches to help build the capacity of the teachers back in the local districts to support the students and meet their needs," Brown said Brown believes the adjustment will be a positive change for students and teachers "The students need the social and academic interaction with their non-disabled peers and we're meeting the needs of the students just in a different way," Brown said "The location of these services is what's changing Parents of the kids in this program have been notified Editor's note: this story has been edited to provide more context regarding program changes ALLEGAN COUNTY — A former assistant prosecutor in Allegan County will return to 48th Circuit Court in a new role Emily Jipp was elected to a six-year judicial term on Tuesday a current assistant prosecutor for Allegan County There were initially two other candidates in the race: Alice Bernal and Jonathan Blair the primary narrows the field to two times the available seats Gretchen Whitmer in December 2022 granted Allegan County's 48th Circuit Court and Kalamazoo County's Ninth Circuit Court each an additional judge Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo) and Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton) The Allegan County Courthouse underwent significant renovations to make room for the new judge. Upgrades included moving the offices of several county departments from the courthouse to the County Services Building. That move resulted in a since-settled lawsuit Jipp is currently an assistant prosecutor with Van Buren County She held the same role in Allegan County from 2016 to 2021 public defender and prosecutor before moving to Allegan County in 2016 Jipp also served as the prosecutor's representative for the county's mental health treatment court The Allegan County Prosecuting Attorneys Office charged Craig Michael Mills with open murder related to the homicide of his mother — The son of a Lee Township mother who was found dead inside her home in September 2024 was charged with open murder Monday Mable was found dead inside her home on Sept 2024 after she did not show up to her job at a Shell gas station in Fennville for two days in a row as coworkers previously told News Channel 3 that because "she never 'no called had been arrested two days before deputies found her body The 23-year-old had been taken into custody by the Berrien County Sheriff's Office that day after crashing Mable's car and resisting officers The sheriff's office said they believe the 43-year-old mother was killed the same day her son was arrested Craig is currently being held at the Berrien County Jail and no additional suspects are being sought at this time Detectives have not announced an official cause of death yet The Allegan Area ESA Tech Center cut the ribbon Thursday to its new facility for hands-on learning and career preparation in the automotive industry — A new automotive technology building for students in Allegan County was unveiled Thursday The Allegan Area ESA Tech Center cut the ribbon to its new facility for hands-on learning and career preparation in the automotive industry Allegan Superintendent William Brown and Michigan Department of Education State Superintendent Dr "Excited is an understatement," Brown said this is going to give our students to further their career that will have an ultimate impact on the community --and I feel very grateful." guests were invited to attend an open house to explore the new building featuring two 1,700 square-foot classrooms and two 7,000 square-foot live demonstrations and opportunities to meet instructors as well as students of the program Participants of the auto tech classes have the opportunity to receive ASE certifications and “employability upon graduation," organizers said Classes are available to both high schoolers and adults "We're centrally located in the county," he said not only do we provide those educational services to high school-age students we also do adult education classes --and being centrally located it makes it easier for anyone in the county to access the services." More information about the Allegan Area ESA can be found online. Left to cherish her memory are her children, David (Heidi) Tagg, Steven (Carol) Tagg and Sherry (Ricky) Brown; sisters, Elaine Russell and Marjorie Simpson; ten grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. In accordance with her wishes, cremation has taken place.  Jean’s Memorial Service will be Tuesday, March 4th, at 2:00pm with an hour’s visitation beforehand at Christ Community Church located at 3370 113th Avenue, Allegan, MI 49010. Following the service will be a procession to Oakwood Cemetery with a graveside committal. Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. Fatal crash in Allegan County leaves one dead after SUV hits tree in Leighton Townshipby Donny Ede | News Channel 3 — A fatal crash in Allegan County Monday night claimed the life of one person Allegan County Central Dispatch received a call for a serious traffic crash on 7th Street in Leighton Township A preliminary investigation shows a southbound SUV left the roadway and collided with a tree The driver of the SUV was found to be dead upon arrival Speed appears to be a factor in the incident The name of the driver is being withheld at this time Trowbridge Township announced that the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department shut down illegal marijuana grow operations at the old Blackman School and in a pole barn behind it Trowbridge established a marijuana ordinance and the Township trustees acted to bring the operations into compliance.Interesting enough there were four operations in the buildings around the Carter Lumber and the Old Blackman School One of the operations was growing medical marijuana But permits for growing operations are required and two operations never applied for a license but the growers still did not comply with the law so the Township went to the courts.Once the Township obtained a court order stating that the locations were in violation of state law and the Township Ordinance deputies and detectives with the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department raided the unlicensed marijuana grow operations in Blackman School and the pole barn behind it.“We are pleased with the cooperative effort by all involved,” stated Supervisor Jeff Kaylor “Our township is now rid of an unlicensed/illegal operations making our township safer.”Zoning Administrator Larry Ladenburger explained that the Trowbridge leadership knew there were four grow operations in the township and two had requested permits over the last couple of years he is aware that one is planning on closing its operation this year.“The marijuana grow operations are like the gas station story,” mused Ladenburger “When stations began popping up on every corner a year ago it was worth close to $120 an ounce it is about $40 an ounce.”Ladenburger surmised that there is more product than there is demand They don’t have a good source for processing Considering that there are several retail stores in Allegan marijuana products are readily available just about everywhere there is a provisioning center in the Allegan Industrial Park.Sheriff Frank Baker would like to remind everyone that while the use of marijuana is legal there are still laws and ordinances associated with the growing and selling of marijuana that need to be followed — A West Michigan woman accused of injuring five people in an Allegan County hay ride crash has been identified a tractor pulling a hay wagon had left a local restaurant and was traveling south on M-40 at low speeds the tractor carrying nine people tried to make a left-hand turn onto 110th Avenue but was struck from behind by Angelina Marie Hamberg court documents obtained by News Channel 3 Tuesday revealed struck the rear of that hay wagon,” Allegan County Sheriff's Captain John Paul Damveld said Hamberg had been traveling at speeds of 55 mph at the time of the crash you can picture in your head it looked like chaos," Damveld said Five of the nine riders were sent to the hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries This included one person who was impaled in the leg by a piece of wood from the wagon Hamberg advised the breaks on her Honda Pilot had given out and she was unable to stop “She [Hamberg] first told the deputy that she was the passenger in the car and then about an hour into the investigation she admitted that she was the operator of that vehicle,” said Damveld Hamberg underwent a preliminary breathalyzer test which showed a 0.129 blood alcohol content The 44-year-old then underwent field sobriety tests which showed probable cause that alcohol had been a factor in the crash “Clearly we have alcohol that’s coming into play we’re figuring out how much speed is into play on that,” Damveld said Hamberg has since been charged with four counts of operating while intoxicated causing serious injury Each charge could result in five years and several thousand dollars in fines Hamberg faces a charge of habitual offender - third offense and has two prior felony convictions related to check fraud and failing to pay child support Hamberg’s preliminary hearing has been set for Oct Travis Szekely of Kalamazoo drove to Holland for work he passed by the same building northwest of the small town of Allegan “I have been traveling down M-40 for years and always passed this place and would notice the field filled with a myriad of antennas of all shapes and this small building surrounded by a barbed wire fence.” The Cape Cod-style building is quite simple — brick It looks like many of the other rural family homes you might pass by on M-40 and the antennas jutting out of the hay field surrounding it Travis said he’s been coming up with theories for years The lack of them only made his imagination run wild He said one of his theories related to the Cold War “Men sitting in there hunched over radios and vacuum tubes humming and cups of coffee boiling as they were searching for the next communist plot to befall America.” we spoke to a man who leased it in recent years: Larry Massie He’s published over a dozen books on Michigan history and he used to store his own book collection right here “I moved 50,000 books into there and used it as a library where I would write and book storage isn’t the only thing that’s gone on in this building where it monitored the airwaves for the Federal Communications Commission or FCC the Federal Communications Commission is the policeman of the airwaves." Massie explained and they assign frequencies to radio stations and things like that And they issue citations if you do something wrong on the air.” or someone was broadcasting from an unlicensed frequency “They had a whole company of infantry stationed here because not only were they monitoring the airwaves the staff,” former Station Engineer In-Charge James Roop said Roop worked at the Allegan FCC Monitoring Station for nearly 20 years working his way up to the position of Station Engineer In-Charge He left in 1996 when the listening station closed Roop said while the building was unassuming on the outside “On the first floor is where all the monitoring equipment was located as well as various offices for the Engineer In-Charge and his assistant and clerical people.” somewhat like a family in the faux family home The monitoring station was one of twelve around the nation "The emphasis was on monitoring the radio spectrum "Each station in the network were assigned different times to monitor and they would just monitor They weren't just listening for pirate radio and interfering signals the monitoring stations might find a distressed ship’s SOS Roop said all of these sites are actually still in use “The monitoring stations became a victim of technology as there's always a need for shortwave direction finding but that could be done by remote control.” Roop said the Allegan station closed in 1996 due to this automation The now-automated monitoring happens in a small white shed at the Allegan facility sending the collected information to the region’s field office in Maryland our question-asker Travis finally has his answers as the main building is set to be demolished “I'm glad that I could be here at least to see the exterior of the building and hear the history of it the history will almost be forgotten,” Travis said Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program Allegan has been without a Mexican restaurant since 2022 It was truly a sad day when Burrito Boss unexpectedly closed in January 2022 While the restaurant was open about their post-Covid struggles, what's even more heartbreaking is the fact we didn't even get to say goodbye Growing up in Allegan, Michigan we had limited dining options. Of course we had fast food and pizza places, like Pizza Hut and locally-owned Vitale's but there certainly wasn't much variety If you didn't wasn't pizza it was breakfast or bar food, and that was pretty much it. Thankfully, over the years Allegan has grown over the years to include several new brew pubs, a Chinese restaurant and even hosts seasonal food truck rallies; and for a time we had a pretty great Mexi-Cali spot called Burrito Boss While several new establishments tried to open it its place nobody could ever truly fill the void of Burrito Boss. So, what's this we hear about a new Mexican spot coming to downtown Allegan I was unaware the breakfast joint On The Grid had closed but secondly Is Allegan finally getting another Mexican restaurant? is Allegan finally getting another Mexican restaurant Allegan's last Mexican joint closed January 2022.\nRead More It was truly a sad day when Burrito Boss unexpectedly closed in January 2022 Growing up in Allegan, Michigan we had limited dining options. Of course we had fast food and pizza places, like Pizza Hut and locally-owned Vitale's If you didn't wasn't pizza it was breakfast or bar food, and that was pretty much it. Thankfully, over the years Allegan has grown over the years to include several new brew pubs, a Chinese restaurant While several new establishments tried to open it its place nobody could ever truly fill the void of Burrito Boss. So, what's this we hear about a new Mexican spot coming to downtown Allegan — Many egg-laying chickens were killed in a barn fire early Monday morning in Allegan County according to South Haven Area Emergency Services (SHAES) in Casco Township after someone in the area reported the fire around 5:20 a.m. The barn was engulfed in flames by the time SHAES and firefighters from the Ganges Township Fire Department arrived who added that water had to be shuttled by tankers to the scene SHAES said a second barn was protected from the fire it is not known what caused the fire and it remains under investigation by SHAES.