Local News Archives

Consumers Energy has purchased the Covert Generating Station in Van Buren County and is now operating the 1,200-megawatt, natural gas fired plant. The utility says it produces enough energy to power over a million homes and began operating in 2004. The 29 workers at the plant are expected to become Consumers Energy employees as the transition proceeds. Company officials say they are doing their part to ensure there is a cost-effective, reliable energy supply to meet the state’s needs. Covert joins two other natural gas plants in Zeeland and Jackson, along with coal, hydroelectric, pumped storage, wind and solar energy sources that will serve customers as temperatures rise and air conditioners turn on. Consumers says its final coal-burning power plants will be closed by mid-2025.... [Read Full Story]

The city of South Haven is back to the drawing board on the redevelopment of the former Overton factory site at 229 Elkenburg Street. The Habitat Company has informed city officials they are withdrawing their agreement to build homes on the property and are asking the city to refund their $20,000 in deposits “in accordance with the terms” of the purchase and sale agreement. Vice President Jeff Head says in a letter they would be interested in starting discussions again after the November election “if there is renewed political consensus that the project should proceed,” and say they “still believe in the importance of the project.” Head adds the lack of consensus on the city council “increases the level of risk for Habitat, as each step in the process requires additional time and money.” He goes on to say despite their transparency, local support for the project has “eroded.” Assistant City Manager Griffin Graham has responded to say they are disappointed by the decision, and city council and staff “have consistently supported Habitat’s project and worked closely with your team to address obstacles as they arose.”... [Read Full Story]

Road work will start Monday on M-152 from the Berrien and Van Buren county line to M-51 in Cass County’s Silver Lake Township. The Michigan Department of Transportation will also start work Monday to resurface 16 miles of M-40 from M-60 to the Marcellus village limit in Cass County. MDOT says the two projects have a $1.7 million price tag. Lane closures and traffic regulators are expected, but the roads will not be closed. The project is expected to end by July 28. MDOT says the work will directly and indirectly support 21 jobs and will improve the road surfaces.... [Read Full Story]

The family of fallen Paw Paw Fire Lieutenant Ethan Quillen will receive half of the proceeds from Sunday morning’s annual pancake breakfast held by South Haven Area Emergency Services. SHAES Chief Brandon Hinz was asked by us about an estimate of how much they might raise.... [Read Full Story]

South Haven Area Emergency Services will donate half of the proceeds collected at their annual Memorial Weekend Pancake Breakfast to the family of Paw Paw Fire Lieutenant Ethan Quillen, who died on duty February 22 during an ice storm. Quillen was killed responding to a downed power line. The breakfast Sunday will be at Station 3 in South Haven from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. and cost ten-dollars for anyone 15 and older, five-dollars for kids between four and 14, and free for anyone younger than four. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and beverages will be served.... [Read Full Story]

A high speed chase through the South Haven area Monday night ended in a crash and probable felony charges for the suspect.... [Read Full Story]

South Haven Police are looking for two suspects who shot at each other around 3 p.m. Sunday outside a Marathon gas station on Phoenix Street at Blue Star Memorial Highway. The gas station closed for about two hours as a result of the shots being fired. Police say the suspects know each other and they also know who they are looking for. One suspect left a black Chrysler 300 at the scene when they ran off on foot. Police say the public is not believed to be in danger from the shots being fired, and it is not known if either was injured. Michigan State Police and the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the investigation.... [Read Full Story]

Van Buren County Commission chairman Randall Peat is charged with operating while intoxicated. He was arraigned this week and court records show he pled not guilty. Peat was arrested January 23 in Kalamazoo County according to Kalamazoo County Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Williams. Williams says the case will be handled by Berrien County Judge Arthur Cotter. Peat has been the chairman of the Van Buren County Board of Commissioners since January 2022 and has been on the commission since 2019.... [Read Full Story]

Repairs have been completed on a South Haven sewer line near 649 Lake Shore Drive in Casco Township. The city of South Haven says about 100 gallons of raw sewage was discharged to the surface. They add there are no public or environmental health concerns as a result of the overflow. The leak was fixed Thursday afternoon.... [Read Full Story]

The death of a 24-year-old Paw Paw woman in Battle Creek is no longer a murder investigation. Police now say she died from an overdose and two people have been arrested on accusations they moved her body. The remains were found near Poplar and Van Buren streets Wednesday morning. She was at an apartment with people when she overdosed, and police say they panicked and moved her body just after midnight Wednesday. Her identity has not been released, and neither have the identities of the two suspects.... [Read Full Story]

A showcase of car and motorsports culture by day and a music festival by night, one unique southwest Michigan event is revving up for a milestone event this summer.... [Read Full Story]

Safe Kids Greater South Haven is donating 260 life jackets to the city for use on the beaches this summer. The city council approved accepting the gift of 13 boards with as many as 20 life jackets on each. Mayor Scott Smith was pleased with it.... [Read Full Story]

Medal of Honor recipient Jim McCloughan will be honored with a monument in front of South Haven City Hall. The city council approved that at last night’s meeting. City Manager Kate Hosier says it is being donated by American Legion Post 49.... [Read Full Story]

Zach Kenreich as a high school student decided he wanted a career that would serve his community.... [Read Full Story]

As South Haven’s Brandon Rieck continues to develop his own personal wanderlust into a successful filmmaking career, his creative output is now being recognized on a worldwide scale.... [Read Full Story]

The South Haven Convention & Visitors Bureau on Wednesday announced plans to unveil a new sculpture at the Friends Good Will Splash Pad.... [Read Full Story]

With spring in the air across southwest Michigan, the local trees aren’t the only things turning over a new leaf.... [Read Full Story]

A woman has been killed in a two-vehicle crash in Casco Township northeast of South Haven. She was heading west on 109th Avenue when another driver ran a stop sign on 66th Street and broadsided her car around 3 pm Wednesday. The Allegan County Sheriff’s Office arrested the man and he is waiting to be arraigned. Deputies believe alcohol is a factor in the crash. The woman’s name, age, and where she is from have not been released.... [Read Full Story]

A California man is riding his bicycle from Chicago to Battle Creek this week to raise awareness for diabetes, making  making several stops in southwest Michigan along the way.... [Read Full Story]

A California man is riding his bicycle from Chicago to Battle Creek this week to raise awareness for diabetes, making several stops in southwest Michigan along the way.... [Read Full Story]

Public comment at South Haven City Council meetings will be changing. The council last night approved changes to the rules for public comment, moving it to the start and toward the end of meetings and not on every agenda item. City Manager Kate Hosier explained to the council how different the city has been.... [Read Full Story]

Public comment at South Haven City Council meetings will be changing. The council last night approved changes to the rules for public comment, moving it to the start and toward the end of meetings and not on every agenda item. City Manager Kate Hosier explained to the council how different the city has been.... [Read Full Story]

A 54-year-old Pullman woman is dead after her vehicle was struck by a train Thursday morning in Allegan County.... [Read Full Story]

Michigan State Police have released bodycam footage of the traffic stop on I-94 near Paw Paw on March 7th that resulted in the state’s largest fentanyl bust. Twenty-five-year-old Brahajan Martinez-Garcia of California was pulled over for having a black frame blocking his license plate and for driving erratically and consented to a search of the car after saying not everything in it was his. A red bag with four bricks of fentanyl was found in the back of the car and police learned about two more kilos of fentanyl in Michigan for a total seizure of six kilos of the drug worth nine-million-dollars. Martinez-Garcia remains in the Van Buren County Jail awaiting trial.... [Read Full Story]

Residents of South Haven will have the chance to pick a new mayor this November.... [Read Full Story]

Voters in several Van Buren County communities will have proposals on the ballot May 2. For the city of Bangor, voters are being asked to renew a levy of a half-mill for the Bangor Historical Society Millage for five years. It will raise an estimated $18,000 in 2024 for services, programs, maintenance, and improvement of the museum on West Monroe Street. In Bangor Township, a road millage proposal is on the ballot to be increased by 4 mils from 2023 through 2026. Covert Township has several millages before voters. One would renew police protection, another would renew ambulance and fire protection, and the third would renew the road improvement millage. Keeler Township voters will decide on a township operating millage of .35 mills, a police millage renewal, and a road millage renewal.... [Read Full Story]

South Haven City Councilman Joe Reeser is challenging Mayor Scott Smith in the November election. Reeser made the announcement yesterday, saying he can better help the city with several issues it faces from providing economic growth, getting more affordable housing, and balancing the use of short-term rentals with promoting tourism as an important industry. He says as a business owner for more than 30 years, he learned the importance of listening to customers and suppliers and incorporating their feedback into making tough decisions. Reeser has been an active member of Big Brothers Big Sisters for the past 17 years and is on the South Haven Housing Commission.... [Read Full Story]

The boil water advisory for Covert Township has been lifted. The South Haven Water & Sewer Authority lifted that just before 8 am today. It was started on Friday for all water being used for cooking and drinking. The South Haven Water & Sewer Authority and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy determined this morning it was no longer needed after corrective measures were taken and sampling determined there was no coliform bacteria in the water. The boil water advisory came after a boring company hit a water main at the intersection of 77th Street and 28th Avenue in Covert Township, causing a large leak that required part of the water main to b shut down for repairs.... [Read Full Story]

Classes are canceled at Bangor Public Schools today due to an electrical fire near the high school gym. Firefighters were called to the school before sunrise and the district says there is smoke damage in the middle school and high school hallways. There is not much structural damage from the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.... [Read Full Story]

A fire has damaged Bangor High School. The fire department responded early this morning to the flames, but the extent of damage is not yet known. It is also not known if anyone was inside when the fire began or if anyone has been hurt.... [Read Full Story]