7:26 AM Jul 1, 2011
The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for portions of Southwest and West-Central Michigan, including Ottawa County, through Friday afternoon. Showers and thunderstorms moving across the region may produce heavy rainfall at times, with the potential of 3 or more inches over a relatively short period of time where storms persist and repeat. Road washouts and closures are possible, as well as basement flooding.
7:25 AM Jul 1, 2011
In tribute of its centennial celebration, Spring Lake Country Club will be hosting a holiday weekend full of golf the old-fashioned way - with hickory stick clubs. Spring Lake Country Club golf professional Josh Lathwell said 50 sets of hickory clubs were rented for the celebration from Play Hickory Inc. of San Diego. There was also a need to purchase several 1920s-era golf balls, as well.
7:25 AM Jul 1, 2011
Today: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. South-southeast wind between 11 and 17 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.
8:33 PM Jun 30, 2011
Residents of the Tri-Cities - and Grand Haven Township in particular - are moving ever closer to being part of the new Harbor Transit service. Following a township vote this spring to allow for service expansion into the township through a millage, the new Harbor Transit Multi-Modal Transportation System authority met Wednesday to discuss the organizational structure of the new group and preliminary plans for the roll-out of bus service to the township.
8:03 PM Jun 30, 2011
Spring Lake and Loutit district libraries will be closed Monday in observance of the Independence Day holiday. Regular library hours will resume Tuesday. Online: www.loutitlibrary.org www.sllib.org
4:06 PM Jun 30, 2011
The boating police were out in force over the past weekend - part of a national boating safety campaign called Operation Drywater. "The whole idea was to get the word out there - early in the season - that we will not tolerate OWI (operating under the influence) boating,' said Marine Patrol Sgt. Keith Koeman of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department. Another part of the operation was conducting boat safety checks and education, he said.
2:02 PM Jun 30, 2011
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has designated 54 doctors in Ottawa County as patient-centered medical home physicians. The designation places them among a select number of primary care physicians in Michigan who are improving health care quality and lowering costs through a more intensive focus on their patients' wellness, according to the health insurer. The PCMH care teams work with patients to keep them healthy and monitor their care on an ongoing basis. The teams coordinate patients' health care using registries to track their conditions.
12:32 PM Jun 30, 2011
Two Democratic incumbents representing southeast Michigan in the U.S. House would be tossed into the same district for the 2012 election under a redistricting plan approved Wednesday by the Republican-led Michigan Senate and headed to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder. The measure approved by a 25-13, mostly party line vote would put U.S. Reps. Sander Levin of Royal Oak and Gary Peters of Oakland County's Bloomfield Township in the same district.
12:31 PM Jun 30, 2011
A Grand Haven chiropractic doctor is one of two volunteers recently recognized for their contributions to preventing youth substance abuse in Ottawa County.
10:53 AM Jun 30, 2011
Muskegon's public safety director is stepping down from his post. Tony Kleibecker announced his resignation Wednesday. He will leave at the end of August for a police administrative position with Michigan State University. In March, Kleibecker was also one of four finalists for East Lansing's police chief, but he did not make the cut. Kleibecker was hired as Muskegon's police chief in 2000 and later took on supervision of the Muskegon Fire Department. Before that, he served as captain of the MSU Department of Public Safety.
10:38 AM Jun 30, 2011
An Amber Alert has been issued for a Ludington baby said to be "in extreme danger.' Ludington police said 4-month-old Katherine Shelbie-Elizabeth Phillips was taken Wednesday by a man who since has been located. Katherine was last seen wearing pink shorts and a matching pink tank top with black and pink flowers.
10:32 AM Jun 30, 2011
A pickup truck was destroyed by fire in the driveway of a Robinson Township home Wednesday afternoon, police said. The Robinson Township Fire Department received a call of a vehicle fire around 5:45 p.m. from the owner of 9743 Peaceful Pines Drive, Township Deputy Fire Chief Kerry Boyer said. A member of the household noticed that the Ford F-150 was on fire, Boyer said. Firefighters fought the blaze for 10 minutes, Boyer said, and the pickup is a total loss.
10:31 AM Jun 30, 2011
A medical issue is believed to be the cause of a crash that sent a 38-year-old Holland Township man to the hospital Wednesday afternoon, police said. Police responded to the accident on 120th Avenue, south of Riley Street, at 3:48 p.m., said Ottawa County Sheriff's Sgt. Brent Converse. Investigators said Eric Cook had been driving south on 120th Avenue when he had a medical issue and lost control of his 2000 Chevy Malibu. The car crossed over the center line and went off the east side of the road, and then hit and broke off a tree, causing the car to flip.
10:30 AM Jun 30, 2011
Livingston County authorities said a 3-year-old Genoa Township girl was critically hurt when her 63-year-old grandfather accidentally ran her over with a riding lawnmower. Lt. Curt Ruf of the Brighton Area Fire Department said the man was mowing the lawn at a home in Genoa Township on Wednesday afternoon when he began backing up to make another pass. Ruf said that the girl "went out to surprise him, and he didn't see her.'
10:20 AM Jun 30, 2011
Twenty members of the Fremont High School orchestra will be featured in performances on the deck of the USS Missouri during a Fourth of July celebration - called the Salute to Valor Music Festival - at Pearl Harbor next week. It is the only high school group in the nation invited on this particular stage, said the orchestra's director, Grand Haven native Julie Butts Anderson. The orchestra members have been practicing 3-4 hours a day since school got out to get ready for this once-in-a-lifetime event, Anderson said.