4:41 PM Jul 31, 2011
Hundreds of kids, mascots, dogs, horses and pirates moved along Franklin and Washington avenues to the beat of drums and the wail of sirens on Saturday. Thousands of spectators watched as 51 parade entries walked, drove, biked and boarded through the 10-block route of the Coast Guard Kids Parade.
4:29 PM Jul 31, 2011
An unidentified man who allegedly robbed The Reef convenience store at gunpoint was arrested following a car and foot chase Saturday evening in North Holiday Hills near the intersection of Hickory Street and Iroquois Drive in Spring Lake Township. Police from several area departments responded to the call about 8:20 p.m. after an employee at the store, located at the intersection of West Spring Lake Road and Grand River Avenue in Ferrysburg, called for help.
9:14 AM Jul 31, 2011
Grand Haven High School graduate Becca Addison overcame the late morning heat and a strong field to take home top honors in the 10K portion of the annual Coast Guard Festival Run, held at the Tri-Cities YMCA and surrounding downtown Grand Haven Saturday morning. The run was presented by North Ottawa Community Health System. Addison, who will be a junior this fall at the University of Michigan, enjoyed strong seasons on the Wolverines' womens' cross country and track teams this past season. She was two-time All-American during the indoor track season.
3:49 PM Jul 30, 2011
When Mike Smith called Grand Haven High School varsity football coach Mike Farley and asked if the Buccaneers would be interested in a project to help kick off the Coast Guard Festival, Farley didn't hesitate. "I was more than happy to oblige,' Farley said. "It's a great opportunity to get out and give back to our community. Coast Guard week is a big deal for everybody in Grand Haven and we just wanted to play our part.'
3:38 PM Jul 30, 2011
If someone knocks on your door and asks for money, you might want to make sure they have a permit to solicit. Regina Sjoberg, director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lakeshore, said someone had been going door to door in Grand Haven this week claiming to be raising money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Wisconsin. "We never go door to door and we certainly wouldn't go collecting in another state,' Sjoberg told the Tribune. "I don't want anyone to be scammed by anyone at any time.'
3:37 PM Jul 30, 2011
Eight of the nine U.S. Coast Guard cutters assigned to the Great Lakes region left Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday, after spending a week in the city for the 9th Coast Guard District's Cutter Roundup. The roundup was an opportunity for crews aboard the Coast Guard cutters Alder, Biscayne Bay, Bristol Bay, Hollyhock, Katmai Bay, Mackinaw, Mobile Bay and Neah Bay to train with each other. The crews only come together once every few years for the roundup.
3:34 PM Jul 30, 2011
Motorists are encouraged to avoid Exchange Street next week while road work is being done at the intersections of Prospect and Williams streets. Traffic calming devices called "bumpouts' are being installed as part of the village's Safe Routes to School grant project. Similar devices are in use at Jackson and Exchange streets. Eastbound Exchange Street traffic will be detoured down Meridian to River Street to Lake Avenue. Westbound traffic will be the reverse.
3:33 PM Jul 30, 2011
It took just 45 minutes to gather personnel and trucks from 13 fire departments in Ottawa and Muskegon counties as part of an emergency readiness test staged Thursday afternoon at the Crockery Township Fire Department, said Crockery Township Fire Chief Gary Dreyer. "Throughout the state, they had seven task forces assembled and we had two of them,' Dreyer said. "So we did great.' All of those task forces in the five different regions met the goal of reporting to the staging areas in less than an hour, Dreyer said.
3:32 PM Jul 30, 2011
It was a quilters paradise at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Grand Haven on Friday when the Lighthouse Quilt Guild presented the Beacons of Inspiration & Love Quilt Show. "We have about 120 quilts, and they're in a variety of sizes from wall quilts to large bed-sized quilts,' said event co-chairperson Cyndi Phillip. "And we even have a wearables category this year, which is new.' The event concludes today. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the church, 901 Columbus Ave.
3:31 PM Jul 30, 2011
A hit talent television show has nothing up on Tri-Cities residents when it comes to vocal prowess. More than 30 contestants - from children to adult - competed in "Hometown Idol" at Waterfront Stadium on Friday night as a kickoff to the 2011 Coast Guard Festival.
3:24 PM Jul 30, 2011
Ottawa County's jobless rate jumped by more than half of percent from May to June. Seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates rose in 15 of Michigan's 17 major labor market areas in June, according to the state's Department of Technology, Management & Budget. The Holland-Grand Haven metropolitan statistical area, which is Ottawa County, rose from 8.4 percent in May to 9 percent last month. It was 11.3 percent in June 2010.
1:43 AM Jul 30, 2011
Visitors to the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival can stop by the Secretary of State display at the Cruise-in Car Show on Sunday to see new plates for veterans that feature insignias of the Armed Forces. Representatives from that office will also be on hand to answer questions about department services during the show, which runs from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Secretary of State booth will be near the intersection of Washington Avenue and First Street.
12:47 AM Jul 30, 2011
Today: Sunny, with a high near 84. North northwest wind at 9 mph becoming west southwest. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 72. Southwest wind between 9 and 11 mph. Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. West southwest wind between 11 and 16 mph. Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. West wind between 6 and 9 mph.