Fourteen years ago this month, I had my first column published. An awful lot has happened over the past fourteen years. I am thankful for you readers who let me know that you appreciate my contribution. Last week I shared an opinion about how the “Seventh Inning Stretch” in baseball came to be. Here’s another opinion a bit more believable: …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer defended the extension of Michigan’s stay-at-home order as the “best weapon to defeat” the coronavirus in a newspaper opinion piece Sunday and signed two more executive orders related to the pandemic. Her comments came as the state reported 41 new deaths for a total of 3,315 statewide. Michigan has had 37,778 COVID-19 cases, including 575 reported Sunday, …

More than 50% of inmates tested at a Michigan prison have been infected with the highly contagious coronavirus and at least 11 have died, officials reported. Lakeland prison in Branch County in southern Michigan continues to be a hot spot. It has a large share of the system’s older prisoners. The Corrections Department said 1,411 prisoners had been tested at …

Albert Philip “Al” St. Germain, age 64, of Sturgis, passed away unexpectedly Saturday, April 18, at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo. Al was born in Portsmouth, N.H., and his early life was spent in Manchester, N.H. On May 14, 1977, he married the love of his life, Karen Rider, in Virginia Beach, Va. He had been a resident of Sturgis …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made clear Wednesday that she will extend her stay-at-home order beyond April 30 and that some form of it will be in effect for a “long time” in Michigan, hinting that people age 65 and older and those with chronic lung problems may face restrictions longer than others. The governor said she hopes to say more on …

Leonard James Bauder Jr., age 60, of Sturgis, passed away Tuesday morning April 21, 2020 at his home. He was born May 11, 1959 in Sturgis, son of the late Leonard James and Arla Mae (Rustad) Bauder. Leonard was a lifelong Sturgis resident. Most of his working life was in the restaurant business as a chef. He had been employed …

Merle Schmidtendorff, age 93, of Leonidas, died Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Battle Creek following a long illness. He and twin brother, Earl were born near Jones, on April 9, 1927 the son of Clarence and Lena (Garwood) Schmidtendorff. He attended Shavehead Country School and then served in the U.S. Army in Japan as a …

Richard Harden, age 87, of Grand Haven and formerly of Three Rivers, passed away on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. He was born on January 11, 1933, in Three Rivers, to B. Raymond and Winifred (Freese) Harden. On June 14, 1974, he married Carol Macey. Richard graduated from Three Rivers High School in 1951 with a focus in Industrial Arts. This …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday said the state is working with major retailers to open more drive-thru sites to test as many as 1,000 people a day for the coronavirus, especially people who don’t have symptoms but still are required to work outside their home. “Robust testing is essential to have confidence about our strategies for safely reducing risk and …

Because of the virus going around, and the fact that we have all been advised to stay home and stay safe, those who can, are working from their home, rather than going to the office. I am doing just that. I stop by my office on occasion to pick something up, then I return home, where I have been advised …