Fourth ward councilman Jim Cary has resigned from the Hastings City Council.

Cary told WBCH he resigned because of health issues.

The Hastings/BIRCH Fire Department received its new Fire Truck this week, a 2023, Western Star 3,000-gallon Tanker/Pumper truck purchased by the BIRCH Rural Fire Association from Axes & Irons Fire and Rescue Equipment of Coopersville.

Hastings Fire Chief Mark Jordan said the department is training on the new truck this week and he expects it will be in service as of October 1^st.

Photo:  Jason Newman of Axes & Irons with Fire Chief Mark Jordan

Barry County has a new County Clerk. Cindy White of Hastings has been appointed to take over duties when Barry County Clerk Pamela Palmer retires next month.  On Tuesday, 5^th Circuit Court Judge Vicky Alspaugh made the appointment and it was announced at the Barry County Commissioners Committee of the Whole meeting. 

Cindy White has been employed by the county for 26 years, having worked in the Prosecutor’s Office for 10 years, then in the county courts since 2007.  She is currently a Chief Court Specialist and Magistrate.

White will assume the office of Clerk effective October 22, to serve the remainder of Palmer’s four year term that ends December 31, 2024.

Police are investigating a serious accident involving a car and two Amish Sulky Carts that occurred around 7:20pm Tuesday on East Cloverdale Road near Guy Road south of Nashville.  The preliminary investigation revealed a westbound Volkswagon Tiguan collided with two westbound Amish Sulky Carts, which carried three individuals. A 40 year old man and a 14 year old boy from Nashville were pronounced deceased at the scene. A 17 year old Nashville boy was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the Volkswagon was not injured. The crash remains under investigation, drugs and alcohol are not believed to be a factor in the crash.

The DDA streetscape construction project is underway in downtown Hastings.  Monday, crews from Katerberg VerHage, Inc. of Grand Rapids began work on the north side of State Street in front of Hastings Public Library and City Hall and will move west on the north side of the street block by block throughout the fall. 

The contractor will begin taking down light poles and removing trees before getting into concrete removal and replacement of sidewalks, from Boltwood Street to Broadway.  Work on the south side of State Street will take place in the spring.

A deputy with the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office was injured Monday night while attempting to arrest a suspect.  The incident took place in Dorr Township shortly before 10pm while the deputy was responding to a complaint of a suspect driving back and forth through a neighborhood at a high rate of speed and without headlights. 

The deputy located the suspect vehicle and began an investigation that resulted in the arrest of the suspect; however, while making this arrest the suspect became combative and injured the deputy.  The deputy’s injuries required transport by ambulance and admittance to a hospital for head injuries and additional testing and observation. 

The deputy was being assisted by a Michigan State Police Trooper who was able to take the suspect into custody as the deputy was incapacitated due to injuries.  The Trooper was also able to begin rendering first aid to the injured deputy as other officers responded to the scene.  The Michigan State Police Trooper on scene at the time and the MSP have assisted and are finishing the investigation.  

The Sheriff’s Office and Michigan State Police were also assisted on scene by the Gun Lake Tribal Police and The Wayland Police Dept.

The suspect, a 35 year old Dorr resident,  was lodged in the Allegan County Corrections Center on several felony charges.

The Michigan State Police (MSP) Wayland Post and Allegan County Sheriff’s Office are reminding Allegan County residents and commuters of the large Luke Bryan Farm Tour concert that is taking place this Saturday, September 16 in Allegan Township at the John Schaendorf dairy farm.

With the concert occurring in a rural area, the following roadways will be impacted by traffic:

28th St.
30th St.
116th Ave
122nd Ave
125th Ave
128th Ave

Other roadways around Allegan and Hopkins are also expected to be impacted.

Traffic will be heaviest after the conclusion of the concert around 11:00 p.m. When the event ends, 28th St. will be closed for a ½ mile north of 122nd Ave to accommodate concert traffic. 28th St. will remain open north of this closure but will be heavily impacted by exiting concert traffic.

If you are attending the concert, please plan for traffic, be responsible, and have a safe and enjoyable evening.

The Barry-Eation District Health Department has been selected as a recipient of a five year grant that will bring close to a million dollars a year to prevent overdoses  in the community.

The grant was awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the Overdose Data to Action program.  The grant represents a transformative opportunity to strengthen ongoing efforts in combating the overdose crisis and reducing overdose related harms.

Lane closures for road work are scheduled for 8 a.m. this Tuesday, September 5th through 5 p.m. September 18th on M-43 from Tanner Lake Road to Cook Road.