It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, cousin and friend Judy Lynne Kramer on November 23, 2025. Born June 16, 1958 in St. Johns, Michigan to Simmy and Revella Smith. Jude will always be remembered for her radiant smile and joyful spirit. Her love for life was infectious, and being around her brought warmth and laughter to any room. Jude and Fred were married June 9, 1984 and shared a total of 46 beautiful years

Susan S. Smith, age 78, passed away on Monday, November 24, 2025. She retired after over forty years in the insurance industry. Susan was a member of the VFW Post 4090 Auxiliary where she bartended part-time for over ten years after retirement. Susan enjoyed interacting with people, spending time at the lake, camping, traveling, and time with family and friends.   Susan was preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Shirley Brown; her husband of 36 years, Pete Smith; her tw

Consumers Energy is preparing for a significant weather event expected to sweep across the state Wednesday and Thursday. We want our customers to know that we’ll be ready throughout the holiday to restore power as safely and quickly as possible. Our line workers and other field crews are standing by to be deployed into impacted communities, and we’re gathering trucks and essential materials to assist with any restoration efforts.    "We expect this storm to deliver strong win

Gary Hattis of Portland has been a professional photographer for most of his adult life. What began as a hobby became a profession for him. Gary ran a successful portrait studio in Portland for many years before retiring in 2015. Since that time he has been pursuing his number one passion of photographing nature.   “I’ve traveled all over the United States doing nature photography,” said Gary. “But my favorite place to do photography remains as Michigan, including Ionia Count

On Saturday, November 22nd, the Portland St. Patrick Shamrock nation travelled to the far north for the 8-man football State Championship at the Northern Michigan University Superior Dome. The Shamrocks showed just how big, fast and strong they were, and left no doubt about who was the best team this year, winning 53-0 against the North Dickinson Nordics.   The opening kickoff started out with a bang, when Aiden Fandel took the ball and returned it all the way to the 3-yard l