The Hastings Public Library, as we know it today, stands as a landmark of cultural and educational growth in Barry County. The story begins in 1896, when the Women’s Club of Hastings assembled a small ...

And then there were two. The 2025 varsity football regular season came to an end Friday, and the playoffs will begin the same way the regular season did. Hastings and Thor­napple Kellogg face off in ...

The Barry County champs will be in action one more time this season at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in Brooklyn. Hastings junior Caroline Randall, a two-time state medalist, won the girls’ ...

It’s a rematch to open the 2025 MHSAA Football Playoffs. The Hastings and Thornapple Kellogg varsity football teams collided in Middleville in the open­ing week of the 2025 season back in August with ...

Barry County has its financial plan for next year in place after a public hearing and unanimous vote in approval of the 2026 budget by the county’s Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Students at Lakewood Public Schools stayed home on Wednesday, Oct. 29, after the district closed its school buildings in response to an alleged threat made Tuesday night, Oct. 28. District staff ...

Sharry Ann Lee, age 72, born September 3, 1953, in Battle Creek, MI, to Beverly (Higbee) Mainstone and Lyle Mainstone, went to be with her Lord and Savior on October 13, 2025. Sharry grew up in Battle ...

A 54-year-old Battle Creek man will serve much of the next year of his life in the Barry County Jail, after allegedly being caught in a “To Catch a Predator” style internet sting. Shane M. Barker, 54, ...

Sending your child to college is an exciting milestone filled with new experiences, friendships and opportunities for them to grow. For many families, it’s also the first time your student will be ...

Fifth-generation farmer and agricultural literacy educator Kathryn Christie is embarking on a new venture this month: children’s book author. Christie released her first book, “The Hibernating Combine ...