Daily
Portage
Thursday, February 19th, 2026
Good morning, Portage. Here's your local news at a glance for Thursday, the 19th of February.
COMMUNITY NEWS
- ➤ Twelve Baskets in Portage announced that starting next week every household will receive the same amount of food during its weekly distributions — serving nearly 450 families per run to help meet rising demand. WWMT
BUSINESS NEWS
- ➤ Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is set to expand to Kalamazoo with construction expected to begin soon at the former Fazoli’s location on 4615 W. Main St, and it will be Michigan’s first Freddy’s outside Grand Rapids. MLive
CULTURE NEWS
- ➤ Zap Zone XL, a 158,186-square-foot arcade and event center, opened over the weekend at The Crossroads mall on S. Westnedge Ave in Portage. The facility offers roller skating, laser tag and VIP passes with weekday deals (some attractions are still under construction). MLive
HEALTH NEWS
- ➤ Advocates are pushing for $6 million in state funding to help schools fully implement a Comprehensive Cardiac Emergency Response Plan required by a 2024 law. Amanda Klein noted that without the dedicated funds, schools—especially those in low-income communities—face equity issues in preparing for sudden cardiac emergencies. WWMT
- ➤ Beacon Kalamazoo completed a $3.5M emergency department renovation, adding a redesigned waiting room, extra rooms, and a dual-pathway care system — meant to reduce wait times for both emergencies and minor injuries. WWMT
SPORTS NEWS
- ➤ Boys basketball teams in the Kalamazoo area (including Portage) are preparing for playoffs next week after finishing their final regular season games. Updated power rankings show Kalamazoo Central and Portage Central on strong winning streaks while other teams build momentum for district play. MLive
TODAY'S FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The hard part isn't making the decision. It's living with it.
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Reveal the authorAbout Daily Portage
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