Daily
Portage
Friday, May 1st, 2026
Good morning, Portage. Here's your local news at a glance for Friday, the 1st of May.
COMMUNITY NEWS
- ➤ The ribbon was cut at the Landing Place, Michigan’s largest transitional family shelter in Kalamazoo County, located at the former Country Inn and Suites hotel on East Kilgore Service Road. The facility, with over 77 units and 200 families already listed, will provide short-term housing for those seeking a permanent home. WWMT
- ➤ Portage’s farmers market will begin its season in the City Hall parking lot on Sunday, May 3 — vendors will move to the new Portage Zhang Farmers Market at 203 E. Centre Ave by May 31 with 50 stalls and extra space, as the $3.25 million project is on schedule. MLive
SPORTS NEWS
- ➤ Mattawan senior pitcher Maxx VanAntwerp threw his first no-hitter on Tuesday, April 28 in an 8-0 win over St. Joseph; he struck out 13 batters on 94 pitches+ his outing marked his fourth consecutive scoreless start this season. MLive
- ➤ Recent girls soccer power rankings show local teams remain strong; Portage Central stayed undefeated & Portage Northern lost on Friday, April 17, while Gull Lake kept the top spot after beating St. Joseph. Coaches expect teams to build on these wins as the season continues. MLive
- ➤ Clara Slattery, a rising junior at Kalamazoo Hackett, broke six track records at the state finals held Saturday, May 31 last year — including a 300-meter hurdles time that ranked second fastest in the state. Portage-area athletes posted strong finishes in other events as the 2026 season gets underway. MLive
- ➤ Loy Norrix senior Jackson Lam broke his 1,600-meter record on April 25 last year at the Don Lukens Invitational in Kalamazoo. His new time of 4:10.61 tops the state and shatters a nearly 57-year-old mark. MLive
- ➤ Kiki Johnson powered Portage Northern’s softball team while earning Kalamazoo’s top senior athlete honor as she posts a .561 batting average and leads with an eight-game hitting streak (coach Randall Hebner praised her relentless drive); she will join Madonna University next season as its highest-rated recruit. MLive
- ➤ Richard Roth was announced as Loy Norrix's new football coach earlier this month and will rebuild the team with his spread-option air-raid offense—he brings coaching experience from Parchment, Fennville, Bloomingdale and Colon to help drive a disciplined, winning program in Kalamazoo. MLive
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Light Saber Kids Combat Discovery Class
10 AM - 11 PM — BSD Dance Studio — Free entry — Learn the basics of light saber combat and unleash your inner fighter in a fun, engaging environment.
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