Good morning, Portage.

Pope Leo XIV, the first American elected as pope, spent his high school years at St. Augustine Seminary High School (now known as the Felt Estate in Laketown Township, West Michigan) before his rise in the Catholic Church.

Local church leaders have noted his ties to the area as a sign of the enduring connection between his past and his new role.

Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected after a two-day conclave that ended Thursday—white smoke signaled his papacy—and he has West Michigan ties from attending the Augustinian seminary in Douglas as reported by the Diocese of Kalamazoo.

Following Mark Bielang’s 12-year career + he is retiring at the end of the school year, the Portage Public Schools Board of Trustees picked four candidates for the new superintendent role.

Interviews will be held next week on May 14 and May 15 at Portage Central High School + the district will select a new superintendent by July 1.

Portage received $100,000 for recovery efforts after last May’s EF-2 tornado wiped out thousands of trees.

The Consumers Energy Foundation gave $50,000 and the Portage Parks Foundation matched it to plant hundreds of trees — city officials said the funds come even as FEMA denied a major disaster declaration.