Good morning, Portage.

Portage Road will close today at 5 a.m. for final paving; northbound traffic will be rerouted via Osterhout Avenue, Oakland Drive, Shaver Road, and Center Avenue until work is complete, with the closure possibly repeating next Saturday if weather holds.

Kalamazoo County officials paused tree removals from roads under the Safe Streets and Roads for All project to address resident concerns over healthy trees.

They will review legal guidance and public input before finalizing the plan to remove about 4,000 trees & improve safety.

The Portage Central Mustangs won their first regional championship in over 15 years on Tuesday at Milham Park Golf Club in Kalamazoo with top golfer Olivia Griswold earning medalist honors.

The team will now prepare to improve their finish at the Division 1 state finals next weekend at Bedford Valley.

On Friday, high school football games lit up the scoreboards as Portage Northern beat Kalamazoo Central 58-29, with other regional matchups showing strong offensive plays.

Fans enjoyed a lively night of local sports action.

News Channel 3 Football Fever reported week 7 high school football scores from Friday night's games in the area, including a matchup where Portage Central faced Battle Creek Central.

The report noted home teams to the right and highlighted winners in bold.

Western Michigan hockey started its Lawson farewell tour with a 6 to 0 shutout against Ferris State on Thursday as a sellout crowd filled Lawson Arena.

The win starts the arena’s final season (the team will move next year to the new $515 million Kalamazoo Event Center).