Good morning, Portage.

Travis Van, 35, is retiring after 16 years as an assistant coach for Vicksburg football, and he will still attend games and may lead the Bulldogs onto the field again; the program honored him at halftime (Sept.

25) with a framed No. 7 jersey.

Portage Northern hosted the MCBA Huskies Invitational at Portage Northern High School (Saturday, Oct.

24), where 28 bands performed and Jenison led the day with 91.700 points while Rockford won Flight I with 89.900.

The Michigan DNR released a township-level map showing reported epizootic hemorrhagic disease activity and lab-confirmed counties (including Kalamazoo, Allegan, Jackson, and Washtenaw); the map will be updated weekly and officials ask hunters to report suspected cases through the Eyes in the Field portal.

A loud, jet-like sound from NorthStar's Kalamazoo River Generating Station is keeping Comstock Township residents awake, and township officials say the plant's replacement exhaust will ship mid-2027 with full installation likely by late 2027 while they monitor complaints.

U.S. Energy Department officials and Rep. Bill Huizenga visited the Palisades nuclear plant on Oct.

29 (Covert Township) to celebrate progress on its restart, but no new funding or regulatory approvals were announced and Holtec says the Nuclear Regulatory Commission must clear final inspections before the reactor can return to service.

Forty Kalamazoo-area boys are among the runners to watch as regional cross country meets start this weekend; athletes from Portage Central, Portage Northern, Loy Norrix, Gull Lake, and Kalamazoo Central will chase individual and team berths in the 2026 state finals at Michigan International Speedway.

Sixty-one high school marching bands will compete in MCBA state preliminary contests on Saturday, Oct.

31 at three sites to qualify for the Nov. 7 state finals at Ford Field, with Portage Northern scheduled to perform at DeWitt High School (Flight II) at 3:35 p.m.

Major League Baseball declared 144 players free agents Thursday, including 13 former Tigers and six current Detroit players; they can negotiate only with their former clubs now and may sign with any team beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern on Monday, Nov.

2.

Baseball's offseason began Oct.

29, and for the Tigers the window for free-agent deals and option decisions runs through early November (exclusive negotiating period ends Nov. 2); the collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, risking a lockout that could delay spring training and Opening Day.

Kalamazoo-area girls cross country runners will compete in regional meets this weekend to chase individual and team berths in the 2026 state finals at Michigan International Speedway, and a list highlights 30 local athletes to watch, led by Plainwell's Natalya Hoffman and Portage Northern's Ainsley Kelm.