Free Republic

What had been a dream ending to a perfect regular season for the high school basketball team in the small southwest Michigan community of Fennville turned swiftly and tragically into something worse than a nightmare. You can awaken from a nightmare, shake away the demons and drift back into reality. There is no shaking away the horrific reality at the Fennville High School gymnasium Thursday night when Wes Leonard, the school’s star in basketball and football, collapsed on the court moments after making a game-winning basket. Leonard was pronounced dead at Holland Hospital about two hours later. He was 16....

GANGES TOWNSHIP -- Saying its U.S. mushroom business has been a cash drain, a Canadian company will close its three stateside operations, including a mushroom farm and processing plant near Fennville. More than 200 people will be out of work after Christmas when the Money's Foods mushroom plant in Ganges Township closes its doors. It produced fresh mushrooms for supermarkets and processed for companies that make soups and sauces. "We feel badly about this because the people have worked very hard trying to make this successful. We've run out of cash and can't keep on supporting it," said Keith Potter,...

Liaison pick could result in litigation Sunday, June 29, 2003By Kym ReinstadlerThe Grand Rapids Press FENNVILLE -- An attorney with Farmworker Legal Services said she intends to meet with her clients again Wednesday to discuss whether they want to pursue legal action against Fennville Public Schools for placing a person in charge of the migrant and bilingual department who is neither bicultural nor bilingual. Rebecca Westphal and six parents representing the Hispanic community met for two hours Tuesday night with Superintendent Mark Dobias, Board of Education President Tony Lungaro, four bilingual school employees and Alice Huyser, the district's pick to...