Barry County will have a new County Administrator after the Board of Commissioners held a second round of interviews with three finalists and made their final selection last week. Eric Zuzga, who is a Barry County resident, was extended a conditional offer to take over the job of administrator beginning next month.

Zuzga currently serves as Director of Community Services for the City of Marshall. Before that he was the City Manager at Quincy.  His skill set includes administrative, economic and community development experience, and budgeting skills.

Following negotiations, Eric Zuzga will replace longtime Administrator Michael Brown who is retiring at the end of August after serving Barry County for the past 30 years.  The search firm GovHR identified 20 candidates originally and narrowed the field down to 11. Commissioners interviewed 5 of those persons in the first round, then held second round interviews with the 3 finalists during the July 23^rd meeting before making their selection.

Officers of the Reed City Police Department and Osceola County E.M.S. were dispatched early Sunday morning, July 21^st, to an apartment in Reed City, concerning an unresponsive 4-month-old child. 

Through investigation, probable cause was developed and a woman from Hastings Michigan was arrested on charges of murder, 1^st degree child abuse and aggravated assault according to Reed City Police.

She was identified as 31 year old Savannah Miller of Hastings. Miller was arraigned and entered a plea of not guilty in 77th District Court in Osceola County.

The 4-month-old infant girl was flown to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids where she died from her injuries.

The Reed City Police Department was also assisted by Deputies from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.

The body of the kayaker who went missing on Sessions Lake was located and recovered Monday July 22nd.  The subject was found at a depth of 40 feet. The victim has been identified as 32 year old Mauro Escobar-Loarco out of the Grand Rapids area.

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The Ionia County Sheriff's Office with the assistance of the Michigan State Police Dive Team and the Department of Natural Resources  have suspended temporarily   their active recovery operations  on Sessions Lake.  Efforts to date have been unsuccessful and conditions have been difficult in recovering the victim. Operations will resume when they can expand the search and obtain more resources when they are available.

The Sessions Park Lake will reopen and remain open during the weekend.

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The Ionia County Sherriff's Office with the assistance of the Michigan State Police Dive Team and the Department of Natural Resources are currently engaged in recovery operations for the subject that went into the lake on July 14th.  Sessions Lake is very deep and has numerous features that have hampered the recovery to date.

To assist in efforts, the DNR and DNR Sessions Lake Park staff have closed the lake to fishing and recreation until they have exhausted search efforts.  The Lake will remain closed to activity on the 18th of July.

Barry County Transit is cancelling the Friday Trolly Around Barry County trip at 1:15pm today.  '

Trolley Around Town in downtown Hastings rides this evening are also cancelled.

Barry County  Offices &Transit is currently experiencing a computer outage. Barry County Transit director Mary Bassett told WBCH News if you had previously scheduled a ride online those rides are not able to be seen on their computers. Bassett advised to call the transit office at 269-948-8098 to confirm your ride.

If you have business at Barry County Governmnet offices today their

Computers are down today at the County. Barry County Administrator Michael Brown says Barry County Government offices are open, but you may experience limited service  due to that world wide I.T. outage affecting us locally.

Serenity Village of Barry County, a non-profit organization established in 2015, officially has a new home!  After facing multiple headwinds and long delays, Serenity Village is proud to announce that they have purchased an existing facility, formerly known as The Hub, on north M-43.  While constructing a new building as originally planned proved to be too expensive, this new opportunity will allow Serenity Village to move forward with much more economical renovations. 

Serenity Village is determined to bring an independent home to Barry County, creating an alternative homelike environment for terminally ill hospice patients to live out their final days in peace and dignity surrounded by those they love.  

Executive Director Thomas DeVault stated that, “Serenity Village’s amazing and generous donors have remained incredibly patient and supportive while we have navigated these difficult waters.  We have met every obstacle with positivity and resiliency, and so have our donors and community.  Every single one of us has skin in the game and we are as determined as ever to see this project through.”

The Board is working closely with a local bank to finalize the gap funding necessary for renovations, and the architects and contractors are working hard on new plans to convert the current facility into Serenity Village’s vision.  “We are moving with speed, but also with careful diligence,” said DeVault.

A second phase of fundraising will begin in earnest this fall with a community drive to furnish the new home.  “We all believe in this project and the benefits it will provide to our community.  We are extremely appreciative that our donor base and community have been wonderfully supportive over the years.  There are so many people to thank, and so many people to whom we are indebted.  Donors, volunteers, our campaign team…it takes a community to build a Village!”  Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks and months.
 

A Lake Odessa man was sentenced to 15-25 years in prison this past week, a reduction from his initial mandatory sentence of 50 years.

39 year old Michael Oaks was sentenced in ionia Circuit Court.

Oaks is required to submit in a life-time of electronic monitoring and must register as a sex offender according to the story  posted in the Detroit news.

One man was killed and another is in a nearby hospital following a two car crash in Barry County's Thornapple township Sunday afternoon.

Sgt. Barry Brandt of the Barry County Sheriff's Office said a truck was turning onto Cherry Valley Road from Gackler Road and failed to yield to the right of way to a car traveling southbound on Cherry Valley Road. The vehicles collided and both vehicles became engulfed in flames. The driver of the truck, a 58 year old male from Middleville was transported to Butterworth Hospital by Aeromed where he later died.

The driver of the sedan was transported by ambulance to Butterworth Hospital with non life threatening injuries. 

The crash remains under investigation. 

First Lady Jill Biden arrived in West Michigan on Tuesday to participate in some campaign and other events.

Today, Mrs. Biden is scheduled to be in Middleville at noon where she will participate in an event highlighting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s summer nutrition programs.

At 1:15, she is scheduled to a visit a Hidden Helpers summer camp in Middleville as part of the First Lady’s Joining Forces to support “military-connected children of wounded, ill or injured service members or veterans” according to her staff.

Later today the First Lady will depart from the Gerald R. Ford International Airport for a community event in Traverse City.

Looking for some fun, patriotic events to enjoy this holiday week?

The Hastings City Band wraps up its’ summer concert schedule performing alongside the Lakewood Area Choral Society in “A Tribute to America” tonight (Wed. July 3) at Thornapple Plaza in Hastings at 7:30pm. Bring your own lawn chair and enjoy the show!

Fireworks at Algonquin Lake will also be held Wednesday night, July 3^rd.

Historic Charlton Park Village and Museum hosts the annual Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration and Veterans Barbecue on July 4th from 12pm to 3:00pm.  A flag raising ceremony will take place at noon with old time games on the Village Green to follow, along with a barbeque and a pie auction.

Middleville will have an all-day celebration on July 4th in downtown Middleville with fireworks near the Middle School Thursday night.

Jordan Lake will have their third annual “Ring of Fire” at 10pm Thursday when residents light hundreds of flares around the shoreline, forming the ring.

Gun Lake and Barlow Lake have fireworks shows planned this Saturday July 6^th dusk.

Starting Wednesday afternoon, traffic restrictions will be removed on nearly 60 percent of the road and bridge projects statewide to ease traffic delays for holiday travelers. AAA  estimates more than 2.6 million Michigan residents are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, setting a new record for the second consecutive year. 
  
Beginning at 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 3, and continuing until 6 a.m. Monday, July 8, 105 out of 174 projects statewide will have lane restrictions removed. While motorists will see suspended operations in most MDOT work zones for the weekend, drivers are advised that equipment and certain traffic configurations may remain in place, like temporary shifts or shoulder closures.

The Barry Eaton-District Health Department has released their newest community survey, as they do every three years.  The survey revealed two major health needs for the county: more primary care physicians and mental health providers. 

There was 20-percent of people who didn't have a primary care provider in Barry County, which is a hugh amount of people.  The survey revealed there is just one mental health provider for every 821 residents in Barry county.

The Lakewood Schools Board of Education this past week voted unanimously to approve their 2024-2025 budget. The general fund budget  plans for $21,031,221 dollars in revenues. 

The District was left with just over  three million dollars in its fund balance at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.  The extra dollars will help next year's budget.