News

Former MCC softball coach charged with sex crimes

March 31, 2026

By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor LUDINGTON — Former Mason County Central varsity softball coach Jonathan Isaac Blake, 55, has been charged in Mason County’s 79th District Court with three high-court misdemeanors of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct — force or coercion — and one misdemeanor count of assault and battery. Blake was charged with the crimes following an investigation by the…

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79th District Court arraignments, published March 31, 2026

March 31, 2026

LUDINGTON — The following were arraigned recently in Mason County’s 79th District Court: Felonies Dwayne Gene Gardner, Jr., 22, third-degree child abuse. Offense date: March 1, 2026. Agency: Mason County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO). Bail: $5,000/surety. Preliminary exam: April 8 at 1:30 p.m. Daniel Lee Mitts, 49, delivery/manufacture of marijuana with intent and possession of analogues. Offense date: March 19, 2026.…

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MCP needs your help

March 31, 2026

Folks, we need your help. Before I continue, I want to thank those who have accepted our request and are now subscribing to the MCP/OCP Daily Briefing. We are asking for you to make a small monthly investment in order for us to continue to provide you with local news and sports coverage. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press…

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Police news, published March 31, 2026

March 31, 2026

The police news is a presentation of Smith & Eddy Insurance, serving west Michigan since 1902, smith-eddy.com. The following is recent Ludington Police Department activity: Monday, March 30, 2026: 11:08 a.m., a 31-year-old Ludington woman was arrested on a failure to appear warrant issued in Mason County following a traffic stop, Washington Avenue and Bryant Street, City of Ludington. She…

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Grand Rapids astronaut to make history on Artemis II mission

March 30, 2026

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — When NASA’s Artemis II mission launches Wednesday, April 1, a west Michigan native will be aboard, marking a historic milestone not only for the nation’s return to deep space exploration, but also for Michigan’s legacy in human spaceflight. Christina Hammock Koch, a Grand Rapids native, will serve as a mission specialist on…

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