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KDPS chief says Flock cameras not used for immigration enforcement as residents raise concerns

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Kalamazoo
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February 4, 2026

Multiple speakers, including members of the advocacy group We the People, urged commissioners to remove the cameras and asked city leaders to state they would not assist federal immigration officers if they came to Kalamazoo. In response, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Chief David Boysen described how the department uses Flock cameras and outlined what he said are prohibited uses of the technology.

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Michigan mental health service shift blocked by Court of Claims
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News
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February 3, 2026

The dispute began last fall, when the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a request that would have consolidated Michigan’s 10 Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans (PIHPs) regions—funded primarily through Medicaid behavioral health dollars—into three “super-regions.” Regional PIHPs later learned that they, as the current providers, were excluded from bidding because they are statutorily restricted to operating within their designated regions. The PIHPs filed a lawsuit, arguing the RFP violated Michigan law and threatened locally administered mental health care that has existed since the 1990s.

Affordable housing panel to feature Watershed Voice editor-in-chief
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Kalamazoo
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February 3, 2026

For Haak-Frost and Watershed Voice, affordable housing has long been more than a policy topic—it is a core part of the newsroom’s mission-based community journalism. Haak-Frost has written and overseen coverage that explores affordable housing both as a concept and as a lived experience, asking what it truly means, who it serves, and where it falls short.

Local meeting primer: Three Rivers City Commission
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Three Rivers
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February 3, 2026

Commissioners will consider an airport easement acquisition agreement, set dates for the city’s 2027 budget discussion meeting and public hearing, and decide whether to grant a special exception use permit for a proposed massage establishment. 

Sturgis City Commission advances new burning rules, directs next steps on Doyle Center roof
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Sturgis
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January 29, 2026

The most contentious item on the agenda was the Burning Ordinance First Reading, a proposed update to the city’s Fire Prevention and Protection chapter that, according to the city manager’s report, has not been revised since 1969.

Watershed Voice’s warming shelter resource list
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News
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January 28, 2026

As winter continues and temperatures stay unbearably cold, Watershed Voice has compiled a list of warming centers in St. Joseph and Cass counties. If you know of any additional resources, please share them with maxwell@watershedvoice.com so they can be added to this list.

After nearly seven-hour meeting, Kalamazoo City Commission votes to preserve Asylum Lake
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Kalamazoo
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January 27, 2026

Residents spoke for nearly three hours during the public hearing portion of agenda, with nearly every speaker voicing opposition to the rezoning.

Local meeting primer: Sturgis City Commission
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Sturgis
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January 27, 2026

A first reading of proposed updates to the city’s burning ordinance is also on the agenda. The ordinance, which falls under Fire Prevention and Protection in the city code, has not been comprehensively revised since 1969, according to the city manager’s report.

Watershed Voice on publishing pause until January 26
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News
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December 30, 2025

We are officially taking our annual three-week publishing pause to give our staff some much needed rest, and an opportunity to reset before hitting the ground running in 2026. We will return on Monday, January 26.

Watershed Voice: Year in Review
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News
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December 30, 2025

Before our three-week publishing pause, Watershed Voice invites our readers to take a look back at the past year in local news. For Watershed Voice, it was a year marked by change, as we transitioned from one staff writer — Najifa Farhat for the first half of the year — to another, Maxwell Knauer, for the second half of the year. No matter the author of our stories, we aimed to bring prompt, fact-based, independent reporting to Southwest Michigan. Here’s a look at some of our favorite, most impactful, and most-read stories of 2025.

A NOTE FROM OUR EDITOR

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