State Sen. Bruce Caswell will stage an early morning coffee hour with constituents from the 16th District this weekend. From 7 to 8 a.m. Saturday, Caswell will be at Dawn and Phil’s Café in Colon. Caswell has issued a standing invitation to anyone interested in meeting with him to discuss concerns and ideas. The restaurant is located at the northeast …

Sally Elizabeth Pisco, age 73, of Three Rivers, formerly of Flint, MI. passed away on Thursday, May 10, 2012 at Borgess Medical Center following a lengthy illness. She was born on July 11, 1938 in Boston, Mass., the daughter of, Eileen Hamman. (Adoptive parents Howard and Eunice Francis). Mrs. Pisco has been a long time resident of this area. She …

Susan Houghton, 69, of White Pigeon passed away at 11:30 p.m. Sunday, May 13, 2012, at her home, surrounded by her family. She was born May 17, 1942, in North Canton, Ohio, to Arthur James and Rosemary (Garrison) Shahan. She is survived by her children, Carla Bordine of White Pigeon, Cynthia Ernst of Decatur, James Houghton of Sturgis, William Houghton …

I’m hoping that this past weekend, all you mothers were surrounded by your children and reminded of how much you are loved by all. If this did happen, you are to be commended for doing a great job of parenting. Savor the time. In a perfect world, every day would be Mother’s Day. With the weather being as nice as …

Constantine police chief Jim Bedell has been appointed acting village manager while full-time village manager Mark Honeysett recovers from a heart attack. Members of the village council last week agreed to the temporary measure, which means Bedell will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the village, as well as the law-enforcement side of the community. It was suggested a …

A longtime Centreville-area resident has committed to running for a seat to the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. Florence Township resident Barry Miller has filed paperwork to challenge Rick Shaffer in November for what will be the new-look Third District. Effective in 2013, the district will cover Lockport, Nottawa, Sherman and Florence townships. The 39-year-old Miller, who runs a …

Kim M. Binkley, age 48, of Colon, passed away, Saturday, May 12, 2012, at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo after a seven-year battle with cancer. Kim was born Oct. 29, 1963, in Battle Creek, a daughter to Delos R. and Dolores (Eddy) Bertrand. Kim lived in Colon all of her life, graduating from Colon High School with the Class of …

Madeline Evelyn Duncan, age 95, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away Friday morning, May 11, 2012, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born July 14, 1916, in Kosciusko County, Ind., a daughter of the late William M. and Florence M. (Reed) Cleveland. Mrs. Duncan resided in the Burr Oak and Sturgis area most of her life. She married Albert …

Velta Berzkalns, age 89, of Three Rivers, passed away on Monday, May 7, 2012 at the Kairos Dwelling Adult Foster Care Home in Kalamazoo. She was born in Riga, Latvia on June 29, 1922 the daughter of naval officer and tugboat captain Ludvigs and shopkeeper Melanija (Kreitals) Junkulis. Velta fled from Latvia during World War II and settled in Detroit, …

Investigators from the Michigan State Police District headquarters in Paw Paw said a Sturgis man who escaped last week from a Thumb-area correctional facility was captured Thursday night. Officials said 31-year-old Darrell Stallard left a work crew Monday near the Tuscola County facility where he was incarcerated. Through previous arrangements, Stallard was given a ride to Sturgis from two accomplices. …