Saturday’s cleanup of a five-mile stretch of the Portage River drew a small but productive group of volunteers. The first of seven river and river bank cleanups scheduled this season by the St. Joseph County Conservation District drew seven participants. Collectively, the group recovered eight tires, an assortment of cans and bottles, and other forms of debris from the river …

St. Joseph County Animal Control Officer Tom Miller said the last of five threatening pit bulls, thought to have been abandoned late last month at Meyer Broadway Park, has been killed. Miller said the dog was found living in the area around Westside Landfill. It had avoided a number of traps and, as a result, was shot by a deputy …

Michael Lee Moreland, age 48, of rural Constantine, died Saturday, May 12, 2012 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born in Marion, IN on July 4, 1963 the son of Marcell and Eunice (Cameron) Moreland. He was a collector of many things, and was the proprietor of Old World Merchantile& Antiques of Schoolcraft for the past 14 years. …

Karen Eggleston Buscher, 50, of Three Rivers, died Thursday, May 10, 2012 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. She was born in Three Rivers on Aug. 1, 1962 the daughter of David and Janet (Rhodes) Eggleston and was a lifetime resident of Three Rivers. After graduation from Three Rivers High School, Karen worked at Coachman Industries in Middlebury, Ind. for …

Robert “Bob” Allen Mitchell, 63, of Three Rivers, passed away suddenly April 19, 2012 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. Bob was born March 28, 1949 in Elkhart, Ind., the son of Clarence and Wilma (Whirledge) Mitchell. Bob graduated from Concord High School, Elkhart, Ind. in 1967. Upon his high school graduation, Bob joined the U.S. Air Force in 1968 …

Anne C. (Kyle) Cumberbatch, age 87, of Sturgis, passed away Thursday afternoon, May 10, 2012, at Sturgis Hospital. She was born Jan. 3, 1925, in Port Washington, Long Island, N.Y., a daughter of the late John and Mary (MacDermid) Casey. Mrs. Cumberbatch resided in Sturgis since 1996 coming from Long Island. On May 17, 1947, she married John Francis Kyle in …

James William Mitchell, 89, of Vandalia, passed away at 3:40 p.m. Wednesday, May 9, 2012, at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He was born June 24, 1922, in Elkhart, Ind., to John Willis and Violet Lyde (Slusser) Mitchell. On Aug. 22, 1942, in Elkhart, he married Betty Jane Vullmahn. She survives, along with one son, James W. (Elaine) Mitchell II …

Longtime local pharmacist, Charles “Paul” Gadson, passed away April 18, 2012, at 11:35 p.m. in Mason Health and Rehabilitation in Warsaw, Ind. Paul was born March 12, 1927, in White Pigeon, to Charles and Hattie (Schmidt) Gadson. On May 28, 1949, Paul was united in marriage to Ruth Pendleton in White Pigeon. Paul fought for our freedom in the Navy during both …

Josephine A. Logan, 85, passed away on May 2, 2012 in Adrian at the home of friends Larry and Becky LaVoy, under the care of Hospice of Lenawee. Josephine was born in Three Rivers on Dec. 11, 1926 to Joseph and Alba Terman. In 1965 she married John Logan, who preceded her in death. Josephine “Bella” moved to Adrian in …

Rail congestion along a Detroit Amtrak route is expected to be alleviated with the addition of a new track to separate the movement of freight and passenger trains. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday that the Federal Railroad Administration is providing a $7.9 million grant for the West Detroit Connection Track project. Michigan will match that amount. The project is …