Today is the first day of school in St. Joseph County and public school districts across the state. Locally, students in Colon Community Schools will see fully refurbished elementary and jr./sr. high buildings after a $15 million, district-wide building and technology upgrade was completed over the summer. In Three Rivers, new principals at Park and Norton elementary schools are in …

A small group of participants took part in the inaugural Paddle Poker Fest Sunday on the St. Joseph River. Sponsored by the St. Joseph County Conservation District, the fundraiser for the Centreville-based agency competed against early-morning rain and prospective participants who had made other holiday-weekend commitments. The six-mile ride down the St. Joseph River started in Mendon and concluded at …

A Colon man was seriously injured Friday evening in a 1-car crash on Blossom Road in Leonidas Township. 40-year-old Steven McClish lost control of the vehicle he was driving, and it overturned, ejecting him. McClish was airlifted to Borgess Medical Center for treatment.

Doris “Doe” Denney, age 78, of Sherwood, MI, died Sunday Sep. 2, 2012 at the Laurels in Coldwater. She was born near Mendon, MI on Jan. 19, 1934 the daughter of Frederick and Goldie Mae (DeHoff) Denney. She enjoyed raising and riding horses in her younger days . Doris graduated from Colon High School in 1952 and had been employed …

Ronald “Sim” R. Adams, age 86, of Three Rivers, passed away peacefully early Friday, Aug. 31, 2012 at the Riverview Manor surrounded by his family. He was born in Allegan, MI. on May 14, 1926 the son of the late Raymond and Lizzie Adams. Sim graduated from Allegan High School in 1944, where he was very active in sports and …

When my wife and I became engaged and eventually got married, many of our family and friends said it came as no surprise as they always knew we would end up together. I guess we just had that “they are going to get married and live happily ever after” appeal to us. For the past nine years, we have done …

John Herbert “Herb” Bazur, 88, of Fort Wayne, Ind., died peacefully at home on Aug. 20, 2012. Herb was born April 15, 1924, in Cleveland, Ohio, to John and Loretta (Grady) Bazur. At 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy followed by the Merchant Marines and served in the North Atlantic during World War II. At Baldwin Wallace College in …

Patricia A. Papke, 76, of White Pigeon, died Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo following a short illness. She was born March 3, 1936, in White Pigeon, a daughter of H. Russell and Mary (Gross) Lough. She was first married to William R. (Buck) Tavernier. That marriage ended in divorce. On March 1, 1986, she married Irwin E. …

The St. Joseph County Transportation Authority was recognized last week by the Michigan Department of Transportation for attaining 10 years of service. CTA executive director Steve Yorks said the state agency issued plaques to transportation agencies across the state observing milestone anniversaries this year. He said the St. Joseph County Transportation Authority was acknowledged for being in existence for 10 …

Peggy E. Sears, 52, of Newaygo and formerly of Three Rivers, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 at her home. Peggy was born on Dec. 15, 1959 in Three Rivers to John and Janice (Westphal) Sears. Peggy had been a production worker in the manufactured homes industry near Three Rivers for several years prior to moving to the …