Lori Ann Ash, age 63, of Sturgis, passed away at her home surrounded by her family, on Thursday, August 8, 2024. Lori was born on June 2, 1961, in Red Lake Falls, Minnesota, a daughter to the late Raymond and Arlene (Gruhot) Benoit. Lori was a graduate of Red Lake Falls High School as a member of the class of …

John Joesph Lesniak, age 89, of South Bend, and a former longtime Sturgis resident, passed away Thursday morning, August 8, 2024, at Beacon Memorial Hospital in South Bend. He was born September 19, 1934, in Detroit, son of the late Walter J. and Valeria (Lipa) Lesniak. John resided in South Bend since 1990, coming from Sturgis where he lived from …

Stewart Lynn Turpin, age 60, of Colon, passed away unexpectedly on  Monday, August 5, 2024, at his home. He was born December 3, 1963, son of the late Robert and Joyce) Turpin. Stewart resided in Colon for over 10 years, coming from Coldwater. On February 14, 1992, he married Gennieve Layne in Florida. Stewart was currently employed by Speedrack Products …

Jeffery Charles Myers, age 57, of Portage, passed away Sunday, August 4, 2024 at his home. He was born January 10, 1967 in Kalamazoo, the son of Larry Joe and Maryjane (Borger) Myers, and graduated from Three Rivers High School with the Class of 1985. Jeff was employed for 23 years at Goodwill Industries, where he enjoyed seeing his co-workers …

Orlis W. Yoder, age 72, of Mendon, passed away unexpectedly at his home on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. Orlis was born on February 13, 1952 in Colon, a son to the late Virgil and Magdalena (Hochstetler) Yoder. On November 22, 1973, Orlis married his wife of 50 years, Marietta E. Lehman in Middlebury. Surviving Orlis is his wife Marietta E. …

In Tuesday’s 36th State House race, incumbent Steve Carra garnered 69 percent of the vote.  His closest competitor was Frank Perez with 20 percent of the vote.  Placing third was Michael Malmborg with 11 percent.

St. Joseph County sheriff candidate Chad Spence picked up an early lead in voting totals Tuesday and hung on to top four opponents to claim the highest elected law-enforcement position in the county. Unofficial vote totals show the 50-year-old Spence collected more than 49 percent of all votes, besting runner-up Jason Bingaman. The current undersheriff, Bingaman received nearly 30 percent …

A challenger to incumbent St. Joseph County Prosecutor David Marvin prevailed during Tuesday’s primary election. Colon resident Deb Davis, who previously worked as an assistant prosecutor, earned more than 56 percent of all votes cast, while Marvin was endorsed by nearly 31 percent of the votes made in the three-person race. Davis will assume the four-year post Jan. 1 and …

Jeff Wenzel will return for a fifth term as St. Joseph County Drain Commissioner, as he fended off a challenger during Tuesday’s primary election. Wenzel fell behind early but picked up much-needed votes in the final hours of voting to defeat Josh Harter. Wenzel captured 5,282 votes, beating Harker by just 179 votes. Wenzel, a Lake Templene resident, has secured …

Two millage-renewal requests sought by two county agencies were passed by St. Joseph County voters Tuesday. The St. Joseph County Road Commission was successful in its request for a 10-year renewal of 1 mill to maintain $2.5 million annually. The road millage has been in place since 1994 and a renewal request has passed every decade since. Nearly a quarter …