James “Jamie” Louis Kasey, Jr., age 71, of White Pigeon, left his earthly home to sing and dance among the stars, Friday, August 30, 2024, at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo. He leaves behind his wife of 49 years Lynne A. Kasey; daughters: Lindsay Kasey and Melissa Kasey; grandson Orion Kasey; granddaughter: Quinn; sister: Tamara (Jim) Jarrow; brother: Ben (Karen) …

Betty Louise Leverence, age 94, of Burr Oak, passed away Friday evening, August 30, 2024, at Sparrow House Senior Living in Sturgis. She was born October 11, 1929, in Athens, Michigan daughter of the late Christian and Clara (Draheim) Miller. Betty resided in Burr Oak since 1953, coming from Nottawa. On August 8, 1953, she married Keith Charles Leverence at …

A cool, clear start shifted to beautiful sunny skies for the 2024 Mackinac Bridge Walk today, which undoubtedly reassured the roughly 30,000 people who made plans to participate Monday. “While not the largest crowd we’ve seen, 30,000 is on the upper end of the range of 21,000-35,000 participants we’ve had in recent years,” said Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) Bridge Director …

White Pigeon Township Library Director Perri Saunders recently provided an update on library-related matters. For starters, Saunders said more than 1,400 books were read by students who participated in its Summer Reading Program. In addition, Saunders said the library was awarded an LSTA grant through the Library of Michigan to fund a new Memory Connections collection. Saunders plans to elaborate …

Participants in last month’s river cleanup of the Nottawa Creek report the event was deemed a success. Coordinator Eric Pretzlav said the team of 20 volunteers started at Rawson’s King Mill Dam and covered 2 1/2 miles. The route included a small portion of the St. Joseph River. Pretzlav said two trash bags were filled and debris included bottles, cans, …

A new free store in the Leonidas area recently opened. The Pass It Forward Shop is an extension of Factoryville Bible Church. It is open typically four days a month and offers a variety of items, including clothes and household goods. Its current schedule is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. two Fridays a month and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. …

We celebrate Labor Day this week. If your child is not already in school, he/she will be by the end of the week. Not only do we celebrate September 2 as Labor Day, but we also celebrate V-J Day. On September 2, 1945, Japan signed the Formal Surrender. Next Sunday, September 8, is Grandparents Day. We should celebrate our grandparents …

John C. “Jack” Hill, age 79, of Sturgis, passed away Friday afternoon, August 30, 2024, at Bronson Battle Creek Hospital in Battle Creek. He was born May 29, 1945, in Chicago, son of the late Charles and Veronica (Gilstrap) Hill. Jack resided in Sturgis since 2013 coming from Chicago, where he graduated from Chicago Vocational School in 1963. He furthered …

Marvin L. “Merv” Jarratt, Jr., age 70, of Sturgis, was called home to join his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Thursday, August 29, 2024, at his home surrounded by his loving family. He was born July 28, 1954, in Shelbyville, Michigan, the son of the late Marvin L. and Laila Agnes (DeCair) Jarratt, Sr. Merv resided in Sturgis since …

Wayne Allen Wagner, age 67, of Sturgis, passed away Thursday, August 29, 2024 at Thurston Woods Village. He was born April 13, 1957 in Sturgis, a son to the late Raymond Paul and Kathleen Wagner. Wayne had been employed at ARCH Workshop and retired from Precision Speed where he had worked for several years. Wayne enjoyed going bowling, he loved …