St. Joseph County is operating with the benefit of two service dogs. The Sturgis Journal is reporting that a yellow lab named Romeo joined deputy felony clerk Melissa Patch in September, while a German Shepherd named Greta is in the middle of her training with Prosecutor David Marvin. Both are service dogs to help calm and ease victims’ fears in …

Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development awarded 22 Rural Development Fund Grants – including one to a local entity – to promote the sustainability of land-based industries and support infrastructure to benefit rural communities. MDARD Director Tim Boring said the agency received 78 proposals with requests totaling more than $6.3 million. Of those, MDARD awarded more than $1.8 million, …

A 4-year-old girl and two men were killed and four others injured in a wrong-way crash in southern Michigan near Marshall. A pickup truck traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 94 in Marengo Township collided head-on about 12:30 a.m. Monday with a minivan, state police said. The 42-year-old driver of the pickup died at the scene. The 46-year-old …

Josephine “Josie” Miller, age 87, of Sturgis, and formerly of Nottawa, died on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born in Napanee, Indiana on March 2, 1936, a daughter of Christian and Susan (Helmuth) Wickey. On June 8, 1957, Josie of Nottawa, married William “Bill” A. Miller of Stark County, Ohio, in Canton, Ohio. …

Janet E. Webster, age 65, of Sturgis, passed away early Sunday morning, April 2, 2023 at Optalis Health and Rehab in Three Rivers. She was born July 27, 1957 in Niles, daughter of the late Daniel and Mary (Spain) Grahm. Janet resided in Sturgis for the past 36 years coming from Three Rivers. Her early life was spent in Niles …

Barbara J. Ammermann, age 88, of Sturgis, passed away Sunday morning, April 2, 2023 at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born January 24, 1935 in Monticello, Indiana daughter of the late Roy and Madeleine Audra (Elmore) Secrest. Mrs. Ammermann resided in Sturgis since 1955 coming from Monticello. On June 17, 1967 she married Andy Ammermann at the First …

Joel Sorensen, age 42, of South Bend, formerly of Constantine, passed away on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at the Brickyard Fountainview Care Center in Mishawaka following a lengthy illness . He was born in Chicago on April 23, 1980, a son of Rev. Matthew and Sheree (North) Sorensen. Joel graduated from Constantine High School in 1998, and later obtained a …

Paul William Prey of Plymouth, Michigan, passed away on Saturday, January 21, 2023 at the age of 76 from complications of dementia.  Paul was born in Kalamazoo on October 22, 1946 and raised in Portage.  A graduate of the University of Michigan, and an Army Veteran of the Vietnam War, he took great pride in his 35 years working as an automotive …

February’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by nine-tenths of a percent from January. Figures from the monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget show St. Joseph County’s unemployment rate fell from 5.9 percent in January to 5 percent in February. In addition, Cass County also experienced a drop in its unemployment figures from …

A number of recreational vehicles were reported stolen from a location in White Pigeon Township. State police said the vehicles were stolen between last Tuesday and Thursday (March 28 and March 30) from a location in the 60000 block of U.S. 131. The RVs are described as gray and white Arctic Wolf and Milestone fifth-wheel campers.