E. Merritt Brown, age 73, of Schoolcraft, portaged his last obstacle in life on Friday, May 22, 2020 with his wife Mary at his side. Born in Petoskey on June 15, 1946, Merritt grew up near Indian River with his loving mother Joy, grandparents Clark and Mary Most, and cousin Mary Carol. Merritt graduated from Indian River High School and …

Karen Kay (Blood) Adkins, age 71, of Portage, passed away in the early hours of Monday, May 25, 2020. She was born in Three Rivers on May 28, 1948 the daughter of John and Bernice (Mellor) Blood. Family was important to Karen and she loved spending time with her grandchildren. She liked to make people happy and in her later …

Goodwill stores are opening in Sturgis, Three Rivers, Stevensville, Allegan and Otsego this FRIDAY, MAY 29.   As we sell food items, we will be following food store protocols – 4 per 1,000 sq. ft. of shoppers in all our stores except Stevensville.   We ask that shoppers where a face covering.  There is a display of Face Shields made by our …

It is with great sadness that Don Langefeld’s family:  Wife, Ann (Haradine) Langefeld; Daughters, Susan (Chuck) Detmar, Amy (Robert) Yustick, and Grandchildren, Charlie (Jacquelynn) Detmar, Teri (Trevor) Yorke, Abby Detmar, Bryce, Paige, and Blake Yustick announce his passing on Thursday, May 21, 2020 at his home from natural causes at the age of 85. He is also survived by nephews …

Ned L. Bower, age 88, of Sturgis, passed away Saturday evening, May 23, 2020 at the home of his son John in Sturgis. He was born March 21, 1932 in Rose City, Michigan son of the late Ernest and Carry Louise (Olney) Bower. Ned resided in Sturgis since the age of 13. On October 11, 1969 he married Rosamond Irene …

White Pigeon Community Schools Board of Education last week approved a quote for 432 classroom Chromebook devices, at a cost of about $126,000. Money for the purchase will come from bond funds. Associate superintendent Carrie Erlandson said the Chromebooks will be especially useful if the district needs to continue distance learning in the fall. The district already has 150 Chromebooks …

Here’s the weekly update from Michigan Department of Transportation regarding its redevelopment of U.S. 131 in Three Rivers. Stage 5 traffic pattern remains in place and all traffic will continue to travel on the southbound lane. Construction crews plan to continue gravel grading, and work on new curb and gutter on the north side of Michigan Avenue. All Michigan Avenue …

Construction of a roundabout at Farrand and Colon roads in Colon Township is to begin next week. St. Joseph County Road Commission assistant manager Garrett Myland detailed the plan during a work session Wednesday. The goal is to complete the project no later than the first week of August, he noted. The single-lane roundabout will be a 130-foot inscribed diameter. …

Sheriff’s deputies were called last week to investigate separate incidents of destruction of property. Deputies responded Tuesday to the 58000 block of U.S. 131 in Fabius Township, where forced entry into a barn was attempted. The building sustained minor damage. The second incident was an unrelated property-damage complaint in the 300 block of South Second Street in the village of …

I’ve never been much of a bird watcher, but since the current pandemic, and the “Stay at Home” order, we have become quite interested in observing some of the birds that frequent the area. Some friends turned us on to Orioles. I’m not referring to baseball’s Baltimore Orioles, but rather the birds who are noted for their bright orange coloring. …