Thomas Eugene Waltke, age 84, of Sturgis, passed away Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019, at Bronson Methodist Hospital. Thomas was born Feb. 20, 1935, a son of the late Elwood Waltke and Mary Barnell Trattles. On March 12, 1955, Thomas married his wife of 64 years, Helen Wondergem, in Sturgis at Church of the Nazarene. Thomas and Helen would spend their …

Janice Ileen Modert, age 83, of Robbinsville, N.C., formerly of Frostproof, Fla., passed away Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, at Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital, surrounded by her loving family. Janice was born March 28, 1936, a daughter of the late David Earl Vorce and the late Goldie Jasper. She is preceded in death by her husband, Ronald Leroy Modert, in 2013. …

The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services and 12 local health departments will be conducting aerial spraying in 14 counties to combat mosquito-borne disease. This action is due to the large geographic distribution and number of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) cases in humans and/or animals, coupled with warm weather projections. Spraying is scheduled to take place starting Sunday, September …

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says there will be no partial government shutdown next week now that the entire state budget is on her desk. The administration emailed all 48,000 state employees Friday afternoon, three days before the deadline to enact the spending plans. There will be no temporary layoffs starting on Tuesday. Department directors told workers that Whitmer “will be …

Two Mexican gray wolf pups at a Michigan zoo have died of a rare mosquito-borne virus as health officials work to curb the spread of the virus in people and animals. Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek says results this week confirm the pups that died in early September were killed by Eastern equine encephalitis. Separately, in Kent County, a …

A southwestern Michigan police chief has died after crashing his vehicle into a tree. Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Sgt. Craig Schmaltz says 59-year-old Nashville Police Chief Chris Allen Koster died in the crash about 8:30 a.m. Thursday in Richland Township. Investigators say Koster’s vehicle went off a road and struck a tree. No other passengers were in Koster’s vehicle at the …

William “Bill” P. Zuzanek, age 88, of Three Rivers, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 21, 2019. Bill was born on April 29, 1931 in Chicago, to the late William P. Adams and Helen (Koubek) Adams. Bill leaves behind to cherish his memory, his wife of 30 years, Doris (Mechling) Bell, whom he married on October 28, 1989, two daughters …

Judith Kay (Gildea) Wellington died on Tuesday, September 10th, 2019 at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Bryn Mawr, PA. Judy grew up in Three Rivers, and was a graduate of Three Rivers High School, where she participated in cheerleading. In 1964 she had the honor of becoming Miss Three Rivers and representing Three Rivers in the Miss Michigan competition. After high …

Carole Ann Minger, age 82, of Sturgis, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019, at Thurston Woods Village. She was born May 5, 1937, in Sturgis, a daughter of the late Gerald Ray and Wilma May (Fieberkorn) Carper. Carole had been a resident of the Sturgis and Bronson area all her life and had been employed at Kirsch Company for many …

Shane Matthew Buelna, age 31, of Burr Oak, passed away Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, at Dallas VA Medical Center in Dallas. Shane was the beloved son of Melodie Hummer Frazin and Kevin Ivan Bird. He was born July 11, 1988, in Elkhart. Shane honorably served his country in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear engineer. Shane was a lifetime learner and loved …