Further improvements at the county’s newest park top the list of work planned this summer by the St. Joseph County Parks and Recreation Department. Director Jaymes MacDonald said a considerable amount of time has been spent at Kettles Park over the past six months, with efforts centering on improving its trail network. Acquired in 2021 through state grants and a …

Marilyn Geneene Morrisson, age 84, of Otsego, passed away Friday, May 19, 2023, at Boulder Creek Assisted Living, in Rockford, MI. Born September 27, 1938, in Goshen, she was the daughter of the late George William and Pearl (Moser) Hoot. Geneene was the devoted wife of the late Raymond A. Morrisson for more than 60 years. Mrs. Morrisson was the …

Jeffrey Alan Gardner, age 68, of Mendon, died Sunday, May 21, 2023 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born in Quantico, Virginia on June 18, 1954 the son of George “Red” and June (Gilbert) Gardner. He graduated from Vicksburg High School with the class of 1973 and shortly after enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving through the end …

Guy William Rensi, age 66, of Mendon, died Saturday, May 20, 2023 at his home. He was born in Steubenville, Ohio on June 25, 1956, attended Ohio Schools, and was a member of the FFA. Guy proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps. After earning his B.A. in Business Degree, he worked for several paper companies throughout …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation delivered some good news for the village of Constantine Tuesday. They announced that Michigan Strategic Fund approved a new dairy-processing facility that will reduce the carbon footprint of dairy byproduct and bring new jobs and infrastructure to the community. A total capital investment of $41.1 million is expected. MMPA and Dairy …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday announced recipients of two high-profile awards. Undersheriff Jason Bingaman said Mark Mellinger was named Uniformed Services Deputy of the Year for 2022. Meanwhile, Gabriel Keely received Corrections Deputy of the Year for 2022. Bingaman said the county is a safer place because of Mellinger, while Keely is an employee who goes above …

Constantine municipal officials are looking into moving its Civil War cannon at South Washington Street Park to the township cemetery. Village resident and local historian Rebecca Shank last month asked the council if it would consider relocating the cannon to a place of honor. A cemetery, she said, would be more appropriate than a community park. Shank said the cannon …

Donald L. Shultz, age 75, passed away on February 24, 2023, at Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born February 2, 1948 in Goshen to Richard and Elsie Shultz. Donald proudly served in the Navy. He was an avid baseball and stock car racing fan. He is survived by his sister, Sharon (Jerry) Combs, and his brothers Richard, Bruce (Tabitha), …

Michigan will ditch a system that gave A-through-F grades to public schools each year after state education officials called the system overly simplistic and a duplicate of federal requirements. The Michigan School Grades System, which was narrowly passed in 2018 by the Republican-led Legislature, assigned each public school in Michigan letter grades and rankings based on the school’s annual performance in …

Mattie Lee Kelly, age 76, of Portage, passed away Friday, May 19, 2023 surrounded by her loving family. She was born March 5, 1947 in Brookhaven, Miss, the daughter of Aaron and Luvenia (Sanders) Martin. Mattie was a kindhearted woman who truly loved her family and will be missed by all those who knew her. Remaining to cherish her memory …