Thomas (Tom) Chiddister, age 81, of Three Rivers, Michigan went to be with his Lord and savior on October 16, 2015, at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo, surrounded by his loving wife and daughters. He was born on October 30, 1933, in Cassopolis, Michigan. Tom retired from his own saw sharping business (Quality Tool). He also worked at North American Products, …

Glen L. Knepper, age 86, of Mendon, died Friday, Oct. 16, 2015 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born in Wawaka, Indiana on Dec. 3, 1928 the son of the late Lewis C. and Edna E. (Cook) Knepper. He attended elementary school in Indiana and graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School. Glen joined the United States Air Force, …

Mary Naomi Covert Strawser, 90, of White Pigeon, passed away on Friday, Oct. 16, 2015 at Riverview Manor, Three Rivers. Mary was born on Feb. 24, 1925 in Climax to the late Ezra and Bessie (Dunithan) Covert. She married Richard (Dick) Strawser on March 19, 1946 in Sturgis. She is survived by a son, Randy Strawser and a daughter, Cindy …

A 47-year-old Three Rivers man was found guilty on eight charges of sexual-related offenses following a trial last week in Centreville. A jury in St. Joseph County Circuit Court on Thursday found Cary Jones guilty on six counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of accosting a minor for immoral purposes. Jones was a live-in boyfriend of the …

Three Rivers Health is staging an open house 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday at its in-patient rehabilitation pavilion. Located at 701 S. Health Parkway, the facility during its open house will include a number of vendor booths such as Three Rivers Health Stroke Support Group, Speech Support Group, Center for Wound Healing and Outpatient Physical Therapies.

Three puppies and jewelry were among the items taken from a residence in Sturgis Township during a recent break-in. State police investigators said the incident occurred between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29 on Balk Road, near Fawn River Road. In addition to the three, six-month-old American bulldog puppies and jewelry, other items taken include money and a gaming console …

Nearly two dozen people, including several members from the Sturgis Eagles, volunteered their time and labor Saturday at Camp Fort Hill. The twice-a-year effort by the civic group resulted in enough wood cut and split for the camp’s 2016 season, as well as a thorough cleaning of its seven bunkhouses for the winter. Camp Fort Hill, which provides day and …

A 28-year-old Elkhart man is in custody after leading Cass County Sheriff’s deputies in a pursuit from Indiana to Michigan over the weekend. Sheriff Joe Underwood Jr. said the pursuit started in Goshen and Cass County deputies continued the pursuit once it entered their jurisdiction. The offender’s damaged vehicle was tracked several miles in Jefferson Township as well as Calvin …

K-Wings goaltender Joel Martin stops one of the 41 shots he faced on Saturday night in Fort Wayne.  Photo courtesy of the Fort Wayne Komets.           The Kalamazoo Wings (0-2-0-0) kicked off their 42nd season of professional hockey this past weekend, but the results were not quite what they were hoping for. The first puck drop …

A 27-year-old western Michigan hunter has been formally charged in the death of a mother bear that was with her cubs. Derek Hassevoort of Zeeland waived a October 14th arraignment and faces a Nov. 3 pretrial hearing in Oceana County District Court. He was named about two weeks ago in a warrant. Hassevoort is charged with unlawfully taking a bear, a …