St. Joseph County Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman has denied a request for a new murder trial for Andy J. Brown. Brown, 38, was convicted in July 2014 for the October 2013 murder of Sturgis resident David Locey. Brown was eventually sentenced to between 37 1/2 and 75 years in prison. Brown’s defense counsel of Anastase Markou and John Minock …

Two people were charged with drug-related offenses and an unspecified number of children were taken from a Fabius Township residence raided by police earlier this week. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said investigators from the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit executed a search warrant after they were provided information by parole agents from the Michigan Department of Corrections …

I was lucky to be raised by parents who were teachers. I was fortunate to receive my education when cursive writing and grammar were important in the school curriculum. I am even luckier to be married to a retired Language Arts teacher, who keeps me on my toes when it comes to the proper use of grammar. Cursive writing and …

Constantine American Legion Post 223 conducted a ceremony last week to mark the 14-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Featured at the program was a mural of the burning Twin Towers and an American eagle, surrounded by American flags. The event’s special guest was Shane Preston, a U. S. Marine who served two tours in Iraq and one in …

A longtime county employee familiar to animal lovers in St. Joseph County has announced his retirement. Animal control director Tom Miller is retiring Oct. 20 following a 28-year career with the Centreville-based agency. Human resources director Teresa Doehring plans to seek approval from county commissioners to begin searching for a new director The 60-year-old Miller currently makes about $50,000 annually. …

Alan D. Davis, 69, of Sturgis, passed away on Sept. 10, 2015 at Thurston Woods Village. He was born March 9, 1946 in Watervliet, a son to the late Dallas and Alla (Lamphere) Davis. Alan spent most of his life in the Sturgis area. He married Dorothy Bell in Centreville. She died March 19, 2014. He retired from American Metal …

Leaders of a steering committee behind the proposed development of a 17-field sports complex in the Three Rivers area have a little work to do if they wish to receive a financial allocation from St. Joseph County. The matter of funding for property acquisition was discussed by St. Joseph County commissioners during their executive committee meeting Thursday. County administrator Pat …

The final river cleanup effort of the season by the St. Joseph County Conservation District was hailed a success by its organizers. Staged Saturday on a 2 1/2-mile stretch of the St. Joseph River between M-66 and the old Railroad Street bridge in Mendon, the cleanup drew 20 participants in 17 boats. Conservation District Board member John Nelson said volunteers …

The St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit last week pulled 170 marijuana plants from a field in three different townships. Sheriff Brad Balk said SCAN officers participated in a Domestic Cannabis Eradication Operation in Park, Fabius and Mottville townships Friday. During the execution, officers seized the marijuana plants. Had the plants been cultivated, they would have yielded a street value …

State Rep. Aaron Miller was joined last week on the Capitol rotunda by Sturgis Chief of Public Safety Geoff Smith and Assistant Chief of Public Safety Ryan Banaszak prior to the House of Representatives’ Sept. 11 memorial service on the House floor. House members invited first responders and members of the military as their guests during the ceremony, which marked …