Members of the Centreville Village Council agreed Monday to pay a portion of the cost of damage from a recent sewer backup at a residential property. The sewer issue led to further discussion regarding future solutions and prevention. Charlene Beals showed the council photos, videos and estimates of damage caused by a backup that occurred May 9 at her mother’s …

Authorities have recovered the bodies of two friends who apparently drowned while fishing in a lake in southwestern Michigan. The bodies were found Thursday, a day after the pair disappeared while in a boat at Bankson Lake in Van Buren County, southwest of Kalamazoo. The sheriff’s office identified them as 20-year-old Calvin Chao, a student at Western Michigan University, and …

Hello. My name is Rolly and I am a male hound mix who is about 10 months old. I’m brown and my fur is very soft. I walk good on a leash and like people. I can sit on command and love to fetch a ball. I’m active and peppy but not at all hyper, I just like being with …

Two weeks after Colon Board of Education members debated the idea of a shared superintendent with Bronson Community Schools, their counterparts in Bronson had an opportunity Monday to further discuss the potential arrangement. Jay Newman, interim superintendent of Colon Community Schools, presented the possibility of the two districts sharing the services of superintendent Teresa Belote. Newman said both districts attend …

A 22-year-old Indiana man was charged with drug-related offenses following a traffic stop this week in Park Township. According to a state police media release, the man was driving a car that was stopped around 11 p.m. Tuesday on U.S. 131 near Heimbach Road. A search of the vehicle yielded approximately one pound of marijuana. Charges are being sought for …

One motorist was injured in a two-vehicle accident earlier this week in Park Township. Sheriff’s officials said a 54-year-old Three Rivers man was in the median crossing dividing U.S. 131 at Moorepark Road and was attempting to cross the southbound lanes of traffic. The man pulled his vehicle into the path of a vehicle driven by a 20-year-old Sturgis woman. …

St. Joseph County Clerk Pattie Bender issued to the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners her 24th and final annual clerk’s report Tuesday. As she wrapped up her four-minute report, an emotional Bender called her 45 years as a county employee a great ride that has included 385 elections, thousands and thousands of meetings, and everlasting friendships. A lifelong Centreville …

Veterinarians and diagnostic labs across Michigan now must notify the state if they suspect canine flu or see a positive test for the disease. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development says state veterinarian James Averill added canine influenza Wednesday to the state’s 2015 Reportable Disease list. Three cases of canine flu that hit the Midwest earlier this year …

Western Michigan University trustees have approved a 3.2 percent increase in tuition and fees as part of a $388 million general fund budget for the coming fiscal year. The board of the Kalamazoo school approved the spending plan Wednesday. It covers the 12 months that begin July 1. The budget is up 2.6 percent from the current fiscal year and …

Emma Jane Markum, age 73, of Jones, died Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo following a long illness. She was born in Johnstown, PA on May 8, 1942 the daughter of the late Ray and Ruth (Weirick) Alwine. She graduated from high school in Pennsylvania, and later earned her Masters’ Degree in Computer Science and Business …