Colon Community Schools Board President Eric Wagner was selected Monday to represent the district at the June 1 Intermediate School District Board election. After discussing the three candidates, board members agreed to support incumbent Liz O’Dell. Also running are Sherman Greider of Leonidas and Brandon Kent of Sturgis. Wagner offered to cast the vote during the 15-minute window, as he …

Sturgis city commissioners last week reappointed incumbent planning commissioners Michael Caywood, Don Eaton and Peter Stage. The commission also appointed newcomers Jeff Mullins and Garry Allen to fill one- and two-year vacancies, respectively.

Enterprise Drive construction signage was slated to be installed Wednesday, a step taking place before pavement milling starts today. Project officials said the task is a complete roadway surface reconstruction. The project is planned to have the first layer of asphalt placed and the roadway temporarily open to traffic before Water Festival begins next month. The top layer will be …

A memorial service is planned for a young Michigan woman whose remains were identified this year after being found in Louisiana in 1981. Carol Ann Cole’s sister, Jeanie Phelps, has been raising money for a funeral since identification was made in the “Bossier Doe” case. Phelps tells the Kalamazoo Gazette she feels good to know that Cole will get a …

Officers from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department are investigating a hit-and-run crash that resulted in a vehicle fire inside the Langley Covered Bridge. According to a department media release, deputies were called around 6 p.m. Monday to the Lockport Township landmark, where a motorcycle was found on fire closer to the north end of the bridge, Investigators determined the …

An attractive financial offer from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources prompted members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Tuesday to allocate more than $200,000 for property acquisition. The county’s commitment of nearly $227,000 represents 31 percent of the almost-$732,000 needed to purchase a 126-acre property in Burr Oak Township. The land is to be managed and overseen …

Bus service for students in Colon Community Schools in the fall will be provided by a Lansing-based company, as the district’s board of education voted Monday to outsource its transportation department. The agreement with Dean Transportation is expected to save Colon about $158,000 annually, according to district officials. As part of its agreement, Dean Transportation will purchase all 14 of …

Approval to fill two positions at the sheriff’s department and authorization to a change in employment status for three Juvenile Day Treatment Program monitors was issued by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Tuesday. The action means the sheriff’s department can proceed with filling a full-time corrections officer spot and a full-time road patrol position. Also, the employment status …

Clifford Merle Ditmer, Jr., age 58, of Nottawa, and formerly of Burr Oak, lost his hard-fought battle with cancer Saturday, May 16, 2015, at home, surrounded by his family. Clifford was born Nov. 3, 1956, in Sturgis, a son of Clifford Merle Ditmer Sr. and Dale (Woodman) Webster. Survivors include his loving wife, Loreane (Conley) Ditmer of Nottawa; his mother; …

Harriet Emeline Altland, formerly of White Pigeon, died March 15, 2015, in Mancos, Colo. She was born Dec. 12, 1922, in Centreville to Millard Roland and Bessie Elizabeth (Brown) Snow. She graduated from Centreville High School and then St. Camillus School of Nursing at Borgess in Kalamazoo in 1945. In 1947, she married the love of her life, William J. …