Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman last week sentenced three men involved in the robbery of two vendors in 2014 at the St. Joseph County fairgrounds. Samuel Davis, 28, of Toledo, Ohio, was sentenced to 16 to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of armed robbery. John Earl Gregory, 35, of Toledo, was sentenced to 14 to …

The Three Rivers Department of Public Services has announced it is ending the water-trickle notice for residents as of Tuesday. All water services that were frozen over the winter have now thawed and frost is out of the ground.

Organizers of the 2015 Sturgis Toy Run have announced the 32nd annual event will feature more vendors, it is accepting sponsors and providing a higher level of entertainment. To that end, tickets for this year’s headline act, Big Smo, go on sale at 10 a.m. today. Big Smo is an American country musician, songwriter, producer and film director who appears …

A jury has awarded more than $14 million in damages to the family of a 49-year-old southwestern Michigan man killed in an accident involving a garbage truck. The Kalamazoo County Circuit Court jury decided Friday that Republic Services, City Star Services Inc. and William Ormerod III will pay nearly $14.5 million to the estate of Lary Blahnik. The Plainwell man …

Amber Christine Warner, 32, of Three Rivers, passed away on Saturday, March 28, 2015. In accordance with family wishes, cremation has been conducted and memorial services are pending at this time.  Arrangements by Hohner Funeral Home.

Felton L. Cullifer, 63, of White Pigeon, died Tuesday, March 31, 2015, at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, following a short illness. He was born Feb. 26, 1952, in Bonifay, Fla., a son of Buron and Eulene (Halford) Cullifer. He was a resident of the White Pigeon and Sturgis area most of his life, with his early years spent in …

Charlene Heard, 62, of Three Rivers, passed away on Sunday, March 29, 2015.  In accordance with Charlene’s wishes, cremation has been conducted and there will be no public services held at this time.  Arrangements by Hohner Funeral Home.

James Francis “Jimmy” Hull, age 81, died Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born near Constantine on Sep. 20, 1933 the son of Harry and Bertha (King) Hull and was a lifetime resident of the area. He attended Roystown Country School and worked at Kellogg Nursery. He later worked at Clifton Engineering and was …

Tax Day is coming. Both state and federal income tax returns are due on April 15. The Michigan Department of Treasury is reminding taxpayers that all state forms and instructions they need to finalize their 2014 tax returns are available on Treasury’s website at michigan.gov/incometax. Officials say E-filing income tax returns has become a preferred method of filing for millions of taxpayers, …

A new poll from the Lansing-based polling firm EPIC-MRA shows very little support for Proposal 1 on the May ballot, which would increase the state’s sales tax by one-percent to pay for roads, schools, and local governments. Roger Martin is part of the Safe Roads YES! Campaign pushing for adoption, and isn’t too worried about the numbers because he says there …