Ailleen Bell Avery, age 67, of Sturgis, passed away Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at Fairview Nursing and Rehabilitation Community in Centreville. Ailleen was born in Three Rivers on June 5, 1947, a daughter of Leslie and Edna (Wright) Featherstone. On October 1, 1962 she married Donald E. Avery in Centreville. She had previously worked for Harmon Dudd Marina on Klinger …

Authorities say two Illinois residents have died after a set of tires on a semi-truck came loose along Interstate 94 in southwestern Michigan, striking a car with three people inside. The Portage Department of Public Safety says the car’s 67-year-old backseat passenger Rebecca Avery of Glenview died at the scene of the Saturday crash and the 34-year-old driver Michael Ditewig …

Western Michigan authorities have arrested two women during a raid on the home of a man killed by police two weeks earlier. The Kalamazoo Gazette says police raided the Kalamazoo-area house late Saturday after reports of gunshots, and they seized 27 weapons that include loaded rifles, shotguns and handguns. Police say 39-year-old Amy Pelletier and 34-year-old Michelle Pelletier refused to …

Lou Ann Benson, age 50, of Burr Oak, died Sunday, May 31, 2015 at her home following a long illness. She was born in Kankakee, IL on June 23, 1964 the daughter of Willis F. and Virginia (Renner) Johnson. The family moved to Michigan in 1966 and she attended several local schools. She enjoyed outdoor activities, especially arrowhead hunting, fishing, …

James D Watson, age 58, of White Pigeon, MI, passed away suddenly Monday, June 1, 2015 at his home. James was born in Elkhart, IN on April 13, 1957, a son of Harold and Barb (Scott) Watson. He graduated from Constantine High School in 1976. On Feb. 7, 1981, he married Anne Romano in Goshen, IN. James was an equipment …

Lois M. Munson, age 84, of Constantine, MI, passed away Sunday, May 31, 2015 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. Lois was born in Constantine on November 24, 1930, a daughter of Johnny and Lorene (Smith) Leister. She graduated from Constantine High School in 1948. On September 26, 1948 she married Richard W. Munson at the Messiah Lutheran Church parsonage …

As I get Out and About, I can’t help but notice how many friends and acquaintances are doing the same, but with much more difficulty. The other day at the post office, I met a friend walking with a cane. He thought that he was experiencing problems with his leg. His doctor informed him that it wasn’t his leg that …

Dorothy Ann (Smith) Shoemaker, 86, of Three Rivers, passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 23, 2015, with her children surrounding her at bedside. Dorothy was the daughter of Harm and Katherine (Koets) Smith, who both preceded her in death. She was born on Feb. 9, 1929 in Kalamazoo. She graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School in 1947. On May 31, …

The April unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by seven-tenths of a percent compared to a month earlier. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed St. Joseph County’s 3.9 percent April unemployment rate was less than March’s 4.6 percent. April’s unemployment rate was 2.7 percent less than the same month in 2014, …

Organizers of the Three Rivers Farmers Market said the 2015 season debut last week was a success. The market’s season kicked off Thursday and approximately 200 people took advantage of a sunny day to attend the event. The market, which was moved from Tuesdays to Thursdays, will run 1 to 6 p.m. through Sept. 3 and is located in Scidmore …