Violet Ann Stepp, age 1 month, of Marcellus, MI passed away Monday, February 2, 2015 at Mott’s Children Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI. She was born December 4, 2014 the daughter of Cameron A. Stepp and Penelope J. Landgraf. She is survived by her parents, her twin sister Magnolia Joy, maternal grandparents, Major Joseph and Kelly Caldwell Landgraf of Marcellus; maternal …

Janice J. Biland, 88, of White Pigeon, died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015, at Bowman House in Three Rivers, following an extended illness. She was born March 14, 1926, in Saint Clair, a daughter of P. Raymond and Lucille A. (Markle) Borntrager. She was a White Pigeon resident since 1968, coming from Manistee, L’Anse and Pontiac. She was a homemaker, employed …

I’m one of the luckiest guys in town. I’m retired, am happily married to my best friend, and I keep busy volunteering. I love writing and am honing my writing skills by writing this column, plus a couple of other newsletters. For the past eight years, I’ve occupied a small office upstairs at LA’s Coffee Cafe. As a matter of …

An Illinois man sustained serious injuries last weekend following an accident involving an all-terrain vehicle in Colon Township. State police said Nicholas Leth, 25, of Palos Heights, Ill., was driving the four-wheel ATV on the ice-covered Palmer Lake at 5:10 p.m. Saturday when he lost control and it flipped over, landing on top of him. Leth sustained injuries to his …

Indiana Michigan Power has partnered with HomeServe USA to offer optional protection to I&M residential customers on external electric lines, HVAC systems, water and sewer/septic systems, and other home items not typically covered by basic homeowners insurance. The service plans available through HomeServe, a third-party provider of home-emergency repair-service-plan programs, are priced between $5 and $11 per month depending on …

A standalone garage was destroyed by fire last week in Lockport Township. Fire officials said the blaze was reported shortly before noon Friday at a residence on Schweitzer Road. Cause of the blaze remains under investigation. No injuries were reported and no other building was damaged.

Some furniture shoppers in parts of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio are expected to get big refunds because of cooperation from a big snowstorm. Michigan-based Art Van Furniture ran a “Let It Snow” promotion at several Chicago-area stores as well as locations in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Toledo, Ohio. Purchases were made on certain days in January. If it snowed more …

Gale F. Garver, 96, of White Pigeon, died Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, at his home, following an extended illness. Private services will be held at Farrand Funeral Home in White Pigeon, with interment in White Pigeon Township Cemetery. Donations may be directed to Alzheimer’s Association. Envelopes are available at the funeral home.

A winter storm dropped 1 1/2 feet of snow as it passed over Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, snarling traffic and extending the weekend for children at hundreds of schools. The National Weather Service says 16.7 inches fell at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus on Sunday and Monday. The agency says it was the No. 3 snow on record for Detroit and …

A warning has been issued to Western Michigan University students following an armed robbery at a campus residence hall. The Kalamazoo school says in a statement the male student was robbed at gunpoint about 4:40 p.m. Sunday in the third floor hallway of LeFevre Hall. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports police are seeking two suspects. The school says “extreme caution is …