John Joseph Donnelly died on Friday, March 13, 2015 at Borgess Medical Center after a short illness caused by complications of heart disease. John was born March 21, 1925 in Ontonagon, Michigan, son of Joseph Michael Donnelly and Virginia Testman Donnelly. He attended public and parochial schools in Ontonagon, East Grand Rapids, Lansing, and graduated from Houghton High School in 1942. …

Diane Marie (Panure) Fosdick, age 71, of Sturgis, passed away on Sunday, March 15, 2015 at her home. She was born on January 29, 1944 in Madison, WI to the late Harold and Martha (Volant) Panure. Diane graduated from West High School in Green Bay, WI and later went on to obtain her Associate’s Degree from Glen Oaks Community College. Diane worked …

Gerald “Jerry” Arden Butler passed away Saturday, March 14, 2015 at the age of 75. Jerry was the second of four children born to the late Glen and Isabelle (Bingaman) Butler. He is survived by his wife of nearly 52 years, Peggy (Hackenburg) Butler; his siblings, Carol Hines, Darlene (Ron) Fox, and Ron (Sharron) Butler. He is also survived by …

AAA Michigan reports statewide gas prices have decreased by about 2 cents a gallon within the past week. The auto club says the average price per gallon of self-serve regular unleaded gasoline was about $2.28 on Sunday. That’s about $1.47 less than it was a year ago. It marks the second consecutive week the statewide average has decreased. Dearborn-based AAA …

Audrey F. Doe, 78, of White Pigeon, died Friday, March 13, 2015, at Sturgis Hospital following an extended illness. Shewas born June 18, 1936, in Battle Creek, the daughter of Owen and Vivian (Kohn) Eager. She had an associate’s degree in accounting from Kellogg Community College and was employed by Clark Equipment in Battle Creek and Chicago for more than …

State Rep. Aaron Miller last week voted in favor of House Bill 4122, a measure to end the expenditure of taxpayer money to subsidize film and video production. Miller said the film incentives program is a failed experiment that has not paid off, and there are more worthwhile ways to spend the $50 million set aside for film subsidies in …

Two Cass County residents are awaiting arraignment after being arrested last week in Porter Township. Members of the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team executed a search warrant Thursday evening in the 69000 block of Baldwin Prairie Road. The residents, a 55-year-old woman and 25-year-old man, both from Union, were taken into custody after police located methamphetamine and marijuana in their …

Foggy conditions contributed to a single-vehicle accident last week in Colon Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said Shree Goble, 22, of Colon, was driving on West Palmer Lake Road around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Due to heavy fog, Goble did not stop at the Burr Oak Road intersection. The vehicle went through the three-way intersection, up an embankment and …

A tough season for maple-syrup production didn’t seem to faze an estimated 300 people who attended an open house Saturday and Sunday at Butternut Creek Sugar Shack in Mendon Township. The event was organized by maple-syrup producer Terry Moyer, and his family and friends. The third annual event was part of a statewide observance of Michigan Maple Syrup Weekend, to …

Katelyn Elizabeth Dennis, age 24, of Three Rivers and Marcellus, passed away suddenly early Saturday, March 14, 2015 at Three Rivers Health. She was born in Kalamazoo on September 5, 1990 the daughter of Terry L. Dennis Jr. and Janice Pelon Dennis. Katelyn graduated from Three Rivers High School with the class of 2008. She then earned her Bachelor’s Degree …