Marilyn J. Franks, age 78, of Three Rivers, died Wednesday, July 1, 2015 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. She was born on Feb. 8, 1937 in St. Joseph, MI the daughter of the late August and Lydia (Wutzke) Franks, and was preceded in death by her brother, Edward A, Franks. She is survived by a nieces, Laurel (Rick) Cordes …

Helen Louise Jordon, age 87, of Vicksburg, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, July 2, 2015 in the presence of her family. She was born in Jackson, MI on May 9, 1928 the youngest of four children born to the late Harry and Mabel (Enos) Evans. She was married to Robert James Jordon on July 3, 1948 at …

Three Rivers police K-9 Hondo passed away last month at Michigan State University following a battle with cancer. Hondo had worked for the department the past five years. Officer Matt Stark, Hondo’s handler, said his companion was a happy and loyal dog. In his five years on the force, Hondo was able to help police locate several fugitives in and …

The Colon Area Chamber of Commerce has announced its 2015 Citizens of the Year are Joseph and Paige Smolarz. During their 25 years in Colon they have become deeply entrenched in the Colon community and extremely active in school and community events. Village trustee Edith Doenges said Joe is an avid supporter of the village’s police and fire departments, allowing …

St. Joseph County commissioners recently gave their approval to a request made by circuit court judge Paul Stutesman regarding an out-of-state travel notice. In a memo to commissioners, Stutesman stated he would like court administrator Kathy Griffin to attend the National Association for Court Management’s annual conference in Louisville, Ky. Two nights of lodging during the weeklong conference later this …

The Kalamazoo Wings have hired Joe Roberts as its new director of public relations and broadcaster. Roberts began his professional career with the K-Wings as an intern during the fall of 2010, and has since been employed by the team in several different capacities. Most recently, his responsibilities included acting as the in-game emcee and PA announcer during the 2014-15 …

A 13-year-old Detroit area boy with a visual impairment due to albinism has been denied the use of an easier-to-see baseball during a national Little League tournament. WJBK-TV and MLive.com report that Ryan Huizdos’ Grosse Pointe Woods team was told the yellow baseball he uses while batting in local games was not approved by the national organization. Ryan played in …

  Puurrrrr, Please come in and see me. I am a beautiful black, intact male, three years old. My eyes are so dark. The ladies here at Animal Control tell me I deserve a single cat home with mature humans. The staff here just discovered that I eat better when given cooked chicken. Won’t you please make me part of …

Speed and alcohol may have been factors in a one-vehicle crash that injured a woman Tuesday in Nottawa Township, according to the St. Joseph County Sheriff ’s Department. Deputies said Jennifer Ann Bainbridge was driving west on Cupp Road near the intersection of Walterspaugh about 1:30 p.m., when the vehicle left the road just east of Walterspaugh. The car slid …

Members of Colon Community Schools Board of Education recently took a pass on the idea of buying an ice and water dispenser as an income-generating concept. During discussion of the issue at their June school board meeting, district officials agreed that under different circumstances and in more prosperous times, the proposal might receive more serious consideration. Board members agreed that …