Two Sturgis residents remain in the St. Joseph County jail after their arrest last week. Christin Lynn Garza, 32, is charged with two counts of extortion and was wanted on a warrant for failure to appear. Her bond was set at $50,000. Joseph Wayne Wallace, 45, is charged with two counts of extortion, felonious assault, robbery and retail fraud. His …

Mary E. Todd, 74, of White Pigeon, Mich., died Thursday, June 4, 2015, at Heartland Health Care Center in Three Rivers. She was born Aug. 31, 1940, in White Pigeon, the daughter of Frank and Ellen (Messner) Todd. She lived all of her life in White Pigeon and was a White Pigeon High School graduate. She was employed at The …

State police arrested a 28-year-old Constantine man early Sunday on charges that include a weapons-related offense. Troopers were called at 1:20 a.m. to the 11000 block of Millers Mill Road in response to an intoxicated subject threatening to shoot people. The incident started after the suspect had a dispute with his neighbor, authorities said. The suspect retrieved a loaded shotgun …

A pedestrian was killed last week after she was struck by a semi truck in Park Township. State police said Alyona Springer, 20, of Three Rivers, died at the scene of the incident. Authorities responded at 12:30 a.m. Friday to a location along U.S. 131 near Heimbach Road. The semi was traveling northbound on U.S. 131.

A Kalamazoo man involved in a three-vehicle crash last week in Mendon Township has died. A vehicle driven by Winton Bernier, 79, was in a collision on Prairie Corners Road at Nottawa Road. Authorities said Bernier was driving east on Prairie Corners and failed to stop at the Nottawa Road intersection. A southbound truck on Nottawa Road, which has the …

Three Sturgis men and an Indiana woman are in the Cass County jail, each facing charges in connection with a New Year’s Day armed robbery in Marcellus. Arrested were Bradley Dewayne Shears, 19; Michael Zach Strong, 20; and James Robert Jones II, 17, all from Sturgis; and Kayla Sue Cockburn, 20, of Middlebury. They were charged with conspiracy to commit …

Alyona Alexandra Springer, 20, of Three Rivers, died Friday morning, after a pedestrian accident on U.S. 131 near Three Rivers. A native of Russia, she was born in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, on July 30, 1994, to Alexandra Melinichenko. After her birth mother’s death, Alyona and her older sister Darya “Dasha” Springer spent their early years in Orphanage #59, Krasnoyarsk. Alyona and …

Iola M. Mesler, age 73, of Colon, passed away June 4, 2015, at her home, surrounded by her family, after a hard fought 11-month battle with cancer. Iola was born Oct. 19, 1941, in Plattsburgh, N.Y., a daughter of the late Charlotte Patnode and Everest Woodward. On Jan. 10, 1957, she married Wallace L. J. Mesler and they spent 58 …

Michael I. Perry, age 17, of Sturgis, was surrounded by his loving family at their home Wednesday morning, June 3, 2015, when he was called to heaven following a long, courageous battle with cancer. He was born May 22, 1998, in Sturgis, a son of Lewis and Karen (Miller) Perry. Michael was a lifelong Sturgis resident and a member of …

Longtime St. Joseph County Intermediate Board of Trustees member Elizabeth O’Dell was re-elected Monday to another six-year term. A Sturgis resident, O’Dell received five votes, with challengers Brandon Kent, also of Sturgis, receiving two. Leonidas resident Sherman Greider picked up one endorsement. One representative from each of St. Joseph County’s nine school districts was eligible to cast a vote for …