Two of four Ohio men linked to a September armed robbery at the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds have pleaded guilty to the charge. During a court proceeding earlier this month, 35-year-old John Gregory and Robert Howe, 55, pled guilty and as part of a plea agreement that included dismissal of additional charges. Corderrius Cook, 27, pled no contest, while Samuel …

A clerk at a motel outside of Schoolcraft was robbed at gunpoint earlier this week. Kalamazoo County officials said the incident took place at 4:30 a.m. Monday at the Plainsman Motel, on U.S. 131 in Schoolcraft Township. Investigators said a man with a bandana over his face and a woman with several piercings on her lip and face entered the …

Seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates in November declined in 14 of the state’s 17 major labor market regions. According to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget, total employment and labor force levels rose in the majority of areas over the month. 12 of Michigan’s major regions posted unemployment rates below the national seasonally unadjusted rate of 5.5 percent. The Ann Arbor area …

Cases of influenza are growing rapidly across Michigan, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declares a national flu epidemic, with widespread outbreaks in 22 states, so far. The C-D-C reports 15 children have died already this season of complications from the flu, which is peaking much earlier than normal in December instead of February or March. National officials say about …

Mrs. Jeanne (Broker) Susemihl, age 93, of Three Rivers, passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 28th, 2014 at Riverview Manor Nursing Home. She was born in Colon, MI. on April 6, 1921 the daughter of the late Fred and Fay (Wyant) Broker. Jeanne graduated from Three Rivers High School in 1939 and went on to St. Camillus School of Nursing …

Kermit Franklin Parsons, age 75, of Three Rivers, passed away Sunday, December 28, 2014 at Indiana University Goshen Hospital. Starting life in Chicago, IL, Kermit was born to John Parsons and Sybella VanderVeen Parsons Wagonmaker.  Sybella moved to MI at his age of five, where he went to a country school near Jones before attending Three Rivers High School. In …

It’s hard to believe that 2015 begins on Thursday. I hate to wear out a phrase, but I just don’t know where this year has gone. I have to think hard to remember the seasons that have passed. Our summer was quite normal, with temperatures staying below ninety degrees most of the time. I’m not sure if we did have …

HAPPY NEW YEAR! My name is Chance and I am a male black lab mix, about 4 years old. I have a lot of energy and love to play. I know how to play fetch and how to sit – and I really like belly rubs. I have already been neutered, too. People are very fun to play with but …

Diane Rosadelle ( Hagen) Bower, 72, of Sturgis, Mich., went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2014, at Sturgis Hospital, following a two- month illness. She was born Dec. 12, 1942, in Sturgis, the daughter of Walter L. and Rosadelle ( Parke) Hagen. Except for two years in Florida, she lived in the Sturgis, …

The MSU Extension Service has played an active role in St. Joseph County during 2014, according to an annual report presented earlier this month to the county commission. Its role with children and youth included a “Grow Your Own Pig and Sell Your Pig” commodity carnival as a simulation of what it takes to raise a hog for market. Other …