Herbert Jess Roesener, age 84, of White Pigeon, MI, passed away Saturday, December 27th, at Elkhart General Hospital.  Herb was born in Breman, IN on May 8, 1930, a son of the late Jess Walterhouse and Pearl Roesener.  He was the husband of Joan A. (Schmidt) Roesener. Herb graduated from Mishawaka High School in 1949 and went on to serve …

Jimmy Dale Skipper, age 81, of Vandalia, MI died Saturday, December 27, 2014 in his home surrounded by his loving family.  He was born August 28th, 1933 in Leachville, Arkansas, a son of Virgil Noah and Martha Elaine (Rhodes) Skipper.  He married Erma Lee Carmack on November 24th, 1955. Jimmy served in the U.S. Army in the Korean War.  He …

Grand Rapids is going to extremes — from its snowiest November to what could be the least snowy December. The Grand Rapids Press reports that only three-tenths of an inch of snow has fallen this month in the western Michigan city. The drought starkly contrasts with November, which logged 31 inches. Little or at least less snow has been common …

Marlene Brueck, 81, of Three Rivers, passed away Dec. 26, 2014 at home. Arrangements pending at Hohner Funeral Home.

Mrs. Elizabeth “Betty” Louise Hackenberg, age 83, of Three Rivers, passed away on Monday, Dec. 22nd, 2014 at Three Rivers Health. She was born on October 27, 1931 in Three Rivers, MI., the daughter of the late William and Thelma (Meyers) Roberts Sr. Mrs. Hackenberg has been a lifelong resident of Three Rivers. On June 4, 1948 she was united …

A 54-year-old Sturgis woman’s vehicle struck a house last week at 302 S. Lakeview Ave. in Sturgis. Authorities arrived to find the vehicle resting on the front porch of the home, as the driver said the vehicle’s brakes had failed. She told police that when she tried to stop, the brake pedal accelerated all the way to the floor. Police …

Two downtown Sturgis properties will install new outdoor signs after the Sturgis Planning Commission voted to allow the placards to be more colorful than historic standards allow. Sign designs proposed by West Chicago Road businesses Gina’s Healing Hands Day Spa and the Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce had included more than the three building colors allowed in the central business …

Seven property parcels in Fawn River Township have been approved for conditional transfer into the city of Sturgis, based on development agreements inked by the two jurisdictions in 1999 and 2006. Property owned by Roger and Carol Olds at 28204 Fawn River Road, and Evelyn Steffey and Elenora Emerson, at 28246 Fawn River Road, all located between Lakeview Road and …

The Constantine Village Council last week changed zoning designations for parcels at 420 and 460 E. Second St. from residential to industrial. Michigan Milk Producers Association has a sales agreement pending to purchase the properties in order to construct an employee parking lot. Station Street residents Justin and Mollie Kent said they were worried about having a parking lot next …

The state has hired a new director for the Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital. Jill Krause will take over managing the facility next month. The appointment comes following allegations of misconduct at the hospital that caused the former Director, James Coleman, to resign earlier this year. Twenty-eight other workers were suspended in a separate investigation but nearly half of them have since returned …