Sturgis police were involved in a four-hour standoff last week with a man who barricaded himself inside a residence in the 600 block of Devonshire Drive, in the northeast quadrant of the city. According to a department media release, police were called around 9:20 a.m. Friday in response to a suicidal man who had a handgun. A perimeter was set …

A five-person team of volunteers gathered about 300 pounds of debris over the weekend from the Prairie River. The second of five river cleanups this summer involved a 2 1/2-mile stretch of the river Saturday from Burr Oak Road to Middle Colon Road in Burr Oak Township. The event was staged by the St. Joseph County Conservation District. Saturday’s haul …

Theresa Marie Zmudka, age 77, of Mendon, died Saturday, June 21, 2014 at her home following a long illness. She was born in Pontiac, MI on Oct. 3, 1936 the daughter of James Edward and Mary Frances (Phelan) Fitzstephens. He attended St. Michael Catholic School in Pontiac and graduated from Mendon High School in 1954. Soon after she moved to …

Diane Lynn Henkel, 64, of Centreville, passed away Friday, June 20th, at Fairview Nursing & Rehabilitation Centre. Diane was born in Three Rivers, MI on October 7, 1949, a daughter of Lathorlyn (Hagelgans) and Neubert Balk. On April 21, 1968 she married Robert Henkel in Centreville. He preceded her in death on December 14, 1995. She graduated from Centreville High …

Dale Robert Loker, age 88, of rural Mendon, died Friday, June 20, 2014 at his home following a long illness. He was born May 8, 1926 the first of five children to Perry and Marian (Vance) Loker in East Lansing, MI. Dale enlisted in the Army Air Corps where he was a drill instructor and teletype operator. He was married …

Janice L. (McKindley-Osgood) Custard, age 85, of Mendon, died Thursday June 19, 2014 at Bowman Place in Three Rivers. She was born in Akron, Ohio on Oct. 4, 1928 the daughter of Homer F. and Lucile M. (Acker) McKindley. She was a 1946 graduate of Mendon High School . Janice was married to Leonard “Mike” Osgood on Feb. 12, 1949 …

Dorothy Joy Holm, age 87, of rural Three Rivers died Wednesday, June 18, 2014 at Three Rivers Health.  She was born in Three Rivers on Feb. 2, 1927 the daughter of Levi and Flossie (Heckelman) Soule. After graduating from Three Rivers High School she was married to Francis E. “Bud” Holm on March 21, 1946. Dorothy was a homemaker and …

A lightning strike is believed to have caused a fire at the Bentwater Apartments in Three Rivers Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters arrived shortly before 2 p.m. to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the roof of building 228. After Three Rivers police conducted an evacuation of the building, firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the blaze. Flames were contained to …

A grant awarded the past two decades to St. Joseph County through the Michigan Department of Corrections is being renewed for a three-year period. At the request of District Court Judge Jeff Middleton, the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Tuesday authorized Middleton submitting the Community Corrections Grant application. Programs and administrative costs covered by the grant equal $103,000. Middleton …

Three people were taken into custody on drug-related charges following an incident Wednesday in Sturgis. According to the Sturgis Department of Public Safety, a tip regarding possible drug activity in the 1500 block of South Centreville Road was received earlier in the day. Officers made contact with two of the parties involved and discovered a large amount of crystal methamphetamine …