Sharon Irene (Sowles) Kline, age 54, of Sturgis, passed away Sunday morning, March 30, 2014, at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. She was born Feb. 7, 1960, in Gary, Ind., a daughter of the late Ray and Dorothy (Crowe) Sowles. Sharon spent the past 20 years in Sturgis, where she was a friendly and familiar face in the community and …

A trio of finalists for the superintendent’s job at Colon Community Schools will be interviewed this evening. Victor Bungi, Drew Bordner and Mike Corey were selected last week from a field of seven prospects to undergo second interviews and site visits. The first of the three interviews will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Colon High School’s media center. Site visits …

St. Joseph County was in the bottom third in the state in two health-related categories, according to results from a study released last week. The fifth annual County Health Rankings from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute were released showed St. Joseph County was 60th overall in health outcomes and 59th overall in health factors. …

Mr. William “Bill” Hugh Mitchell Jr., age 88, of Three Rivers, passed away suddenly on Sunday, March 30, 2014, at his home. He was born in Burgoon, OH., on May 2, 1925 the son of the late William Hugh and Minnie E. (Voorhies) Mitchell. Bill graduated from Jackson Burgoon High School in 1943. Upon graduation Bill joined the U.S. Navy …

Louis Lee White, Sr., age 71 of Three Rivers died Sunday March 30, 2014 at his home. He was born in Sturgis on July 29, 1942 the son of Walter E. and Geraldine (Hendricks) White and was a lifetime resident of the area. Louis was employed at Weyerhauser in Three Rivers for over thirty one years. He enjoyed camping and …

Betty A. VanDeKeere, 81, of LaGrange, Ind., died Saturday, March 29, 2014 at Miller’s Merry Manor in LaGrange. She worked at Transagram and as a cook at Miller’s Merry Manor. She lived her lifetime in LaGrange and was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Betty was born on April 19, 1932, in LaGrange, to Raymond and Anna (Brown) Keplinger. …

A collection of trash in Constantine Township’s Mill Creek turned out to be a methamphetamine dump site. Members of the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit were called Friday to Brick Chapel Road and spent several hours picking debris from the water. Sheriff’s department officials had received a tip about suspicious items found in the creek. Police determined several items …

The Sturgis City Commission has a vacancy to fill following a resignation announced last week. Mike Wilson has moved out of the city’s Third Precinct, making him ineligible to represent the area. The nine-member board is moving forward with plans to replace Wilson, who was on the commission for more than two years. Interested parties must submit an application to …

Results of a needs-assessment questionnaire, distributed jointly by Sturgis Hospital and Three Rivers Health, have been released. The fourth of five fields focuses on healthy behaviors. According to the St. Joseph County 2012 Community Health Needs Assessment, 786 St. Joseph County residents under the age of 75 years suffered a premature death between 2008 and 2010. St. Joseph County ranked …

Lt. Gov. Brian Calley has signed a package of bills, including one authored by state Rep. Matt Lori, which remove the words “retarded” and “retardation” from current laws. Last week’s bill-signing, attended by lawmakers, Lansing school officials and Special Olympians, took place at Hill Vocational Center in Lansing. Lori, who serves as a member of the Michigan Mental Health and …