The Michigan House of Representatives Wednesday approved the budget for fiscal year 2014. State Rep. Matt Lori said he was happy to see continued fiscal responsibility in both the school-aid and general-fund budgets. Lori said the Michigan House has continued to be fiscally responsible with the money to which it is entrusted. The Constantine-area resident said the approved budget controls …

An Indiana man was named by Sheriff Brad Balk as St. Joseph County’s Citizen of the Year. The recognition went to Middlebury resident Andrew Finch during a brief ceremony at the sheriff’s department Tuesday. Finch helped investigators solve a pair of larcenies from Fillmore Equipment in Park Township. Finch was commended for acting on a suspicious situation after he was …

Luccile “Maw” Virginia Wilmoth, 88, of Constantine, died May 25, 2013, at her home following a short illness. She was born Feb. 5, 1925, in Grafton, W. Va., a daughter to Harry and Lowderna (Townsend) Blake. For the past 40 years, she had been a resident of Constantine and was a homemaker and was employed by Paramount Furniture in Sturgis for …

Carla Ellen Stone, 51, of Centreville, Mich., passed away May 21, 2013, at home. She was born in Allegan, Mich., on Sept. 11, 1961, to Arthur E. Waters and Marilyn M. Waters. Carla was engaged to Wayne Simmons for 14 years. She enjoyed camping, fishing, arts and crafts, playing cards and spending time with her family. Surviving Carla are her …

Craig Steven Gotshall, age 54, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away early Saturday morning, May 25, 201,3 at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Mich. The family will receive friends from 1-1:45 p.m. Saturday at the Hackman Family Funeral Homes – Rosenberg Chapel, 807 E. Chicago Rd., Sturgis, MI 49091, (269) 651-3284. Funeral services celebrating the life of Craig Gotshall will be held …

The National Weather Service reports several funnel cloud sightings, including a tornado that landed near Goodrich High School southeast of Flint. No injuries were immediately reported. The weather service didn’t directly link damage to Tuesday night’s tornado sightings in Genesee County but says high winds in the same severe thunderstorm system heavily damaged several homes. It says winds toppled numerous …

Police at Michigan State University say the school’s emergency alert system sent out a false warning of someone firing shots on the East Lansing campus. Sergeant Dan Munford tells the Lansing State Journal that the error happened about 6 p.m. Tuesday when the area received a tornado warning. He says the alert system mistakenly reported that there was an “active …

A 16-year-old Constantine boy sustained serious injuries after the three-wheeler he was driving was struck by a van Saturday afternoon in Constantine Township. State Police officials said the boy was driving the off-road vehicle in a field, when he excited the field and drove onto Winding River Road and into the path of a westbound van driven by 43-year-old Charles …

Members of the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services of St. Joseph County agreed to move forward with establishing a Facebook page for the county’s Substance Abuse Coalition. Board members Tuesday agreed that content of the agency-sponsored page would be limited to the SAC and its activities, including notifications about prescription medical drop boxes, underage-drinking-awareness measures and its Smart …

A 25-year-old Sturgis Township woman was charged with second-offense domestic violence after she was involved in a situation around 2:30 p.m. Monday. State police said troopers responded to a residence at the Sweet Lake Trailer Park regarding a call of a woman stabbing a man with a knife. Upon arrival, troopers found the circumstances were incorrectly reported, but noticed the …