Officials from the St. Joseph County Conservation Club have announced its Sherman Township headquarters will be a drop-off site for a Michigan United Conservation Club program through deer season. The club is participating in “Defend the Hunt,” a program that allows hunters to donate deer hides that will be processed and sold, with proceeds going to defend hunting rights in …

Patricia A. (Dimmick) Everett, age 82, of Constantine, passed away Monday, November 18th, 2013 at her home. She was born on October 29, 1931, a daughter of Ida Dimmick in White Pigeon. She attended schools in Constantine , Watson, Gwinn, and later graduating from Sturgis. On November 22, 1947 she married Louis F. Everett in Three Rivers. He preceded her …

The Sturgis Toy Run is providing an opportunity to make Christmas a brighter holiday for area children. Through Friday, the organization’s Sherman Township-based headquarters will be manned 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to accept toys and non-perishable food that will be distributed in coming weeks to families in need. Pat Linnan, president of the Sturgis Toy Run Inc., said officials …

A millage-increase request before voters in the Mendon Community Schools district is one step closer to reality. By unanimous vote Monday, board of education members approved a preliminary qualification application to the Michigan Department of Treasury. The action means the district is in the process of seeking approval from the state agency to issue state-qualified bonds. The district’s bond attorney, …

A chimney fire is being cited as the source of a blaze that destroyed a house in Mendon Township last week. Investigators said the conclusion was made after a closer look into the situation and its origin. The fire, which was reported at 11:30 a.m. Friday, destroyed a residence in the 53500 block of Nottawa Road. One occupant inside the …

The Sunday storms that swept across the Lower Peninsula Sunday have claimed at least two lives. A 21-year-old Ingham County man died when a tree fell while he was driving. Investigators say the tree either fell in front of, or onto his car in Ingham County. The victim, Ryan Ellen Rickman of Leslie, was driving northbound when the heavy winds …

Authorities say an 83-year-old woman has died in a fire at her Kalamazoo-area home. MLive.com reports that Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Pali Matyas says she’s believed to be the owner of the house in Galesburg. Her name wasn’t immediately released. Charleston-Galesburg assistant fire Chief Joe Coleman says authorities got a call about 4:15 a.m. Monday and says two other departments helped …

Dolly J. “Dotty” Pike, age 79, of Jefferson City, Tenn., and a former Sturgis resident, passed away Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013, at her home. She was born Sept. 19, 1934, in South Bend, Ind., daughter of the late Kenneth A. and Sarah Elizabeth (Robison) Keyser. Dotty resided in Tennessee for the past 10 years. She moved to Sturgis in 1969 …

Robert L. Brandebury, age 70, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away early Sunday morning, Nov. 17, 2013, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. He was born April 30, 1943, in Fort Worth, Texas, son of the late Warren and Hazel (Rhoades) Brandebury. Mr. Brandebury resided in Sturgis since 1964 coming from Grand Rapids. He was a truck driver by trade and …

Bobby Grant Bray, age 64, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away unexpectedly Saturday afternoon, Nov. 16, 2013, at his home. He was born Oct. 9, 1949, in Kentucky. Bobby resided in Sturgis for many years coming from Detroit. His early life was lived in Kentucky. He was a retired truck driver and had also worked as a taxi driver in Detroit. …