The first of five boater-safety classes in St. Joseph County takes place Saturday at the Colon Fire Department. Sponsored by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, the class is available to people 12 years of age and older. It runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be offered again at the same time every Saturday in June at the …

Two incumbents on the Three Rivers City Commission will be uncontested, while Mayor Tom Lowry and an at-large spot will be decided by voters in November. Jared Hoffmaster and Diane Haley-Clay are poised to earn two-year seats, as they are unopposed. Meanwhile, South Constantine Street resident Larry Nichols is challenging Lowry, the incumbent mayor, for a two-year term. In addition, …

A 27-year-old Constantine man was airlifted to a Kalamazoo hospital after the motorcycle he was driving was struck by a car at the intersection of M-60 and U.S. 131. Michigan State Police investigators said Michael McCuaig was driving south on U.S. 131 when his motorcycle was struck by a car driven east on M-60 by Donald Patch, of Clare County. …

An argument between a father and his son resulted in the arrest of a Sturgis man over the weekend. According to Sturgis police, officers were called around 6 p.m. Friday to the intersection of Ilene and Griffith streets regarding a collision between two vehicles. Witnesses told police the father and son collided in the roadway and, upon exiting their vehicles, …

A Colon business that sustained smoke and water damage following a March fire has reopened. Five Star Pizza owners Carl and Annette Thornton said the eatery opened Friday after recovering from the fire that started next door at Curly’s. Unlike Curly’s and a real estate office to its west, Five Star was not deemed a total loss but required an …

A lifelong Centreville resident was named the village’s Citizen of the Year. Wendy Parker was announced last week as the recipient of the annual honor. Parker is a former village council member and was recognized by village president Jeff Johnson for her commitment to organizing the village’s Memorial Day parade and ceremony over the past 11 years. A 1983 graduate …

The April unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by nearly half a percent compared to a month earlier. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed St. Joseph County’s 6.9 percent April unemployment rate was four-tenths of a percent less than the 7.3 percent rate in March. Furthermore, the April unemployment rate was …

The Associated Press is reporting that White Pigeon’s police chief and a village police sergeant were drunk af­ter the car in which they were riding rolled off a Branch County road last month. Chief Lynn “Dutch” Baker and Sgt. William Burgoyne reportedly both had blood- alcohol contents of 0.13 percent after the April 12 inci­dent in Sherwood Town­ship. A Michigan …

Ziyan Traezon McGairty, age 1 year, 3 months, 12 days, died unexpectedly Saturday morning May 25, 2013, at the Sturgis Hospital Emergency Room. He was born Feb. 13, 2012, a son of Trae and Shanda (Ramirez) McGairty. Ziyan enjoyed being outside, spending time with his brothers and sisters and he loved to dance. Surviving are parents; three brothers, Trey Landon …

David H. Carr, age 67, of Burlington, and formerly of Sherwood, passed away May 24, 2013. There will be no visitation. A graveside committal service and burial of ashes will take place Wednesday, May 29, 2013, at 11 a.m. at the Burr Oak Cemetery in Athens. The family was assisted by the Schipper Funeral Home LTD. in Colon.