A “no-contact” order with a segment of the St. Joseph River remains in effect in the Three Rivers area. The precautionary measure is in place after officials from the Three Rivers Clean Water Treatment Plant over the weekend notified the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency that the sanitary sewer river crossing at Broadway Street in Three Rivers became submerged due …

Robert Earl “Rocky” Mercer, age 73, of Middlebury, Indiana, passed away Saturday, April 20th, 2013 at Goshen General Hospital. He was born on August 2, 1939 a son of Jess Willard and Ruth (Dimmick) Mercer in Constantine, MI. Rocky worked at Syndicate Store Fixtures in Middlebury, IN for 18 Years retiring in 2001. He was also a Truck Driver for …

Two semi-trailers were filled with electronics during Saturday’s twice-a-year recycling collection at the St. Joseph County fairgrounds. Sponsored by the St. Joseph County Solid Waste Committee, the collection drew a steady stream of traffic during its four-hour window, according to committee member Pat Kulikowski. The event also netted 13,800 pounds of household hazardous waste, 193 tires and 1,500 pounds of …

Sturgis High School went into lockdown Thursday as a precautionary measure after a student reported overhearing a possible act of violence. Superintendent Tom Langdon said the action was employed based on what the student reported to school officials. It prompted what Langdon called a Phase One security measure, considered a low-level threat. Based on a student’s report to the principal …

Jasper “Sonny” Imburgia, age 77, of White Pigeon, passed away Saturday, April 20th, 2013 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born in Chicago, IL on November 18, 1935, a son of Frank and Marie (Dziurgot) Imburgia. Sonny graduated from St. Phillip High School in Chicago and later served overseas in the US Army from 1958 – 1960. On …

Irmgard Klara Schmidt, age 80, of Ft. Lauderdale, FL died Thursday April 18, 2013 at Kindred Hospital in Ft. Lauderdale. She was born in Gross-Koris, Germany on Oct. 13, 1932 the daughter of Erich and Klara (Gedeon) Schmidt. She emigrated to the United States in 1951, and for a time lived in Mendon. She later resided in Chicago and New …

Janice Marie (Weitting) Keeslar, 69, passed on early Thursday morning, April 18, 2013, surrounded by her loving and devoted children. She was a lifelong resident of Sturgis and the beloved daughter of the late Lawrence and Charlotte (Dunham) Weitting. Janice was a dedicated caseworker for the Family Independence Agency and especially enjoyed working with the elderly. She retired at age …

Ella Ruth Kelley, age 88, of Sturgis, passed away Wednesday, April 17, 2013, at Fairview Nursing and Rehabilitation in Centreville. She was born May 18, 1924, in LaGrange, Ind., a daughter of the late Willis and Minnie (Wierich) Stahl. Ruth resided in the LaGrange and Sturgis area nearly her whole life and was a graduate of Sturgis High School with …

Alice’s life began on Feb. 12, 1954, in Chicago, a daughter of Donald M. and Mary Jane (Stockwell) Symonds Sr. She was a gifted and extreme artist, starting with attending classes at the age of 11 or 12 at the Chicago Art Institute. She was a gifted seamstress, making clothes for her children, herself and her family. Alice used her …

The five-member St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners this week approved a request for a new supervisor position at Central Dispatch, as sought by its director, Jon Uribe. Uribe on Tuesday explained the new position is for the day shift, which has been operating without a supervisor. He said the measure would create an additional position, but a current telecommunicator …