Two longtime traditions in St. Joseph County are among the casualties of the coronavirus. Organizers of the 2020 Mendon Dust-Off old-car show decided last week to pull the plug on what would have been its 57th annual show May 3. Meanwhile, the twice-a-year collection of household hazardous waste and electronics at the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds has been canceled. Solid …

Sturgis Department of Public Services crews will begin spring brush and leaf pickup today. While the compost site also was scheduled to open this morning, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the city is keeping it closed, along with other facilities, through April 13. For brush and leaf pickup, DPS crews will start on the north side of the city and work …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s decision Thursday to close Michigan’s public schools until fall was acknowledged by area superintendents as not a surprise but necessary. With COVID-19 still not under control, Whitmer said Michigan joins a growing list of states that hoped to resume classes in mid-April but will instead be shut down for the rest of the academic year. In Sturgis, …

Two local student-athletes were recognized with All- State accolades for their basketball seasons. White Pigeon’s Claycee West was named to the Associated Press Second Team for Division 3, while Centreville’s Joanna Larsen was tabbed to the honorable mention team for Division 3. West this season set the all-time scoring mark for White Pigeon, breaking head coach Brooke McClure’s record. West …

Dorothy (Packer-Clute) Kramb, age 95, died Tuesday, March 31, 2020 at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born in Ypsilanti on Feb. 5, 1925 the daughter of Irving Charles and Edna Pearl (Davis) Packer. She graduated from Roosevelt High School in Ypsilanti. She was married to John W. Clute in 1950. He passed away in 1979. She was married …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says Michigan is probably a month away from reaching the apex of the coronavirus outbreak that already has infected at least 9,300 people and contributed to the deaths of 337 in the state. She said Thursday that everyone must act as though we could be carrying the virus and stay home because just one person with it …

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has ordered that students in the state will not return to K-12 school buildings the rest of the academic year due to the coronavirus pandemic and instead will learn remotely. All public and private schools are more than halfway through a four-week shutdown ordered by Whitmer to combat the outbreak. She said Thursday face-to-face instruction will …

Claims for unemployment benefits continue to skyrocket in Michigan during the coronavirus pandemic. A record 311,000 people filed initial applications last week. That is more than double from the previous week — shattering the previous high of 128,000 that was set the week before. The system has been deluged. The website went down Tuesday before being restored. The state Unemployment …

The number of Michigan residents infected with the coronavirus is moving closer to 10,000, one of the highest totals in the U.S. Michigan cases increased by 1,719 on Wednesday, bringing the state’s total to 9,334. Coronavirus-related deaths rose by 78, for a total of 337. The state says hundreds of ventilators from the federal government will be quickly put into …

I am called Penelope. They tell me that in Greek “Penelope” means “Weaver”. I would like to weave my way into your heart. I am a female, five month old, grey and white kitten. I will need my spay surgery soon. I get along with other cats, I don’t know about dogs. Due to the Shelter in Place restrictions, you …