Armed Forces day has passed for this year and Memorial Day is next Monday, May 27. There are three days every year dedicated to members of the Armed Forces. It can be confusing as to what each of these days represents. Let me clear some of these doubts. For lack of a better term, we’ll call it “Military Holidays 101”. …

Deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department are investigating a suspicious vehicle fire in Colon Township. Authorities were called at 2 a.m. Friday to the intersection of Brandt and Farrand roads following a report of a possible vehicle crash. Deputies found a vehicle fully engulfed in flames. The vehicle, however, did not appear to have been in a crash …

A 66-year-old Three Rivers man was injured in a single-vehicle accident last week in Cass County’s Newberg Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said the incident occurred at 6:30 a.m. Friday on M-60, near Wood Lake Road. Emergency personnel found a vehicle had left the roadway and rolled over.  The driver of the vehicle, Calvin Brown Jr., was transported to Three Rivers …

State Rep. Aaron Miller last week introduced a resolution designating May 15, 2019, as Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Global Awareness Day in Michigan. Tuberous Sclerosis Complex affects an estimated 1 in every 6,000 live births in America and is one of the leading known genetic causes of epilepsy. Despite this, many professionals in the medical and educational fields are still unaware …

A St. Joseph County jury deliberated for about two hours Friday morning before finding Zachary Patten guilty of murder. Jurors found Patten guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder, first-degree home invasion and felony firearm. Patten was on trial for the July 2017 shooting death of Shane Richardson at Richardson’s home on Featherstone Road in Florence Township. As the verdicts …

A Sturgis resident was confirmed last week by the U.S. Senate to serve as a commissioner on the International Joint Commission for U.S. and Canada. Rob Sisson will be a part of the IJC, a bi-national agency that oversees management of waters between the U.S. and Canada. The countries work to protect Great Lakes waters for the benefit of both …

A 27-year-old Sturgis man was charged with assault and battery following an incident last week. Sturgis police said officers responded shortly after 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to an area near the intersection of South Nottawa and Congress streets regarding an assault. Officers found that the suspect had been involved in an incident with a 65-year-old man. The victim sustained injuries that …

Here’s a weekly update from the Michigan Department of Transportation regarding the U.S. 131 project in Three Rivers. For northbound and southbound lanes, construction will continue on the existing median curb lane islands. They will be replaced with temporary paving this week. Meanwhile, crews will continue utility work on outside shoulders, while median work will also continue on median traffic …

Gary E. Phillips, age 83, of Sturgis, passed away early Thursday morning, May 16, 2019, at Rose Arbor Hospice Residence in Kalamazoo. He was born July 9, 1935, in Holland, a son of the late Ernie M. and Thelma E. (Smith) Phillips. Gary resided in Sturgis since 1963, coming from Traverse City. On Dec. 18, 1953, he married Patricia A. …

Thelma E. Fiebelkorn, age 87, of Burr Oak, passed away Wednesday morning, May 15, 2019, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born Feb. 4, 1932, in Sturgis, a daughter of the late Clarence and Pauline (Maxwell) Maystead. Thelma resided most of her life in the Burr Oak area and was a graduate of Burr Oak High School with …