Chester H. Niblock Jr., age 89, of Mottville Township, White Pigeon, died Tuesday, May 7, 2019, at his home, following a brief illness. He was born Aug. 13, 1929, in Elkhart, a son of Chester H. and Esther M. (Bardon) Niblock Sr. He was a graduate of Middlebury High School and a resident of Middlebury, Mottville Township and a winter …

Kermit Ward Gray, Jr., age 71, of Sturgis, passed away unexpectedly Sunday, May 5, 2019, at his home. He was born July 17, 1947, in New Port, R.I., a son of the late Kermit and Mary (Ukraniac) Gray. Kermit had resided in Sturgis since 1978, coming from New Port. He had been employed for several years by Grumman Olson in …

Charles K. “Chuck” Hopper, age 57, of LaGrange, died unexpectedly Saturday, May 4, 2019, at Parkview LaGrange Hospital. Chuck was born Dec. 8, 1961, in LaGrange, to John H. “Bud” and Nancy (Hart) Hopper. He retired from the LaGrange County highway department after working there for 30 years. Chuck was currently working part-time for Miller’s Super Valu in LaGrange. Chuck …

A building was burglarized last weekend in Three Rivers. Sheriff’s deputies said they were called shortly before 6 a.m. Saturday to the 59000 block of U.S. 131 in response to a breaking-and-entering incident. Upon arriving to work, an employee found an overhead door open. Upon looking further in the building, the employee observed that someone removed the exterior metal then …

Two people were arrested after the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team executed a search warrant Saturday at a residence in Calvin Township. County officials said detectives arrived Saturday at a residence in the 21000 block of Calvin Hill Street on suspicion that the use and sale of methamphetamine was taking place there. Upon further investigation, detectives located several bags of …

A Kalamazoo man was arrested by Sturgis police after a chase that started on South Centerville Road earlier this week. Police attempted to stop a vehicle near Wade Street for speeding at 90 miles per hour. The 18-year-old driver fled, driving east on Fawn River Road then heading into a field near Silver Creek and Halsey Square roads, and drove …

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is threatening to veto Senate-passed auto insurance legislation if it gets to her desk in its current form. The Democrat said Tuesday the bill headed toward the House “creates more problems than it solves.” The Senate earlier Tuesday approved a bill that would eliminate Michigan’s unique system requiring drivers to buy unlimited medical coverage for crash …

Voters in two St. Joseph County school districts will have the opportunity today to vote on ballot questions. White Pigeon Community Schools will have a millage renewal request before voters, while Sturgis Public Schools is asking for an additional one and three-quarter mills. White Pigeon Superintendent Jon Keyer said the district is seeking one mill for five years and is …

The St. Joseph Sheriff’s Department is investigating a shooting that occurred Monday in the 68000 block of Plumb School Road in Fawn River Township. Because the matter is an ongoing investigation, authorities are not releasing additional information.

Two major routes in Cass and Van Buren counties will be partially closed through the end of the month as Michigan Department of Transportation crews work on repaving. MDOT’s Nick Schirripa said the project started Monday and involves seven miles of M-40 and M-51, including M-40 from Marcellus Highway north to the Cass/Van Buren county line, and on M-51 from …