An annual allocation to a three-county agency was approved Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. With unanimous support, commissioners agreed to quarterly payments totaling $307,700 to finance a portion of the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency. The county also agreed to commit its annual $1 contribution to fulfill terms related to its building lease agreement with CHA …

Mr. Eddie Earline Stokes, resident of Vicksburg, formerly of Fair Oaks, Arkansas, departed this life on Friday, January 11, 2019, at St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the age of 84 following an extended battle with Primary Progressive Aphasia. Mr. Stokes was born in Fair Oaks on Tuesday, January 16, 1934, the son of Mr. Henry Bartholomew Stokes …

County commissioner Allen Balog gave one, final attempt to revisit a matter related to the St. Joseph County Road Commission Board. At the conclusion of Tuesday’s county commission meeting, Balog made a motion to accept road commission chairman Dave Allen’s offer to step down and yield his seat to Rick Anderson. The issue dates to the county commission’s Jan. 2 …

A Sturgis woman was arrested on drug-related offenses earlier this week. Sturgis officers on routine patrol noticed a woman acting suspiciously shortly before 11 p.m. Sunday in the 100 block of South Nottawa Street. After questioning the 37-year-old woman, officers found she was trespassing on private property. During the course of the investigation it was learned she was in possession …

A longstanding agreement was renewed Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. Commissioners adopted the annual memorandum of agreement between the county and Michigan State University regarding extension programs and services for 2019. The agreement defines the programs, staffing and funding relationship between MSU and the two parties. The base assessment and additional staff total nearly $130,000. The …

A pole barn and its contents were destroyed by fire late Monday at Nissley Disposal. The blaze was reported around 9 p.m. Nissley is located in the 70000 block of South Centreville Road in Sturgis. At least five fire departments responded. Several explosions could be heard from up to a mile away, according to witnesses. An investigation is ongoing.

Republicans who control the Michigan Senate are making the reduction of auto insurance rates a top priority. The first bill introduced in the new two-year session could let older drivers use Medicare or other health insurance to cover their medical costs in an accident. Younger drivers could opt out of Michigan’s mandatory unlimited medical coverage and choose less coverage. The …

NEW YORK (AP) — Sears will live on— at least for now. The company’s chairman and largest shareholder and chairman, Eddie Lampert, won a bankruptcy auction for Sears in New York, averting liquidation of the iconic chain, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The person agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to …

Rebecca “Becky” Sue Montcalm, age 70, of Three Rivers, passed away on Sunday, January 13, 2019 at Rose Arbor of Kalamazoo. She was born on July 25, 1948 to Walter and Miriam (McDonald) Gregory in Three Rivers. Becky graduated from Three Rivers High School with the class of 1966. She was employed for many years at American Axle & Manufacturing …

The Kalamazoo Wings (16-18-0-2) earned their first victory of 2019 on Sunday evening as they defeated the Fort Wayne Komets by a score of 5-3. Taking the lead at the halfway point of the first period, the Komets Shawn Szydlowski scored for the 1-0 advantage.  Late in the period, the K-Wings Zach Diamantoni scored his first professional goal to the …