Donna Marie Kirby, 56, of Sturgis, Michigan, died at her home on Sunday, October 7, 2018. The passing of our Donna is something that our family will get through, but never get over. Donna was born on July 20, 1962 at the old Sturgis Memorial Hospital. She was the firstborn child of James and Mary Kirby, Sturgis, Michigan. Donna was …

Homer Francis McKindley, Jr., age 91, formerly of Mendon and Marcellus, died Monday, Oct. 1, 2018 in Waukesha, WI where he had resided the past three years. He was born in Akron, Ohio on Nov. 14, 1926 the son of Homer F. McKindley and Lucile Marjoria (Acker) McKindley. Homer graduated from Mendon High School in 1944, and then joined the …

A 43-year-old White Pigeon man was Tased after he led police on a brief pursuit and failed to abide by their commands once he was stopped. Sheriff’s deputies said they were called at 2:24 a.m. Saturday to the 11000 block of U.S. 12 in Mottville Township in response to a disorderly subject. The suspect drove through a fence to access …

A White Pigeon woman suffered serious injuries after the vehicle she was in was struck by an SUV operated by a distracted driver. Sheriff’s deputies responded at noon Saturday to the intersection of U.S. 131 and North River Road in Constantine Township. Upon further investigation, it was determined that an SUV heading east on North River Road did not stop …

The St. Joseph County Area Narcotics Unit and the Southwest Enforcement Team recently joined forces to form SWET-South. The multi-jurisdiction unit replaces what was previously known as the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit. The new unit includes officers from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, Michigan State Police and Sturgis Police Department. St. Joseph County Undersheriff Mark Lillywhite said the …

Betty L. Hutson, age 88, of Kalamazoo, passed away on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. Betty was born in Three Rivers, on Oct. 23, 1929, the daughter of Peter Costanzo and Frieda (Mueller) Galinet. On May 28, 1949, she married Bill L. Hutson. She lived in the Three Rivers area her whole life and was a lifelong lover of dogs, cats, gardens …

Mr. Charles D. Kauffman, age 76, of Three Rivers, passed away suddenly on Thursday, October 4, 2018 at Bronson Methodist Hospital. Charlie was born in Three Rivers on August 21, 1942 the son of the late Kenneth R. and Mary (Boggio) Kauffman. Charlie graduated from Three Rivers High School in 1962. He served his country honorably in the U.S. Marine …

A Michigan Department of Health and Human Services employee in St. Joseph County received a prestigious award issued by a state panel last week in Bay City. Susan Pyles, a foster care specialist with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services office in Centreville, was honored as the “Foster Care Worker of the Year” during Friday’s luncheon staged by the …

Saturday’s 13th annual fall collection of household hazardous waste and electronics recycling was declared a success by its organizers. Sponsored by the St. Joseph County Solid Waste Committee, the four-hour collection netted 30,000 pounds of electronics, 8,000 pounds of hazardous waste, 226 tires, about 14,000 pounds of paper and cardboard, 4,000 pounds of latex paint, and one and one-quarter semi-trailers …

A shortage of staff will reduce the number of food inspections in the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency’s three counties. Environmental Health director Paul Andriaachi said St. Joseph County’s food sanitarian Hannah Warner resigned last month, leaving a vacancy in the food-inspection staff. The loss of staff has made it necessary to institute a reduced frequency of inspections and to …