National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced this year’s National Merit $2,500 scholarship winners. Among the recipients are Ethan and Jesse Pattison of Sturgis High School. They are the sons of St. Joseph County District Court Judge Rob Pattison. The 2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 finalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. …

Barbara G. Hazelwood, age 90, of Sturgis, passed away Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, at Southeast Georgia Health System in Brunswick, Ga. She was born Nov. 13, 1927, in Burr Oak, a daughter of the late Floyd and Florence (Bonner) Lutz. Barbara was a lifelong Sturgis resident and a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1945. In 1972, …

George Fredric Tracy, age 87, of Sturgis, passed away Saturday afternoon, May 19, 2018, at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born Dec. 30, 1930, in Alma, Mich., son of the late Freddie and Iva (Zimmerman) Tracy. George resided in Sturgis since 2011 coming from Zephyrhills, Fla., where he lived several years. His early life was spent in Lansing. …

A 26-year-old White Pigeon man was killed last week in a crash in Kalamazoo County. Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officials said Kevin Alleshouse’s vehicle struck the rear of a semitruck car-carrier at 6:45 p.m. Thursday in the 3800 block of Stadium Drive. The car carrier was parked in the center lane while vehicles were being unloaded at an auto …

Michigan Department of Transportation has awarded a state transportation grant that will support 15 new jobs in Schoolcraft. Chem Link, a manufacturer of solvent-free adhesives, sealants and architectural products, is planning a $5 million expansion and renovation of its facility at East Lyons and Angell streets. The expansion includes new building space and equipment, resulting in the creation of 15 …

Laura Chang, a second-grade teacher at Sunset Lake Elementary in Vicksburg, was announced last week as the 2018-19 Michigan Teacher of the Year. Chang learned of her selection during a surprise visit from interim state superintendent Sheila Alles during a school visit to highlight the school’s academic success. Chang, who is the first Kalamazoo County recipient of the honor in …

A group representing St. Joseph County took part in a recent rally at the State Capitol. Vulnerable and at-risk citizens gathered May 2 to remind legislators to prioritize people first in the ongoing discussions to privatize parts of the state’s behavioral health system. The 14th annual “Walk-a- Mile in My Shoes” rally was staged to keep public behavioral healthcare at the …

Richard A. Miller, age 73, of Colon, passed away May 4, 2018, at his home after several months of failing health. Richard was born July 26, 1944, in Kalamazoo, a son to the late Robert C. and Marguerite J. (Hughey) Miller. He had lived most of his life in Colon, attending Colon Schools and had been employed for the past …

Joe Belshaw, age 83, of Three Rivers, died unexpectedly on Sunday, May 20, 2018 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born in Hammond, Indiana on July 22, 1934 the son of Marshall Elliot Belshaw and Stella Arlene (Newkirk) Belshaw. He attended schools in Indiana and served in the U.S. Air Force. Joe has been a southwest Michigan car …

Did you miss a letter last fall? Investigators say they discovered 1,800 pieces of first-class mail that was headed for recycling in suburban Detroit. The Postal Service inspector general says the mail was found in a trailer in March at an Allen Park facility, mixed with undeliverable bulk business mail. Some of the first-class mail was postmarked months earlier in …