Students at Riverside Elementary School in Constantine raised more than $800 through a penny drive to donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The penny drive ran for five weeks, concluding in late January, and was organized by fourth-grade teacher Carolyn Niblock. She said the accomplishment shows that school is not only about education, but life skills, too. Niblock said …

Officials in Kalamazoo have decided to remove a park fountain featuring a European settler with a weapon in his hand towering over a Native American. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports the Kalamazoo City Commission voted 5 to 1 early Tuesday following a meeting that began Monday night on the future of the Fountain of the Pioneers in Bronson Park. A plan …

Nellie J. Otte, age 84, of Coloma, passed away Thursday, March 1, 2018 at Ely Manor in Allegan Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held 1:00 pm Saturday, March 10 at Calvary Bible Church in Benton Harbor. Donations in memory of Nellie may be made to the church. Those wishing to leave an online message of remembrance …

Joanne M. Deihl, age 76, of Centreville, passed away on Thursday, March 1, 2018 at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo. She was born in Coldwater on August 8, 1941, a daughter of Roy Birch and Dorothy Dodge. Joanne graduated from Coldwater High School in 1959. After high school, she obtained her nursing degree at the Coldwater Hospital, where she worked for …

Warrants are being sought for a number of suspects following the discovery of a large-scale marijuana operation last week in Cass County’s Ontwa Township. Members of the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team served a search warrant on an address in the 71000 block of Stateline Road on the suspicion that the illegal sale and use of marijuana was taking place. …

St. Joseph County United Way and matching local donors recently awarded a special grant to four local schools for the purchase of Nightlocks. Nightlock is a classroom-door-lockdown mechanism that allows a teacher to immediately lock the door from inside the classroom. It is fast, easy and withstands 1,500 pounds of force. On a conventional classroom door, an intruder can break …

Sturgis City commissioners last week approved a draft of a recreation facility agreement with St. Joseph County to partner for development of a disc golf course at Cade Lake Park. The city will be responsible for the material costs for development, and the county will install and construct, then own and operate, the course. The agreement commits the city for …

Stewart M. Nickell, age 72, of Portage, formerly of Constantine, passed away on Thursday, March 1, 2018 at Borgess Medical Center. He was born in Sturgis on August 2, 1945, a son of R. Dale and Elizabeth “Betty” (Stewart) Nickell. Stewart’s family grew up in Constantine, moved to Ridgway, CO, and finally to Brookings, OR where he graduated from High …

St. Joseph County’s attempt to shore up its financial state resulted in just one courthouse layoff. Other positions eyed for cuts, however, were changed from full-time to part-time. In addition, another employee whose job was likely to be eliminated resigned and found work elsewhere. County administrator Teresa Doehring said the layoff and reduction in hours were part of an effort …

The eighth consecutive year of the St. Joseph County Conservation District’s River Cleanup will see more than 25 miles of waterways covered this summer. Six events beginning in June and ending in early August will await conservation district employees and what director Carolyn Grace hopes is a strong number of volunteers. The six dates in 2018 begin June 2 over …