St. Joseph County’s newest employee was at the center of a welcome event Tuesday at Central Dispatch. A reception to welcome Bolo, a 2-year-old black poodle, took place at the Centreville-based agency. Central Dispatch Executive Director Stacey Bower said donations from businesses, civic groups and individuals covered the $6,500 for training and purchase of the advocate dog. It will live …

The Sturgis branch of KeyBank, a longtime financial institution in town, is closing later this summer. The bank’s doors will be locked at 3 p.m. Aug. 11, while the ATM will cease operations at 8 a.m. the same day. Sturgis KeyBank customers are being directed to the branch in Bristol, Ind., for continued service, according to a posting at the …

Sturgis city officials last week agreed to pursue a grant worth more than $67,000 for ongoing improvements at the Sturges-Young Center for the Arts. The grant, due for submission by Thursday, asks for grant funding from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council. If secured, the grant would go toward audio upgrades in the facility’s auditorium. The center would be expected …

More than a dozen members from four area fire departments took part in a safety-training program called “Managing Farm Tractor and Machinery Emergencies,” taught over the weekend. The two-day workshop started in a classroom setting Friday at Burr Oak Fire Department and continued Saturday with hands-on exercises at a location in Sturgis Township. Event organizer Jeremy Smallwood, a captain with …

Here’s a look at this month’s Fresh Food Distribution in St. Joseph County. First Presbyterian Church on Lakeview Avenue in Sturgis will host the month’s inaugural distribution. It will take place at 4 p.m. June 8. Seventh-Day Adventist Church, east of Centreville on M-86, will oversee the next distribution. It is scheduled for 4 p.m. June 13. Two distributions will …

Here’s a reminder that Community Action welcomes participants and sponsors at its inaugural “Whack for Warm” golf outing. All proceeds will go directly to Community Action’s Emergency Assistance programs that assists income-eligible households in St. Joseph, Calhoun, Barry, Branch and Kalamazoo counties with heating costs and/or critical housing needs. Agency officials said they are looking for local businesses in St. Joseph …

A Constantine man suffered life-threatening injuries in a single-car crash last weekend in Constantine Township. Undersheriff Jason Bingaman said deputies were called shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday to the area of Zerbe Road and U.S. 131 for what was reported as a crash with injuries. Upon arrival, deputies found that a 57-year-old Constantine man was driving east on Zerbe Road …

Sturgis Public Schools teacher Tyson Dilts has received the 2023 John E. Oster Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dilts accepted the award Friday at the Sturgis Area Community Foundation’s annual Impact Celebration at the Sturges-Young Center for the Arts. Dilts, a first-grade teacher at Wenzel Elementary, has taught with Sturgis Public Schools for six years. Superintendent Art Ebert said Dilts …

St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a breaking-and-entering incident in Park Township. Undersheriff Jason Bingaman said deputies were called last week to a business in the 16000 block of Cotherman Lake Road. According to a department media release, a number of items were stolen. The incident is believed to have occurred between May 19 and May 22.

A Sturgis man was found guilty of felony offenses stemming from an incident last summer in Sturgis. Prosecutor David Marvin said Brandon Forbes, 29, was found guilty by jury of one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and three counts of resisting/obstructing police after a one-day trial last week in front of St. Joseph County Circuit Court Judge Paul …