Michelle Ann Hoffman, age 55, of Sturgis, passed away Monday morning, Feb. 5, 2018, at Fairview Nursing and Rehabilitation in Centreville. She was born June 15, 1962, in Buffalo, N.Y., a daughter of the late Michael and Marlene (Hall) Hoffman. Michelle resided in the Sturgis area most of her life. She is survived by a daughter, Samantha (Michel) Moser of …

Jack G. Barton, age 77, of Colon, passed away Friday, Feb. 2, 2018, with his sweetheart of 30 years by his side, at Three Rivers Health. Jack was born Jan. 15, 1941, in Sturgis, a son of the late Gordon D. and Iva M. (Snow) Barton. He had made his home in Colon most of his life, graduating from Colon …

Bobbie Brown Whittington, age 94, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 3, 2018 surrounded by her family. Bobbie was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a gracious southern lady and loved her family and friends. She enjoyed gardening, sewing, cooking, and many other activities. She was an excellent role model and teacher who will be deeply missed. …

Walter A. Burkhardt, age 91, of Columbia, MD,apassed away on Sunday, February 4, 2018 at Brighton Gardens Assisted Living Facility in Columbia, MD. He was born November 25, 1926 in Illinois, a son of Albert and Ida (Houseman) Burkhardt. Walter grew up in Highwood, IL where he graduated from high school.  He went onto school further to become an electrical draftsman …

December’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County remained unchanged from the previous month. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed the county’s 3.6 percent December unemployment rate was the same as November’s figure. St. Joseph County was below the state unemployment average, which was 4.4 percent in December. The agency said overall, seasonal …

State Rep. Aaron Miller last week testified on the need for teachers to focus on classroom instruction and quality, not trying to complete a requirement for professional certification. Teachers are currently issued a standard or provisional teaching certificate, commonly given to recent college graduates, with a professional teaching certificate issued to instructors with more than three years classroom experience, over …

One man is dead and two people were injured Friday in a crash on U.S. 12 west of Snow Prairie Road in Branch County’s Bethel Township. Identity of those involved have not been released, pending family notification. Branch County Undersheriff Keith Eichler said a driver of Ford Fiesta had stopped on U.S. 12 to turn left into the Sprung Lake mobile …

Although many health officials are focused on the flu, Michigan is in the midst of a serious Hepatitis A outbreak, said Rebecca Burns, health officer at Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Health Agency. The state’s case count as of Jan. 24 was 715 confirmed cases with 582 hospitalizations and 24 deaths. One case has been reported in Hillsdale. The concern with the Michigan …

Crews are preparing to remove a 90-year-old dam in southwestern Michigan to help restore habitat for native fish. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and other organizations will soon begin the $4 million project to remove the Alcott Street dam in Kalamazoo, the Kalamazoo Gazette reported . The dam, which impounds Bryant Mill Pond on Portage Creek, was built in 1927, but …

Robert Ward dresses like a cowboy, but he’s often referred to as a “space cowboy.” Neatly displayed in well-lit glass cases at his Prescott home are the meteorites that he has found, bartered for or purchased throughout the world. Ward made the most recent additions to his collection this month, when a meteorite was widely witnessed as it fell from …