State Rep. Aaron Miller last week commended strides made by the Michigan Legislature in the first year of his second term serving residents of St. Joseph and Cass counties. Miller, who chairs the House Committee on Election and Ethics, serves on the Appropriations Committee, where he is a member of four subcommittees. Miller also chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee on Michigan …

A dog attack in a southwestern Michigan home has left a toddler critically injured. Police in Kalamazoo say the child was dropped off at the home and was being watched by a family friend when the attack occurred. The dog belonged to the family friend. Police were called to the home at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday. The child was being …

A Constantine man died after the vehicle he was driving crashed into a tree over the weekend in Constantine Township. State police said the 49-year-old victim was driving a 2003 Chevy Malibu around 4:15 p.m. Saturday. The driver lost control of the car on Youngs Prairie Road near New England Road. Investigators said the incident occurred as the Malibu was …

Bert C. Shirk Sr., age 55, of Three Rivers, died on Saturday, December 23, 2017 at his home. He was born January 26, 1962 in Three Rivers, a son of Orville and Irene (Palmer) Shirk Sr.  Bert served in the Michigan Army National Guard, SPT Co 1 BN 246 Armor, Three Rivers, as 19D10 Scout from Nov. 1979 to 1985. …

Police have released the handwritten note and map that led investigators to the body of a missing teacher in October. Christopher Lockhart expressed regret for killing his wife, Theresa Lockhart, and wrote, “I pray that God forgives me.” He wrote the note on Oct. 23 before killing himself at their Portage home. Police the next day found his body and …

Authorities say a 43-year-old Michigan man has died after he fell through the ice while fishing on an Indiana river. Indiana Conservation Officers responded to a 911 call Friday afternoon from someone at a park along the St. Joseph River in South Bend. The caller said they saw a man fall through the ice and disappear. St. Joseph County Police …

James “Jim” Lemuel Bippus of Three Rivers, age 85, passed away in his home surrounded by family on Wednesday, December 20, 2017. Jim had recently been admitted to Borgess Hospital due to complications related to kidney dialysis. When treatments became unsuccessful he determined he would leave this world on his own terms and in his own way. He was an …

Tyler Tazmeine Wirtz, age 17, of Bronson, passed away tragically Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017, due to an automobile accident in Lawton. A funeral service will take place at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017, at Pleasant Hill Missionary Church in Bronson, with Pastor Archie Lhamon of Unity Missionary Baptist Church officiating. Interment will follow at Adams Cemetery. Visitation will take …

Judy Anne Reinoehl, age 70, passed away Monday, Dec. 18, with her family by her side, following a brief illness. Judy was born June 14, 1947, in Goshen, to Donald and Helen Higgins. She was a 1965 graduate of White Pigeon High School and a 1967 graduate of Western Michigan University. Judy worked as a secretary, wife, mother, grandmother and …

Members of the St. Joseph County Road Commission discussed the future of the Langley Covered Bridge during their monthly meeting Wednesday. Considering the bridge’s continued maintenance requirements and general repair needs, board members have discussed the possibility of turning it into a pedestrian bridge and putting another bridge alongside it. Three Rivers resident Anna Smith said a new bridge would …