Gene Shepherd, age 68, of Mendon, passed away on Friday, Nov. 24, 2017. The family will receive relatives and friends from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017, at Schipper Funeral Home in Colon. Cremation will follow. A graveside Service and burial of ashes will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, at Mendon Cemetery.

Vaccine waiver rates for school-age children have increased slightly in Michigan. The Detroit News reports that Department of Health and Human Services data shows 3.2 percent of kindergartners and seventh-graders received immunization waivers in 2016 compared to 3.1 percent the year before. The immunization rate was 4.8 percent in 2014. Since 2015, the state has required parents to attend educational …

An Indiana man who thought he’d never see his dog again after it vanished in September has been reunited with the pooch, which was 200 miles away in central Michigan. Gene Valdez of Elkhart, spent two months periodically checking a local animal shelter for his Brittney Spaniel, Rock. But then his nephew contacted the Cass County Humane Society, located about …

A Kalamazoo fountain that features a European settler with a weapon in his hand towering over a Native American has been vandalized with what appeared to be red paint. The substance was poured onto the settler and something resembling a hatchet was thrust into the top of the Fountain of the Pioneers in Kalamazoo’s Bronson Park. City workers discovered the …

Kitty Miller, age 64, of Elkhart, died on Thursday, November 23, 2017. She was born January 9, 1953 in Van Wert, OH, daughter of Charles and Betty (Potter) Spahr. Kitty graduated from Hillsdale High School. On June 11, 1988 she married Ernie Miller in Centreville. Kitty was employed at Valmont Industries and previously at Pro Design in Elkhart. Kitty enjoyed …

Diane Elizabeth Heckler, age 66, of Sturgis, passed away early Wednesday morning, Nov. 22, 2017, at Heartland Health Care Center in Three Rivers. She was born Aug. 29, 1951, in Sellersville, Pa., a daughter of the late Robert and Arlene (Hartman) Heckler. Diane resided in Sturgis since 1986, coming from Pennsylvania. She was a homemaker and enjoyed online gaming, watching …

Edna Allen, age 95, of Sturgis, and a former longtime Three Rivers resident, passed away on Saturday, November 11, 2017 at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. Friends and family will be received from 10:00-11:00 A.M., Wednesday at the Bethel Baptist Church, 17852 S. River Road in Three Rivers where funeral services celebrating the life of Edna Allen will begin at …

St. Joseph County’s board of commissioners Tuesday approved a resolution calling for a hiring freeze. The mandate affects general-fund positions and takes effect immediately, according to commission chairman Allen Balog. He said it will remain in place as long as necessary and will be reviewed for continuation annually during the board’s budget process. In addition, the county is offering for …

The 27th annual Jail Ministry Banquet took place recently, an event staged through the Correctional Chaplaincy Corporation of St. Joseph County under the direction of Chaplain Jake Schwartz. The meal was provided by several area churches and prepared by parishioners of Calvary Chapel. The annual pie auction added several hundred dollars to the total raised for the annual benefit, which …

The city of Sturgis has received a $375,000 state grant for reconstruction of North Lakeview Avenue from U.S. 12 to the railroad tracks. In addition, Sturgis City Commission members recently heard about proposed options to widen the 25-foot road, expanding it to at least 27 feet. At 27 feet, the road would meet minimum requirements to be considered a major street. …