Richard Chester Noirot, age 81, of Colon, passed away Friday May 19, 2017, at his home after several months of failing health. Richard was born May 6, 1936 in Elmhurst, Ill., a son to the late Chester N. and Josephine (Woehler) Noirot. On Nov. 10, 1967, he married Clara R. Fredericks in Elmhurst, Ill. She preceded him in death Oct. …

A link to history has been restored and returned to its prominent location along West Michigan Avenue in Three Rivers. Following a $9,700 refurbishing of its carriage, the Scidmore Park cannon is back on public display. Amy Roth, Department of Public Services director, said the work on the carriage was done at the behest of the city in conjunction with …

A grand-opening and ceremonial ribbon-cutting took place last week at Omni Community Credit Union in White Pigeon. The fanfare occurred with the Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce. Ted Parsons, CEO of Omni Community Credit Union, said Omni is excited about being a part of the community. Chris Overbeek, chief marketing officer for OMNI Community Credit Union, presented a check for $1,000 …

Three Rivers High School recently received accolades from the U.S. News and World Report. The 747-student school was ranked 125th out of 245 Michigan high schools included in the survey. To be eligible for a state ranking, a school has to have been awarded a national gold, silver or bronze medal. According to its website, U.S. News ranks schools based …

Bonnie Kay Roberts, 70, of Three Rivers, passed away on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at her home following a very brief illness.  She was born on July 18, 1946 in Iowa City, Iowa the daughter of the late Elmer and Ilene (Blood) Gifford. Mrs. Roberts moved to the Three Rivers area in 1952. On July 26th of 1964 Bonnie and Larry …

Marvin Van Scoik, age 90, Three Rivers died on Tuesday, May 9th at 8:30 pm, at his home following a lengthy illness. He was born in Fulton County Indiana, on December 8, 1926 the son of Charles (Berlin) and Laura (Fay) Van Scoik, Elkhart, Indiana. The family moved to Three Rivers in 1954 because of employment with the US Postal Service. …

Many businesses in Indiana’s Elkhart County are struggling to find workers as the area is experiencing the lowest unemployment rate in 17 years. The Elkhart Truth reports that the county’s unemployment rate in April was 2.8 percent. According to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor, this is the lowest since October 2000’s rate of 2.2 percent. The low unemployment …

Gail Arthur Spurlock, age 79, of Constantine died on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at Matthew 7:7 in White Pigeon. He was born February 22, 1938 in Three Rivers, a son of Arthur and Ruth (Hamilton) Spurlock. Gail graduated from Constantine High School. He retired from the Constantine Creamery in 2003 after 30 years of employment. Gail previously worked at the Drake Casket …

Elizabeth Ann Blackman, age 60, of Colon, passed away Thursday, May 18, 2017, from injuries received in an automobile accident. Elizabeth was born May 16, 1957, in Kenton, Ohio, a daughter of Cleo T. and Patricia L. (Fay) Young. She had made her home in Branch County since the age of 7 and had attended Colon Schools and later Glen …

Gregory John Wilson, age 47, of Colon, passed away unexpectedly May 4, 2017, at his home. Greg was born July 12, 1969, in South Bend, Ind., a son of John William and Sharlene Sue (Krizman) Wilson. He grew up in Granger, Ind., graduating in 1987 from St. Joseph High School in South Bend. He continued his education at Indiana University, …