A milestone event sponsored by the St. Joseph County Conservation District took place this week in Lockport Township. The agency on Tuesday and Wednesday staged its 50th annual “Conservation Tour Day” at Covered Bridge Park. Fourth-grade students from all nine school districts in the county, as well as from Lake Area and Factoryville Christian schools, took part in the day-long …

St. Joseph County officials dedicated the county’s first veterans transition home during a ceremony on Friday (4-28-17). The house is for veterans who recently finished their term in service and want to live in the county, said Stoney Summey, director of veterans affairs for St. Joseph County. The home, located in the 21000 block of Schweitzer Road in Lockport Township, …

A police pursuit occurred early Sunday in Dowagiac. Cass County Sheriff ’s Department deputies said the incident took place around 4:45 a.m., when a 27-year-old woman fled from police and crashed her vehicle. With the help of a police K-9, the woman was found in a wooded area near the crash location and was taken to Dowagiac Lee Memorial Hospital …

Kelly Jean Gottschalk, age 49, of Howe, Ind., passed away Monday, April 24, 2017, at Parkview Health in Fort Wayne, Ind. She was born Sept. 14, 1967, in Sturgis, a daughter of Darryl and Sharon (Schrock) Gottschalk. Kelly had resided in Howe since 1995, coming from Sturgis, where she was a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class or …

Hi! My name is Blue and I am a male, tricolor hound, about 4 years old. I’m a typical hound with my nose to the ground. I’m pretty vocal, but that’s normal for a hound, isn’t it? I do need some work on my housebreaking, but I’m sure I can learn. Please come in to see me and give me …

The makeup of the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Board of St. Joseph County is under scrutiny. To be in compliance with the state’s Mental Health Code related to such panels, it must include members who themselves or are related to someone who – past or present – has undergone some form of counseling. The debate centers on …

A Three Rivers man was injured after the motorcycle he was driving went off the roadway earlier this week in Lockport Township. Sheriff’s deputies said the motorcycle was heading west at 5 p.m. Monday on Hoshel Road, when it failed to navigate a curve near Lutz Road and went off the north side of the road. The motorcycle overturned and …

Teresa Belote signed a contract with the St. Joseph County Intermediate School District for a total salary package of $146,000 at a special board meeting Monday in Centreville. In a separate special meeting later in the day, Bronson Community Schools Board of Education accepted Belote’s resignation as superintendent. The Bronson board voted to use the Michigan Association of School Board …

Students at Burr Oak Middle and High School were granted outside support as they use robots to build skills in science and engineering. The Monsanto Fund awarded a one-time $5,000 grant to the Bobcat High School Robotics Team and $1,500 to the Bobcats Middle School Robotics Team. The funds will support robotics activities and encourage local students who participate in …

Dr. Wilbur H. Kotcher, age 91, of Sturgis, passed away early Monday morning, April 17, 2017, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. He was born Nov. 11, 1925, in Detroit, a son of the late Wilbur Joseph and Cora (Kennard) Kotcher. On Dec. 7, 1992, he married Eugenia M. Gonzales in Reno, Nev. A chiropractic doctor, he was a graduate …