John Otto Frohriep, age 87, of Sturgis, and longtime Colon resident, passed away Saturday afternoon, April 1, 2017, at his home. He was born Dec. 1, 1929, in Colon, Mich., son of the late Clifford Carl and Bertha Beatrice (Frye) Frohriep. John resided in Sturgis since 2003 coming from Colon where he lived most of his life and was a …

Earl A. Frohriep, age 88, of Sturgis, passed away late Thursday evening March 30, 2017, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. He was born Aug. 23, 1928, in Fawn River Township, a son of the late Emil L. and Luella (Diekman) Frohriep. Earl was a lifelong Sturgis-area resident and a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1956. …

Sally J. Boudi, age 63, of Colon, passed away Thursday, March 30, 2017 at her home. Cremation has taken place and no services are planned at this time. The family was assisted by Schipper Funeral Home in Colon.

Robert Edward “Poncho” Potts, age 68, of Sturgis, passed away early Thursday morning, March 30, 2017, at his home, surrounded by his family. He was born Dec. 18, 1948, in Three Rivers, a son of the late Royal and Dorothy (Chrisman) Potts. Bob resided most of his life in Sturgis and was a graduate of Sturgis High School with the …

Authorities in southwestern Michigan have identified a 13-year-old boy who died after a carbon monoxide leak in a hotel pool area that also sickened about a dozen people. Employees at the Quality Inn & Suites in Niles called 911 around 10 a.m. Saturday after seeing six unresponsive children on the pool deck. Police say a seventh child was found unresponsive …

While most of the State of Michigan headed to Florida this week to enjoy fun in the sun for spring break, the Kalamazoo Wings (37-29-1-3) were in Florida for three games against the Florida Everblades (44-20-2-3). After dropping a 6-2 decision to the Everblades on Wednesday night, the K-Wings hoped to regroup for their rematch on Friday night. Starting off …

Two people died early Friday when their car hit a tree which had fallen across a highway 2 miles north of East Leroy in Calhoun County. The incident happened on M-66, north of H Drive South shortly before 4am. The victims were identifed as the driver, 48-year-old Kathi Thomason, and the passenger in her car, Howard Bergman, age 60.  Both …

St. Joseph County Drain Commissioner Jeff Wenzel issued 13 drain-maintenance permits to area farmers, and 132 soil-erosion and sediment-control permits in 2016. Wenzel appeared Wednesday before county leaders to provide his annual report during their executive committee meeting. He said soil-erosion permits were approved only after a site visit and review of plans. Thirty were issued in Fabius Township, with …

State Rep. Aaron Miller voted Wednesday in favor of a budget that provides additional funding for veterans courts. The House judiciary budget bill includes an additional $436,000 for specialty courts aimed at treating military veterans and active-duty personnel, bringing total funding to $936,000. Miller said the men and women who serve in the military make enormous sacrifices and often struggle …

Centreville Public Schools made official this week the employment of its next superintendent. Board members Monday offered and officially accepted a contract with Stephanie Lemmer. A Portage native, Lemmer will replace Rob Kuhlman after he concludes a seven-year tenure as superintendent in June. Lemmer, 34, has served as director of Head Start at Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency since 2013. …