Daniel James Merten, age 55, of Centreville, passed away Saturday, December 10, 2016, at Mercy Health Partners Lakeshore Campus in Shelby.  He was born January 21, 1961, in Hart to Joseph and Mary Ann (Kokx) Merten. Dan graduated Hart High School 1979 and also Spartan School of Aeronautics, Tulsa, OK. Dan married the former Jannine Mieras in Oklahoma City, OK …

Dustin Carl Woods, 37, of Mendon, died unexpectedly at home on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016. He was born in Sturgis on Sept. 6, 1979 the son of William C. and Shirley (Alexander) Woods and was a lifetime resident of St. Joseph County. Dustin attended Centreville Schools, and was the primary in-home caregiver for his parents. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, golf, …

Ruth L. Holmes, age 82, of Sturgis, passed away Monday morning, Dec. 12, 2016, at Adult Nu Care in Sturgis. She was born July 13, 1934, in Sturgis, a daughter of the late Walter H. and June A. (Murray) Snyder. Ruth resided most of her life in the Sturgis and Burr Oak area. She attended White School, a one-room schoolhouse, …

We received our first measurable snowfall on Sunday, December 4. Channel 3 News said that the snow would start to fall around 1 PM that afternoon, and for once, their forecast was right on the money. We arranged our Sunday plans so that by 1:30 PM we were secured inside the house, the cars were tucked away in the garage, …

The Three Rivers City Commission has a vacancy to fill in its Third District. The opening comes as a result of Commissioner Diane Clay announcing last week her resignation due to her impending move out-of-district. A six-year board member, Clay will stay on board until after completing next week’s city commission meeting, the commission’s final meeting of the year. The …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners was asked last week to continue its customary funding to maintain in 2017 the services of a local economic-development group. During Tuesday’s commission meeting, board members were urged to allocate their standing $250,000 to Southwest Michigan First economic-development corporation. The five-member board is considering cutting back on its commitment to Southwest Michigan First, …

State Rep. Aaron Miller last week attended three township meetings – in Sturgis, Burr Oak and Wayne townships – fulfilling a promise made two years ago to attend each of the 59th District’s monthly municipal meetings twice, hearing first-hand ideas and how the Legislature can help communities. Miller said he enjoyed meeting with local officeholders and listening to the concerns …

KALAMAZOO – The Kalamazoo Wings (9-14-0-2) returned home to take on the Fort Wayne Komets (13-6-3-0) on Saturday night following a six game road trip. On the road trip, the K-Wings dropped four-of-six, including a loss to the Komets on Friday night by a score of 4-2. Picking up where they left off on Friday, the Komets hit the scoreboard …

Colon High School students were witness to a “Courts In the Schools” program last week. Staged by St. Joseph County District Court Judge Rob Pattison, Friday’s session followed previous in-school court sessions in Three Rivers and Sturgis. The two cases heard Friday centered on sentencings of suspects related to drugs and alcohol. Pattison said he is an advocate of the …

Leonidas resident Clay Decker is a new junior member of the American Angus Association. Junior members of the association are eligible to register cattle in the American Angus Association, participate in programs conducted by the National Junior Angus Association, take part in association-sponsored shows, and other national and regional events. The American Angus Association is the largest beef breed association …