Keith E. (Lefty) Sweazy, 79, of Mottville Township, died Friday, July 13, 2012, at his home following an extended illness. He was born Aug. 30, 1932, in Elkhart, Ind., a son of Robert and Hazel (Ruh) Sweazy. He was a resident of Mottville Township for 42 years, coming from Elkhart, Ind., and served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean Conflict. …

Fern (Newman) Belt, 88, passed away peacefully on July 13, 2012, at Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville, Ala., with her son and daughter at her side. She had recently moved from Sturgis to Huntsville to be closer to family members. She will be cremated in Huntsville with funeral services to take place at 11 a.m. Aug. 11, 2012, at First …

Officials with the Animal Rescue Fund of St. Joseph County have issued a media release regarding illicit donation requests for the agency. ARF spokesperson Shelly Starr said a group of people allegedly soliciting donations from intersections in White Pigeon and Constantine are not affiliated with Animal Rescue Fund. Agency officials said ARF never solicits money from intersections. Its fundraising events …

The St. Joseph County Transportation Authority has added a second bus to its Circle Line route in Sturgis. CTA Director Steve Yorks said the additional bus, which began operating Monday, was necessary to accommodate steady ridership aboard the six-day-a-week Circle Line already in place in Sturgis. He said an average of 1,200 people patronize the Sturgis Circle Line monthly. The …

A breaking-and-entering incident at a Centreville apartment is being investigated by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department. According to a department news release, an apartment in the 300 block of West Main Street was entered between noon Sunday and 1 p.m. Monday. The main item of value taken from the residence was a flat-screen television.

Investigators from the Michigan State Police are looking into the breaking and entering of the former Med Tech building, on U.S. 131 and Anderson Road in Mottville Township. Owners of the property had previously discovered that the building had been burglarized but did not report the incident because the building was vacant. Last Friday, however, the owners noticed electrical wiring …

Some rumors can be very upsetting. Rumor has it that the pizza establishment, located in Marketplace North, in Three Rivers, has been sold. What are we going to do about that? The pizza is so good, and the daily buffet is such a bargain. Life will not be worth living anymore. RELAX! The name is the only thing that will …

Three people last week were charged with methamphetamine-related offenses after a search warrant was obtained for a residence in the 69000 block of Sevison Road in White Pigeon Township. According to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, deputies arrived at the residence around 8 p.m. Friday to serve an arrest warrant. A person spotted inside the residence, however, refused to …

Deputies with the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department are investigating the theft of irrigation wire following an incident in Nottawa Township. According to a department news release, the victim notified authorities around 10 p.m. Saturday that wire from three spans of an irrigation pivot was stolen between Tuesday and Friday last week. The incident occurred in a field near North …

Patricia  Elaine Aikin, age  76, of Constantine, passed away on  Monday, July 9, 2012. She was born in Linton, Indiana on November 26,1935 a  daughter of  Woodrow and Mary ( Sipes) Geary.  Patricia attended school at Linton High School in Indiana.  She retired from Nibco in Elkhart after  28 years where she worked as a  punch press operator.  Patricia is …