Dozens of well-wishers gathered Tuesday at Three Rivers City Hall to salute Ken Baker. The 90-minute open house to honor Baker and his 40 years of service to the city culminated with a proclamation presented by Mayor Tom Lowry at the onset of Tuesday’s city commission meeting. With the city’s police force on hand to acknowledge the former chief and …

St. Joseph County Commissioner Gerald Loudenslager has made official his decision to not run for re-election in November. Addressing his elected peers at the conclusion of Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, Loudenslager confirmed media reports last week that he will not challenge Board Chairman Rick Shaffer for a newly drawn district created as a result of the county’s reapportionment. The …

A pilot practicing touch-and-go maneuvers Tuesday morning at Three Rivers Municipal Airport made an emergency landing after his single-engine plane struck a deer on the runway. The pilot, whose name and age were not disclosed, landed safely at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport after the incident, which occurred during take-off. The plane received structural damage in the crash, prompting the pilot …

The Three Rivers City Commission is back at full strength, as Larry Matson was sworn into the post Tuesday. After taking the oath of office from city clerk Lindsay Howes, the 68-year-old Matson took his seat to the seven-member panel. Matson, a longtime former member of the Three Rivers Zoning Board of Appeals, is filling the seat left vacant by …

Ronald R. Labram, age 82, of Mendon, died Monday April 30, 2012 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born in Detroit on Feb. 19, 1930 the son of Charles and Vivian (Hilton) Labram and attended Detroit Schools. He served in the Army Air Corps during WWII and was stationed in Alaska. Ron was married to Ella Jepsen on …

When I think of spring cleaning, I can’t help but think of the Mendon “Dust Off”. The 49th Annual Old Car Dust Off happens next Sunday, May 6, from 8 A.M. to 3 P.M., at the Mendon High School parking lot, located at the intersection of North Nottawa Street and Kirby Road in Mendon. It will be a perfect opportunity …

More than 1,000 pigs died over the weekend when three adjacent barns on a property near Bronson, in Branch County, were destroyed by fire. The incident was reported about 4 a.m. Saturday in the 1200 block of Kibiloski Road. Two pole barns, each measuring 40-by-120 feet, were engulfed in flames when fire personnel arrived, Branch County emergency officials said. A …

Deputies with the St. Joseph County Sheriff Department responded Sunday morning to a single-vehicle accident in the 6100 block of Constantine Road. A 37-year-old White Pigeon man told police he had left his truck and trailer parked along the St. Joseph River, with the trailer still in the water while he took his boat downriver to go fishing. The truck …

David Arden Outman, age 66, of Constantine, died Sunday, April 29, at his home after a 14 month battle with cancer. David was known as both a gentleman and as a gentle man but with a clever sense of humor. He was born July 17, 1945 to Harold and Winona (Moord) Outman and was a life-long resident of the Constantine …

John LeRoy Lawrence, age 87, of Three Rivers went to be with his Lord and Savior whom he served all his life on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at Heartland Healthcare Center. John was born on March 19, 1925 in Kalamazoo, Mi, the son of Earl and Viola(Gage)Lawrence. Upon the events of Pearl Harbor, John chose to join the U.S. Navy …