LeRoy G. Kleidon, 94, of Three Rivers, passed away on March 20, 2012, at Three Rivers Health. He was born in Chicago, Ill., the son of the late Gustav and Adeline (Stricker) Kleidon. LeRoy has been a resident of Three Rivers since 1988. On Nov. 1, 1941, he married his wife of 66 years Mildred Elizabeth Kleidon, who preceded him …

Margaret Ione Knepple, of Cassopolis, went home to be with the Lord Saturday, April 28, 2012 on her 89th birthday at The Timbers of Cass County, Dowagiac. She was born in Union on April 28, 1923 to Clarence August and Clara DeVere (O’Dell) Dussel. She married William Eugene “Gene” Knepple at the home of the Reverend Davis in Cassopolis on …

St. Joseph County Parks and Recreation Department Director John Pence said Meyer Broadway Park, located west of Three Rivers, has reopened to the public after a public-safety issue involving what was initially six stray dogs. St. Joseph County Animal Control and county park staff have seen no sign of three remaining dogs that have been at large since a confrontation …

Four people were arrested Saturday following complaints of a chemical odor emitting from a room at a hotel in the 1700 block of South Centerville Road. Upon further investigation, Sturgis Police officials were denied access to the room because it was not in the name of the lone occupant. A search warrant, however, was secured from prosecutor John McDonough. Police …

Sturgis city officials said Balkema Excavating will begin water main construction on West South Street starting today, meaning detours will be in place. Westbound traffic on South Street, starting at South Nottawa, will be detoured north to Magnolia Avenue, then south on Prairie and back to South Street. There will be one-way traffic eastbound only on South Street between Jefferson …

Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz announced that Jaren Wade was convicted of first-degree murder last week by a Cass County jury. The 12-member jury found that the 21-year-old Wade murdered Darius Nickens, 29, in April 2011 in Dowagiac. Trial testimony established that Nickens was shot once in the arm and twice in the back. The jury also convicted Wade of …

Lawrence E. “Larry” Weaver Jr., age 46, of Findlay, Ohio, and a former Sturgis resident, passed away early Saturday morning, April 28, 2012, at the Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo, Mich. He was born Feb. 9, 1966, in Sturgis, Mich., a son of Lawrence and Virginia (Hull) Weaver. Larry resided in Ohio for the past eight years. Prior to moving to …

Some state lawmakers are trying to burn holes in Michigan’s two-year-old smoking ban, which has cleared the air in public places and enjoyed support but contributed to cash-flow problems at some bars.  An amendment added to a budget bill by one lawmaker this past week would stop enforcement of the ban at longtime charitable fundraising events. A Senate bill introduced …

Authorities say a 64-year-old man has been killed in an early morning fire at his Kalamazoo home.  The Kalamazoo public safety department says in a news release that officers arrive at 1:30 a.m. Saturday and found the house engulfed in flames.  It was extinguished several hours later, and the man’s body was found.  No one else lived in the house. …

Showing all the courage of a fighter in the last round of a championship fight, the Kalamazoo Wings punched their way back to even the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals at one game apiece with a thrilling 3-2 victory Saturday night at Wings Stadium over the Florida Everblades. Playing most of the opening 20 minutes in the K-Wings zone, the Everblades, …