Donald R. McClish, age 87, of Centreville, died Tuesday March 13, 2012 at his home following a long illness. He was born in Nottawa Township on Nov. 22, 1924 the son of Lawrence and Mildred (White) McClish. He attended Portage Schools before serving with the U.S. Army Tank Corps in the Philippines and Japan. He was married to Barbara Meacham …

John M. Abel, age 60, of Three Rivers, died suddenly of natural causes at his home on Thursday, March 15, 2012. He was born in Three Rivers on February 3, 1952 the son of Harold C. and Leita I. (Decker) Abel, Sr., and was a life-long resident of Three Rivers. John was a graduate of Three Rivers High School with …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department has received a state grant to help promote traffic safety with the use of new and upgraded equipment. Sheriff Brad Balk said the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police recently awarded the grant as part of an Excellence in Traffic Safety award. A $3,000 grant from the Michigan Office of Highway Safety and Planning …

Fire crews from White Pigeon and Constantine responded Friday afternoon to Mottville Township, where an abandoned house was on fire. The residence, on Riverside Drive, was already partially collapsed. A cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but fire officials said embers from a nearby burning leaf pile could have triggered the blaze. The structure was completely destroyed.

Carolyn J. (Walker) Howk, age 79, formerly of Butler Pa., Port Charlotte Fla., and Burr Oak Mich., passed away March 16, 2012. She was born in Nashville Tenn., on March 19, 1932, the daughter of the late Robah and Myrtle MaryBelle (Jenkins) Walker. She is also preceded in death by siblings, Pauline Blankenship, Ruth Stevens, Burgess Walker and Carroll “Joe” …

Registering a season-high nine-goal effort, the Kalamazoo Wings dismantled the Toledo Walleye 9-1 Sunday afternoon at the Huntington Center. Despite dominating the opening period of play by outshooting the Walleye 18-5 and winning 10 of the 13 face-offs, the K-Wings weren’t able to score in the first period. Most of the K-Wings scoring chances in the first period came off …

Judith Ann Cross, age 56, of Deltona, Florida, died Friday March 16, 2012 at Halifax Health of Volusia/Flagler Care Center. She was born in Three Rivers on Feb. 29, 1956 and was 1 of only 3 babies born there on leap year in 1956. Judith moved to Florida in 1992 from Mendon and was a payroll clerk for the Volusia …

Opal Mae Hambright, age 82, of Sturgis, Michigan passed away Saturday morning March 17, 2012 at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born October 1, 1929 in Campton, Kentucky a daughter of Ed and Dovie (Prophit) Carroll. Mrs. Hambright resided in the Sturgis area since 1953.  On July 12, 1956 she married Leo Joseph Hambright in Sturgis. From 1953–1964 …

The Kalamazoo Wings scored two goals in the final five minutes to cap a three-goal rally, but were unable to score in the shootout and fell to the Toledo Walleye 4-3 during the 31st Annual “World Famous” St. Patrick’s Day Green Ice Game, presented by Fifth-Third Bank, WWMT and WRKR. Kalamazoo came out of the gates firing on all cylinders; …

James C. Hesher, 77, of Constantine, died Thursday, March 15, 2012, at his home following an extended illness. He was born May 23, 1934, in Sturgis, Mich., a son to Glen A. and Bernice M. (Brockway) Hesher. On June 28, 1958, he married Margaret L. Fuller in Constantine. He had been a Constantine resident since 1958, coming from Scott, Ind. He …