Officials from the Michigan Department of Transportation will host an open house next week regarding the U.S. 131 Constantine bypass project. Set to take place next Monday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Constantine High School, the open house will allow the public to see the latest designs and plans related to the project, which state officials say will begin …

The portable ice rink purchased by the city of Sturgis was not ready for use in time for Friday’s Winter Blues event, but municipal officials said freezing temperatures this week should help create an adequate layer of ice. Installed at the corner of North Monroe Street and East Chicago Road, the rink will be open noon to dusk Sundays through …

Jack E. Bell, 75, of The Villages, Fla., passed away Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013. He was born Feb. 9, 1937, in Fort Wayne, Ind. He lived in Indiana and Michigan before moving to The Villages in 2000. Jack retired from banking as president of Key Bank of Sturgis in 1995 and then an after-retirement position as vice president at Sturgis …

Fay Swinehart, age 102, of Sturgis (formerly of Mottville), passed away Thursday, January 17th, 2013 at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis, MI. She was born in Salt Lake City, UT on June 7, 1910, a daughter of Ernest and Lizzie (Nelson) Myric. Fay worked as a Machine Operator at C.T.S. Manufacturing in Elkhart, IN for 23 years. Surviving Fay are …

Shirley Ann Baldwin, 69, of Colon and formerly of Three Rivers, passed away, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013 at the Parkview Regional Hospital in Ft. Wayne, Ind. Shirley was born June 28, 1943 in Paducah, Ky. a daughter to the late Clayton and Georgia (O’Conner) Tucker. Shirley married Daniel Baldwin on March 8, 1961 in Kansas City, Mo. Shirley had made …

G. Joy Britton, age 76, of Sturgis, Michigan passed away early Thursday morning January 17, 2013 at the Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. She was born July 9, 1936 in Hillsdale, Michigan daughter of the late Charles Leroy and Gertha Leone (Welker) Britton. Joy resided in Sturgis since 1988 coming from Hillsdale. She had held various jobs during her life …

I am Sugar. And I want to know why I am still here and my sister has gone to a new home? I am a very good girl also. I am only eight month old and I am a good snuggle bug. I am a nice Tiger cat and can be found in pen 1 docket 10041 at the St …

State Rep. Matt Lori issued a statement following Gov. Rick Snyder’s State of the State address Wednesday. Lori, 56, said he looks forward to working with Snyder to continue economic momentum and fostering a healthy economy in which more jobs can be created. The Constantine-area resident, who is beginning his third, two-year term, said legislators have achieved much in putting …

St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners has agreed to hire Lindsay Howes as the county’s grant writer. Howes, who has most recently served as Three Rivers city clerk since 2007, was approved to the position Tuesday by the five-member commission. A 32-year-old Three Rivers resident, Howes will be paid $50,000 a year, with $30,000 of the salary paid by the …

Organizers behind the White Pigeon snowman-making contest have revised the deadline for entries to late next month, as poor snow conditions continue to hex the event. Key organizer Shireen Cline said the competition was given a green light when a wet snow fell shortly after Christmas. In the days since, however, a mixture of rain followed by below-freezing temperatures have …