COA

St. Joseph County United Way representatives will be in the community this weekend offering hot chocolate and cookies. From 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Dollar General parking lot in Nottawa, the St. Joseph County United Way will offer the winter treats served, along with the Grinch and Santa. Cash or toy donations to benefit children in the area …

The Student Help and Healing Center in Sturgis is now open to serve children from ages 3 to 21. It offers same-day appointments for matters such as a yearly physical exam, sick visits, immunizations, reproductive health and sports injuries. As a result of grant funding, there is no out-of-pocket cost, and the agency accepts and bills all insurance. It is …

A December pickup date in Burr Oak has been added to the monthly Fresh Food Distributions in St. Joseph County. The additional event takes place 3 to 4 p.m. Wednesday next week at Railroad Street, 203 W. Front St. In the meantime, First Presbyterian Church on Lakeview Avenue in Sturgis will oversee a distribution at 4 o’clock today. Two distributions …

Two longtime members of Vicksburg Community Schools Board of Education were honored during a ceremony Wednesday. Carol Lohman and Skip Knowles last week completed a tenure of 40 years each as board members. They chose to not seek re-election in August, bringing to a close a four-decade run that started in the mid-1980s. Lohman, 83, and Knowles, 75, were recognized …

A popular Cass County ski area is open for the season today as of 12 noon. Swiss Valley Ski & Snowboard Area officials said the Dec. 12 season opener is its earliest since 2010. Swiss Valley took advantage of cold temperatures for several days last week to make a base layer of snow with snow-making equipment. The resort said all …

Two Cass County residents were arrested Tuesday for outstanding warrants. Cass County Drug Enforcement Team said its members assisted Michigan Department of Corrections Absconder Unit in an attempt to locate the man and woman. A search warrant was conducted in the 11000 block of M-60 in Newberg Township. While searching the residence, detectives located methamphetamine and methamphetamine paraphernalia. A 41-year-old …

The body of a Sturgis man who hadn’t been seen since last week was found by authorities Monday. Sturgis Department of Public Safety Director Ryan Banaszak said officers located the body of William Howell in a community park in Sturgis. Howell, whose family members said he had early onset dementia, was last seen Thursday, the same date authorities found his …

Here’s a last call for an opportunity to win pizza for a year. The promotion is in support of the Adoption Fund, a program backed by St. Joseph County United Way. Raffle tickets are $5 each or five for $20. The winner will receive a 16-inch pizza every month during 2025. Event organizers said the winning ticket will be drawn …

A detour around St. Joseph County’s iconic Langley Covered Bridge will be in place through at least late December after height limiters at both ends of the structure were struck on separate occasions earlier this month. Road commission manager John Lindsey said the height limiters in both cases were knocked over. In addition, their concrete bases were damaged. The first …

A campaign focusing on drunken driving kicks off this week in St. Joseph County. In partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department will have specially designated patrols on the roads starting Wednesday through Jan. 1. Deputies will focus their attention on reckless and potentially impaired or drugged motorists. The effort is a part of …