News

Pastor Rich Saunders of Three Rivers Church of the Nazarene wishes to inform the public about results from a recent drive to help a local family with a “Make It Well” fundraiser. Saunders said more than $4,000 in citizen and business donations was collected. As a result of exceeding $2,500 in donations, the drive was aided with a $2,500 matching …

A building that housed a diner and two upper-level apartment units was destroyed by fire early Friday in Burr Oak. Three people were present in the apartments at the time of the blaze, but were able to escape safely, fire officials said. Burr Oak Township Fire Department was dispatched to the fire shortly after midnight. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered flames …

Michigan State Police is conducting a joint investigation with Michigan’s Department of Corrections into an incident of smuggling contraband into the Lakeland correctional facility in Coldwater. The suspect is a 69-year-old attorney from Livonia. The attorney faces felony offenses involving illegal controlled substances being brought into the prison under the guise of an attorney-client visit. The investigation started last month, …

Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services Department’s Environmental Health Division has reported the first positive detection of West Nile Virus in Kalamazoo County and the second in Michigan this year. The positive detection came from a mosquito pool, or group of female mosquitoes of the same species, within Kleinstuck Nature Preserve. The results demonstrate why mosquito surveillance is so important …

Authorities are investigating the theft of a kayak taken last week in Florence Township. Michigan State Police troopers were called to the 16000 block of Mintdale Road in response to a kayak stolen between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Thursday. The kayak is a Wilderness Systems Pungo 120, light blue in color with black accents. A double paddle, black in …

Alaska search and rescue divers recovered the bodies of a helicopter pilot and three scientists on Sunday from the sunken wreckage of their aircraft, which went down in a shallow lake last week on the remote North Slope, authorities said. The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. The only way to raise the …

Sturgis Planning Commission members this week voted to not recommend urban chickens in town. Despite Monday’s vote, members of the Sturgis City Commission may proceed as they wish, as the planning commission is a recommending body to aid city commissioners in making an informed decision. If the city commission decides to move forward, the planning commission would support the measure …

A Sturgis man was injured last weekend after failing to stop at a stop sign in LaGrange County. Authorities said Jamie Espinal-Albor, 33, was driving north on LaGrange County Road 100 East on Saturday when he failed to stop at the intersection of State Road 120. Espinal-Albor’s vehicle pulled into the path of an eastbound sheriff’s department SUV. Its lights …

Glen Oaks Community College’s Alpha Alpha Alpha chapter is looking to induct a Glen Oaks graduate into its honor society. Tri-Alpha was founded in 2018 and the Glen Oaks Chapter was established in 2022. It is a national honor society for first-generation college students. A student is considered first generation if neither parents, step-parents or legal guardians ever obtained a …

A union leader representing several St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department employees questioned the county board about not sharing a portion of federal funds the county received last year. Greg Algier, representing Police Officers Association of Michigan and Command Officers Association of Michigan, told commissioners Tuesday he is hopeful consideration will still be given to financially rewarding the union employees. Algier …