News

More than a dozen members from four area fire departments took part in a safety-training program called “Managing Farm Tractor and Machinery Emergencies,” taught over the weekend. The two-day workshop started in a classroom setting Friday at Burr Oak Fire Department and continued Saturday with hands-on exercises at a location in Sturgis Township. Event organizer Jeremy Smallwood, a captain with …

Here’s a look at this month’s Fresh Food Distribution in St. Joseph County. First Presbyterian Church on Lakeview Avenue in Sturgis will host the month’s inaugural distribution. It will take place at 4 p.m. June 8. Seventh-Day Adventist Church, east of Centreville on M-86, will oversee the next distribution. It is scheduled for 4 p.m. June 13. Two distributions will …

Here’s a reminder that Community Action welcomes participants and sponsors at its inaugural “Whack for Warm” golf outing. All proceeds will go directly to Community Action’s Emergency Assistance programs that assists income-eligible households in St. Joseph, Calhoun, Barry, Branch and Kalamazoo counties with heating costs and/or critical housing needs. Agency officials said they are looking for local businesses in St. Joseph …

The St Joseph County Sheriff’s Office reports that on Monday, May 29th, 2023, deputies were dispatched to a report of a missing 73-year-old woman. Marilee Furlong left her daughter’s residence on Flatbush Road in the Three Rivers area, at approximately 9:00 a.m. Marilee was last seen wearing red long-sleeve pajamas, but she could have also changed into a red/pink plaid …

St. Joseph County Prosecutor David Marvin said a plea agreement and sentence have been worked out regarding the suspect allegedly involved in the October 2021 death of a Colon woman. Michael Lafler, age 37, of Colon, will be sentenced in June to a maximum of 15 years in the strangulation death of 33-year-old Chelsea Wallen. Marvin said he and defense …

A Mendon woman faces drug-related charges following a traffic stop last week in Sturgis Township. Undersheriff Jason Bingaman said deputies stopped a vehicle shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday on South Centerville Road, near Fawn River Road. Deputies were suspicious of the driver and requested the services of the Sturgis Police K-9 unit. With the assistance of the K-9 unit, deputies …

Sturgis High School’s manufacturing class brought home eight first-place finishes during a recent state competition. The latest Michigan Industrial Technology Education Society, in fact, saw the Sturgis team bring home more award-winners than any other participating school. Led by instructor Jeff Wanamaker, the class bested Sturgis’ six state champions it claimed in 2019. The goal of the MITES competition is …

Plans to name a ballfield complex in honor of a noteworthy graduate were put on hold Monday by the Centreville Public Schools Board of Education. Class of 1995 member Matt Thornton went on to enjoy a 13-year Major League Baseball career as a pitcher with six different MLB teams. While Thornton, a former MLB All-Star, may have seemed a logical …

Further improvements at the county’s newest park top the list of work planned this summer by the St. Joseph County Parks and Recreation Department. Director Jaymes MacDonald said a considerable amount of time has been spent at Kettles Park over the past six months, with efforts centering on improving its trail network. Acquired in 2021 through state grants and a …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation delivered some good news for the village of Constantine Tuesday. They announced that Michigan Strategic Fund approved a new dairy-processing facility that will reduce the carbon footprint of dairy byproduct and bring new jobs and infrastructure to the community. A total capital investment of $41.1 million is expected. MMPA and Dairy …