News

Dan Cropsey and Adele Gray were named White Pigeon citizens of the year during a brief ceremony Saturday. They were recognized for their longstanding contributions and commitment to the community. Cropsey is president, CEO and director of Great Lakes Realty Services and has been active in the White Pigeon Community for 40 years. Cropsey has been a member of the …

Portage police arrested a 35-year-old Three Rivers man last week after he was suspected of committing an armed robbery in Kalamazoo. The robbery occurred around 10:25 a.m. Friday at the Rite Aid drug store on East Cork Street. A witness was able to get a good look at the suspect and his vehicle, which proved to be helpful, as the …

Four properties will be sold to the Sturgis Neighborhood Program, as the measure was approved last week by the Sturgis City Commission. The properties are at 210 S. Maple; 400 E. West; 701 S. Orange; and 1502 Sunnyfield. Collectively, the sale of the four properties totals more than $72,000. Three of the properties were acquired by the city in 2013 …

A Chicago man was arrested last week after he was found to be using a fraudulent credit card to make purchases at the Admiral gas station in Three Rivers. According to Three Rivers police, the 45-year-old man was arrested Wednesday following an investigation lasting several days. The case started after a citizen reported fraudulent charges on their credit card, including …

An autopsy was performed Thursday on the victim of a house fire in Cass County’s Calvin Township. Sheriff Capt. Lyndon Parrish said results showed the victim found inside the residence in the 17000 block of Chain Lake Street died from injuries sustained in that fire. Foul play is not suspected in the death. The cause of the fire has been ruled …

Large crowds gathered over the weekend for the opening of a new business in downtown Constantine. The Constantine Brewing Company staged a soft opening Friday, with a public opening Saturday. Owner Matt Ryan said the 2,000-square-foot business was fully refurbished over the course of the past 13 months. Ryan said he brews his own product onsite and, according to terms …

There is a major change set to be announced to the Kalamazoo Promise this week. The program is nearly a decade old and pays for the tuition at state universities or community colleges for Kalamazoo Public Schools graduates who stay in Michigan. It does not pay for private colleges, and that could be changing as the announcement is scheduled to …

A White Pigeon High School graduate will be one of 51 contestants vying for the title of Miss USA during a pageant televised live Sunday on NBC. Mekayla Diehl, a 2007 White Pigeon High School graduate, is representing Indiana in the pageant. A Bristol resident, Diehl was crowned Miss Indiana during a program seven months ago in Indianapolis. The 25-year-old …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has approved an out-of-state travel request for a circuit court employee. At the request of Judge Paul Stutesman, commissioners agreed to the plan for court administrator Kathryn Griffin to attend the National Association for Court Management’s annual conference in Scottsdale, Ariz. The six-day event takes place next month. As president of Michigan’s NACM, …

A musical summer is returning to White Pigeon in 2014. Sponsored by the White Pigeon Township Library, Summertime Tunes begins its third season Saturday, with the Whistle Pigs performing 2 to 4 p.m. at Wade Park. Library Director Perri Saunders said the South Bend-based band has specialized in the brass/rock sound of Chicago, the Commodores, Paul Simon and contemporary artists …