News

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 …

Investigators from the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit executed two search warrants Wednesday at a residence in the 29000 block of Edgewater Beach Road in White Pigeon Township, where two pounds of drugs were to be delivered by U.S. Mail. In conjunction with officials from the U.S. Postal Service, SCAN officers served a search warrant for a quantity of …

A Sturgis Public Schools administrator has been offered the superintendent’s position at a neighboring district. Members of the Bronson Community Schools Board of Education voted this week to extend a contract offer to Teresa Belote. She currently serves as principal at Congress and Wenzel elementary schools. Belote was one of three finalists from a field of six candidates interviewed for …

A mail carrier was injured in a two-vehicle accident Tuesday afternoon in White Pigeon Township. State police officials said a vehicle driven by Niles resident Lori Jones, 55, was eastbound on Indian Prairie Road when it was struck from behind by a vehicle driven by Harry Pletcher, 95, of White Pigeon. Jones was treated for minor injuries at Elkhart General …

Cass County Sheriff Joe Underwood said his office is investigating a hit-and-run accident that occurred Wednesday morning in Porter Township. The crash happened at 8:44 a.m. on M-40 at Shavehead Lake Street, according to a department media release. Deputies identified the driver and his passengers who had remained at the crash site as 30-year-old Robert Monfore, and Kristin Greer, 25, …

Sturgis Police made contact with a man in his late 30s Wednesday afternoon who had walked into the police department lobby, who was reportedly suffering from hallucinations and extreme paranoia. While speaking with the man, officers learned that he had purposefully caused a significant natural gas leak at his home before leaving. Police, along with the Sturgis Fire Department, responded …