News

The Cass County Drug Enforcement Team last week uncovered a comprehensive marijuana-growing operation in Penn Township. Investigators on Wednesday searched a barn in the 16000 block of Dutch Settlement Road and surrounding property and uncovered the operation. Detectives located numerous marijuana plants, more than five pounds of processed marijuana and a loaded firearm. Officials said the estimated street value of …

Last year’s crop was decimated by late frosts, and the feeble harvest yielded a mere 2.7 million bushels for growers. This year, however, is shaping up to be a record year, projected to top 30 million bushels, according to growers. Adam Dietrich, Michigan State University graduate and grower at Leo Dietrich and Sons, based in Conklin, Michigan, says this year …

A number of the 300-plus patrons who attended Wednesday’s eighth annual Project Connect in Centreville appeared focused on their needs, and spent less time browsing and more time at specific tables for the exact help that brought them to the event. Organizers of the six-hour event said 49 vendors, representing various agencies and departments to offer help for a variety …

State Rep. Matt Lori is urging a state Senate panel to consider legislation that will enable hunters to safely use rifles when hunting in southern Michigan. Lori told the Senate Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Committee that allowing rifles using specific cartridges for hunting in the southern part of the state – now limited to shotguns, muzzleloaders and pistols – would …

The St. Joseph County Major Crimes Task Force is continuing its investigation into Wednesday’s homicide of Sturgis accountant David Locey. Meanwhile, 37-year-old Andy Brown was arraigned Thursday afternoon on a charge of embezzlement, a crime that could be connected to Locey’s murder, officials from the St. Joseph County prosecutor’s office said. Brown, a Kalamazoo resident, was formerly employed by Locey …

The 2013 deer season is expected to be a successful one for many hunters in Michigan. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says some areas in the state may see lower numbers of deer following severe winter weather, which included heavy snowfall and a late thaw. Those are mostly in the Upper Peninsula while the affects in the Northern Lower …

A potential request for a 1-mill increase is being debated by members of the Mendon Community Schools Board of Education. During a public forum Wednesday at Mendon High School, Superintendent Rob Kuhlman provided background on the district’s financial state and the rationale for considering a request that would generate $9.3 million over an eight-year period. If the request is authorized …

Mendon High School’s John Schwartz is one of eight football coaches representing Michigan in a nationwide contest by the publication USA Today. The “Best Of” contest, which started Monday, is an online-voting event to select the best high school football coach in the country. Every state is represented by a pool of eight coaches, and the field will be narrowed …

The St. Joseph County United way exceeded its goal during a three-hour Roof Sit at Sturgis Hospital Tuesday. The goal of $20,000 was met early on and the revised goal of $25,000 was surpassed by the time the event concluded. In all, the Roof Sit raised almost $25,800. United Way officials expressed their appreciation for the support and reminded that …

A 37-year-old Sturgis man is in custody and is a suspect in Wednesday’s fatal shooting of a Sturgis accountant. The man was arrested after David Locey, 70, was found dead of a single gunshot wound around 8 o’clock Wednesday morning at his office on M-66 in Sherman Township, just north of the Sturgis city limits. Sheriff’s officials said the case …