News

A mail carrier has been charged with deserting her job after hundreds of pieces of mail were left on Detroit streets before Christmas. Agents who interviewed Anntina Thigpen say she felt overwhelmed a few weeks before Christmas. Postal Service employees on Dec. 17 began recovering mail on Appoline Street in Detroit. The discoveries lasted for days as snow melted. There …

Students at White Pigeon Middle/High School were dismissed for the day at 11:30 a.m. Monday after a gas leak was reported by a faculty member. Superintendent Ron Drzewicki said the odor was brought to his attention around 10 a.m. Drzewicki said he called SEMCO energy after it was determined the source of the smell was from the school’s boiler room. …

Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo recently announced that it is limiting visitor access as a precaution against spreading the flu. The Michigan Department of Community Health has been warning about a rise in reported flu cases, including some severe cases of H1N1 that have left patients on life support. Borgess now says that visitors other than siblings have to be 12 …

A residence in the city of Sturgis was burglarized Sunday. According to Sturgis Police, the owner of a house in the 1100 block of Greenlawn Street reported the back door to the residence was forced open. The residence was ransacked, and two cameras, jewelry and a large sum of money were stolen. Police said they were told the incident likely …

Glen Oaks Community College’s Board of Trustees has reached an agreement with a new president. During a special meeting Monday, the board and David Devier (agreed to a two-year contract. Terms of the contract include a $150,000 annual salary, plus an allowance for a car and phone. He begins the job Monday. Chosen from a group of three finalists, the …

Police in southwest Michigan and northern Indiana are looking for a man who is accused of setting a fire at the Walmart store in Niles and then stealing electronics. The suspect allegedly set the fire in the clothing department just before 5 a.m. on Sunday. After it was burning, he then smashed a display case in the electronics department and …

An undetermined amount of old coins was taken during the burglary of a business over the weekend in downtown Schoolcraft. Police Chief Bryan Campbell said officers responded to an alarm in the 200 block of North Grand Street at 3:47 am Saturday. Officers found that someone had gained entry into Norma’s Antiques. The suspect fled the building moments before police …

A Sturgis-area native will be honored by Sturgis Exchange Club when it conducts its 71st annual Book of Golden Deeds award ceremony Thursday at Sturges-Young Auditorium. Elsa Thomasma, 23, was selected for the award in recognition of her volunteer efforts in raising funds and building what is known as “Project Ark” in Cangumbang, Philippines. The community center was used as …

A 51-year-old Sturgis woman died in a house fire Friday night. Sturgis Police identified the victim as Lori Miller, who resided at 1107 Merryview Drive. Officials responded to the blaze around 9:30 p.m. Friday. Investigators said the house was fully engulfed in flames upon their arrival. Her husband and mother managed to escape the residence, but they told fire personnel …

Snowy owls are out in force in Michigan this winter, thanks to a population boom in their Arctic breeding lands. The Lansing State Journal says area birdwatchers have been sighting the 2-foot-tall raptors. Snowy owl sightings have taken place at Capital Region International Airport in Clinton County’s DeWitt Township, Ingham County’s Alaiedon Township north of Mason and at Gerald R. …