News

St. Joseph County’s newest employee was at the center of a welcome event Tuesday at Central Dispatch. A reception to welcome Bolo, a 2-year-old black poodle, took place at the Centreville-based agency. Central Dispatch Executive Director Stacey Bower said donations from businesses, civic groups and individuals covered the $6,500 for training and purchase of the advocate dog. It will live …

The Sturgis branch of KeyBank, a longtime financial institution in town, is closing later this summer. The bank’s doors will be locked at 3 p.m. Aug. 11, while the ATM will cease operations at 8 a.m. the same day. Sturgis KeyBank customers are being directed to the branch in Bristol, Ind., for continued service, according to a posting at the …

Sturgis city officials last week agreed to pursue a grant worth more than $67,000 for ongoing improvements at the Sturges-Young Center for the Arts. The grant, due for submission by Thursday, asks for grant funding from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council. If secured, the grant would go toward audio upgrades in the facility’s auditorium. The center would be expected …

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 …