News

Officials from the Michigan State Police Fire Investigation unit have determined faulty kitchen appliances were the cause of a March 8 fire that destroyed two businesses in downtown Colon. Sgt. Scott LeRoy said the investigation traced appliances in the rear of Curly’s bar as the source of the fire, which destroyed the business and an adjacent real estate office to …

Steve Chadwick, a biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, will be the keynote speaker at Wednesday’s St. Joseph County Conservation District annual meeting. Chadwick will focus on the disease EHD and its impact on the whitetail deer population. Tickets for the event, which includes dinner, are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. The dinner and program …

A 35-year-old Sturgis man was taken into custody after he was apprehended during a home invasion last week. According to Sturgis Police, the man entered a home in the 200 block of Jean Street around 1:40 a.m. Friday through its back door. Upon arrival, police apprehended the man in the living room of the residence. He was charged with burglary, …

The Tamarack Rail Trail is the name given to a proposed trail to connect Sturgis and Coldwater. The moniker was chosen during a meeting last week in Bronson, where nearly two dozen people pondered names and came to a consensus in recognition of the numerous tamarack trees planted along the route when it served as a railroad line between the …

A 61-year-old White Pigeon man died late Sunday morning while working at White Pigeon Paper Company. The man was identified as Robert Knight. Police were called after workers reported that an employee was missing, and it was feared that he had fallen into a vat. It is undetermined if Knight died of natural causes or work related. An autopsy is …

A University of Oklahoma official says the starting quarterback for Oklahoma’s national championship teams in 1974 and 1975 is one of two men killed when a small plane slammed into a house in northern Indiana. St. Joseph County Coroner Randy Magdalinski identified the victims of Sunday’s crash as 60-year-old Steven Davis and 58-year-old Wesley Caves, both of Tulsa, Okla. The …

A northern Indiana hospital has released the names of the two survivors of a small jet crash in South Bend that killed two people. South Bend Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Maggie Scroope said Monday that the two survivors who were on board the private jet were Jim Rogers, who’s listed in serious condition, and Christopher Evans, who’s in fair condition. She …

The chief operating officer for Nature’s Fuel said the Constantine site once considered for a St. Joseph County location is off the table. Glenn Johnson said the Fort Wayne-based company found the expense related to settling at the former Rexam plant in the Constantine business park too great. He said all new electrical wiring at the north end of the …

A 33-year-old Three Rivers woman was charged Wednesday with driving while intoxicated and child endangerment after she was involved in a one-vehicle crash in Three Rivers. According to a department media release, the woman drove off the roadway and crashed into a hydrant at the intersection of East Hoffman and Wood streets. Officers investigating the incident performed a series of …

Members of the St. Joseph County Solid Waste Committee have announced April 20 will be the date of the twice-a-year collection of televisions, computer products, old tires, expired medicines and other hard-to-dispose-of items. The household hazardous waste collection recyclable drop-off event will take place in Centreville at the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds Last April, 454 tires, 12,000 pounds of household …