News

Michigan had a tenth-of-a-percent gain in population from July 2011 to July 2012, according to U.S. Census data. Estimated figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau show Michigan will gain 6,559 new residents since July last year, pushing its population to more than 9.8 million. It would be Michigan’s first net increase since 2004. Locally, St. Joseph County is on …

The Sister City Committee has confirmed the dates of Sturgis’ next trip to Wiesloch, Germany. The group will leave Aug. 22 and fly direct from Detroit to Wiesloch, arriving on Aug. 23. Travelers will stay with their host family for four days and the group leaves for home Aug. 27. However, the committee has arranged for an extended trip to …

Various tools, a 50-inch flat screen television, and a computer and accessories were reported taken earlier this month from a residence in White Pigeon Township. Michigan State Police investigators said the incident likely occurred between 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. March 4 at a residence on Dickinson Road. Details about access to the residence were not indicated in a department …

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 …