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The murder trial in which a Saginaw man is charged with the deaths of an elderly Schoolcraft couple started Thursday in Kalamazoo County. The defendant, Ezra Phillips, 28, is facing two counts of second-degree murder and operating while intoxicated causing death. He is accused of driving an SUV that hit a Chevrolet Impala mid-afternoon May 7, 2021, at the intersection …

The Van Buren/Cass Health Department reports it has documented a recent case in which a Van Buren County resident died and later tested positive for Xylazine. Xylazine is a potent sedative used commonly in veterinary clinics and is not approved for human use. Xylazine has appeared more frequently in Michigan, often mixed with fentanyl or other substances. Some drug users …

A Three Rivers native will be on a network television program next month. Corinne Gahan, a Three Rivers High School graduate, is expected to appear on the TV show Chicago Fire on Feb. 8, according to WWMT-TV. Gahan said she appears in only a brief portion of the program, and called her time on the set an amazing experience. Gahan …

Constantine Public Schools Superintendent Joe Holloway said the district was forced to cancel school earlier this week due to a shortage of bus drivers. Holloway said the decision affected classes Tuesday. He said the district has nearly a dozen routes. It has had to turn to drivers outside the district to aid Constantine under worst-case-scenario situations but even those options …

Three St. Joseph County school districts and two in Cass County are included in a pool that will share nearly $25 million to support the hiring of 195 school resource officers for the next three years. According to officials, the program will improve safety and security for more than 334,000 students in the state. Officials say a panel consisting of …

A malfunctioning furnace appears to be the cause of a house fire last weekend at a residence in Branch County’s Batavia Township. Bronson Fire chief Scott Wilber said the fire was discovered by a passerby, who noticed flames coming from a basement window shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday in the 100 block of Butcher Road. No one was home at …

A circuit court judge ruled last week that a forensic pathologist can testify in the murder trial of Michael Lafler. Judge Paul Stutesman qualified forensic pathologist Amanda Fisher-Hubbard as an expert witness after the defense attempted to stop her from testifying. Lafler, 36, is charged with open murder in the 2021 death of his girlfriend, 33-year-old Chelsea Wallen. The judge …

A 29-year-old Sturgis woman was arrested last week after allegedly confessing to setting a house on fire in Pennfield Township, according to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department. The incident happened at a home Jan. 3, deputies said. There were no injuries as a result of the fire, deputies said. Calhoun County detectives learned from Michigan State Police in St. Joseph …

An unspecified number of juveniles were taken into custody by Sturgis authorities after the youths caused damage to a number of residential buildings. According to Sturgis Department of Public Safety, officers responded at 10:15 p.m. Sunday to the 400 block of South Fourth Street. Officers quickly located a group of juveniles who were found to be in possession of BB …

The Branch-St. Joseph Area Agency on Aging, in collaboration with the Branch County Elder Abuse Prevention Coalition, will sign the revised and enhanced “Branch County Vulnerable Adult Protocol” Wednesday morning. The special event will occur at the Branch County Sheriff’s Office. The new protocol uses an inter-disciplinary team approach to address the growing number of cases of vulnerable-adult abuse, neglect and …