News

A winning, multi-million-dollar lottery ticket was sold in Sturgis last month. According to the Michigan Lottery, a Lotto 47 ticket matching all six numbers was sold April 20 at the Meijer gas station on South Centerville Road. Winning numbers were 4-6-11-17-23-31. The winner has one year from the date of the drawing to redeem the ticket.

Colon Community Schools officials have agreed to tender a contract to Rachel Kowalski to serve as superintendent of the 525-student district. Board president Deb Bordner said the unanimous decision to offer the job to Kowalski was a relief, as the board managed to fill a position vacant since Penny Brockway resigned in January. Selecting Kowalski became a bit easier after …

Indiana Michigan Power is planning to invest nearly $56 million to enhance its electric transmission network across southwest Michigan. I&M officials announced Tuesday the final line routes for two high-voltage power lines in St. Joseph and Cass counties to support the region’s electrical needs and enhance reliability. The White Pigeon Transmission Line Improvements Project involves building almost nine miles of …

A 32-year-old Sturgis man was ordered to be sent to the Michigan Center for Forensic Psychiatry to evaluate his competency to stand trial and criminal responsibility. Clayton Warren, 32, was arrested April 22 on charges of criminal sexual conduct and producing and putting online child pornography. Appointed public defender Laurie Hines requested the evaluation in a motion. St. Joseph County …

Michigan voters in November will decide whether to revise some of the country’s strictest legislative term limits and require state elected officials to report information about their finances to avoid conflicts of interest. The Legislature on Tuesday unveiled the proposed constitutional amendment and placed it on the statewide ballot within hours, with no debate or notice. The move saved a ballot committee …

Centreville school officials have authorized an additional three full-time employees. The positions, approved by the district’s board of education Monday, will be in place at the start of the 2022-23 academic year. They are: elementary school dean of students, special-education teacher and high school music teacher. Superintendent Chad Brady said a strong argument can be made to support the need …

Pam Keeslar has been named the 2022 recipient of the John E. Oster Award for Excellence in Teaching. She was honored Friday at the 60th anniversary gala of Sturgis Area Community Foundation. Keeslar has taught at Eastwood School for 24 years and holds a master’s degree in education. At Eastwood School, Keeslar goes above and beyond to support students and school …

A number of committee appointments were recently approved by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. Damon Knapp was added to the Community Mental Health Board, while Darci Skrzyniarz, Cathi Abbs, Anthony Heiser and Dennis Allen were re-appointed. Next, Michael O’Rourke was appointed to the county’s solid waste board. Diana Listin has been named to the St. Joseph County Transportation …

In the wake of a second consecutive millage-request defeat, Constantine Public Schools Superintendent Jim Wisely said he and district officials are attempting to figure out a logical next step. The district’s May 2 request for an additional two-tenths of a mill, which would have generated $38.8 million for various improvements, was defeated, 754 opposed to 442 in favor. Wisely said …

New coronavirus cases leaped in Michigan in the week ending May 8, rising 30 percent as nearly 19,000 cases were reported. The previous week had 14,482 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19. St. Joseph County reported 21 cases and no deaths for the week. The highest number of weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Washtenaw, Oakland …