News

Glen Oaks Community College last week staged its first in-person graduation ceremony since 2019, as about 130 of the school’s 181 graduates took part in Friday’s program. It was also livestreamed through various platforms. President David Devier recognized several individuals during the ceremony. Those receiving awards were: Outstanding Service Award – Tom Miller. Adjunct Faculty Teaching Excellence Award – Carmen …

March’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by four-tenths of a percent from February. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget was released recently. It showed St. Joseph County’s unemployment rate fell from 3.9 percent in February to 3.5 percent in March. The rate was 5.5 percent 12 months earlier. Meanwhile, Cass County …

Here’s a rundown of the nine remaining Fresh Food Distribution events in May. The next will take place at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Seventh-Day Adventist Church, east of Centreville on M-86. Then, First Presbyterian Church on Lakeview Avenue in Sturgis will host a distribution. It will take place at 4 o’clock Thursday. Three distributions will occur on May 19. The …

Michigan State Police troopers were dispatched to a Branch County location in response to a report of larceny. Troopers responded to the 1000 block of Colon Road in Matteson Township. The larceny is believed to have taken place between Feb. 1 and April 10. Items stolen include a metal wheelbarrow, a generator, a metal wagon chassis, scrap metal from a …

Firefighters from the Constantine Fire Department responded to a vehicle fire inside an attached garage earlier this week in Constantine Township. The department was summoned shortly after 2 a.m. Tuesday to the 15000 block of North Northpark Road. A firefighter who lives in the area and a state trooper were first to arrive. They noticed the vehicle’s engine area was …

A man has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in a deadly shooting that sent shoppers fleeing for safety inside a northern Indiana shopping mall. Dazhon Howard’s guilty plea on Wednesday came after his March trial ended with a judge declaring a mistrial after jurors said they were deadlocked, the South Bend Tribune reported. Rather than potentially stand trial a second time, Howard, 23, agreed to plead …

A 5-year-old boy was in critical condition after being shot last weekend by a relative in what South Bend police are calling a “very tragic accident.” The shooting happened Saturday night in a home on the city’s west side. South Bend police said Monday that the boy was shot by a 9-year-old relative and was hospitalized in critical condition. The …

A 32-year-old Sturgis man was charged with child-sex crimes following a joint investigation by Michigan State Police Computer Crimes Unit and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Authorities said Clayton Warren was arrested this week and charged with possession, manufacturing and dissemination of child sexually abusive material, and criminal sexual conduct first degree. According to a media release, the Sturgis …

Voters in the city of Sturgis approved a 10-year, 3-mill renewal request for ongoing street maintenance and repairs. Unofficial results from Tuesday’s request show 502 “yes” votes were recorded, and 266 “no” ballots were counted. The millage will levy three-mills, or $3 for each $1,000 of a home’s taxable value, for another 10 years. Nearly $750,000 will be raised in …

Voters in the Constantine Public Schools district on Tuesday defeated a proposed two-tenths of a mill increase that would have generated $38.8 million for improvements. The proposal was defeated by a vote of 754 against to 442 in favor. That includes 146 affirmative votes and 333 opposing votes in Cass County. Constantine Public Schools superintendent Jim Wiseley expressed disappointment in the result. He said …