News

The village of Colon has lost a pillar of its community. David Farrell, a former school teacher, key component of the Colon Historical Society and deacon at Colon Baptist Church, passed away Saturday following a brief illness. His wife and three children were by his side. John Kroeger, a deacon at Colon Baptist Church, said Farrell was a man whose …

Michigan public schools can use non-teaching staff as substitute teachers the rest of the academic year under a law designed to address a shortage during the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday that she signed the bill last week, calling it a “temporary stopgap” in a letter to lawmakers. It lets secretaries, paraprofessionals and other school employees without a teaching certificate work as …

An animal shelter in southeast Michigan has been inundated with hundreds of parakeets. The Detroit Animal Welfare Group in Romeo said in a Facebook post that the small, colorful birds were dropped off Thursday night, The Detroit News reported. “We were in shock also but could not turn them away as they were all crammed in seven cages and smothering each …

A Three Rivers-area man was injured after the farm tractor he was driving overturned last week in Cass County’s Newberg Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called shortly after 12:30 p.m. Friday to an area on Sodaman Road. Investigators said a tractor driven by Darrel Martin, 42, sped up while coming down a hill. Martin told authorities he was …

Glen Oaks Community College President David Devier recently led a presentation centering on work at the college and what remains to be completed. Devier shared a presentation called “A completion of the capital plan: A new dawn for GOCC.” It was the focus topic of a recent meeting of the Glen Oaks Community College Board of Trustees. According to Devier’s …

The city of Sturgis is implementing a program to fill emergency medical-service-provider staffing shortfalls and to provide more comprehensive EMS coverage in coming years. Ryan Banaszak, Sturgis director of public safety, said the area has experienced challenges firsthand as local EMS providers have seen a dramatic decrease in staffing and fewer people entering into the emergency medical field in the …

A local group called “100 Goodfellas” recently awarded Pregnancy Helpline with a check for $6,600. In addition, the group anticipates collecting approximately $3,000 more for the organization. Pregnancy Helpline director Carol Stuckey said she would like to thank 100 Goodfellas for selecting them as their charity of choice this quarter. A check presentation was made recently and included Andy Boyd, president of the board of directors for Pregnancy Helpline, and Tony Percival, representing 100 …

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday that she still supports President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, clarifying comments she made earlier this month in which she expressed concerns about it. After a federal appeals court overruled a decision last week that paused a nationwide vaccine mandate for employers of 100 workers or more, 27 Republican-led state governments have come forward with their intent …

St. Joseph County Administrator Teresa Doehring announced Tuesday tentative contract agreements have been reached with the county’s 10 different labor unions. Doehring said with two exceptions, annual raises of 2 percent will be given in each of the next three years. Meanwhile, corrections officers will receive 3 percent raises annually over the next 36 months while the command group for …

During Tuesday’s county commission meeting, commissioner Jared Hoffmaster said the five-county Southwest Michigan Solid Waste Consortium has been dissolved. He said St. Joseph County, however, will continue to keep its own Solid Waste Committee. On an unrelated note, Hoffmaster said the St. Joseph County Transportation Board is in need of members. The board meets the third Tuesday of the month. …