News

A 68-year-old Three Rivers man was sentenced to a year in jail for his role in the 2020 traffic-related crash of his girlfriend. Richard Sanford was sentenced last week by St. Joseph County Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman. The sentence stemmed from the January 2020 incident in which Kathleen Wexler, 69, was a passenger in the vehicle Sanford was driving …

Michigan State Police troopers are investigating an arson incident that occurred last week in Branch County’s Bethel Township. According to a department media release, the agency is looking for a woman who was seen around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday near the location where an excavator was later reported to be on fire. The area in question is in the 200 block …

Glen Oaks Community College Board of Trustees has approved tuition and fees for the 2021-22 academic year. During their board meeting last week, trustees agreed to keep tuition rates flat, drop the $25 distance-learning course fee and implement a technology fee of $9 per contact hour. Based on the instructional changes brought by COVID, president David Devier said he believes …

Michigan State Police troopers are investigating a breaking-and-entering incident that took place last week in White Pigeon Township. According to an agency media release, troopers were called Tuesday to the White Pigeon Sanitary System administrative office, in the 1600 block of Indian Prairie Road. The incident happened between 6 and 8:30 p.m. April 5. Authorities said the suspect arrived on …

Three people were arrested last week on drug-related offenses after sheriff’s deputies were investigating the theft of a motorcycle. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said deputies received information about the stolen motorcycle and went to a Park Township residence around 8 p.m. Thursday to investigate. Upon arrival at the residence, located in the 54000 block of Fisher Street, deputies made contact with …

A 5K run and 1-mile walk/run fundraiser for the foster-support group Rooted drew more than 125 participants and dozens of volunteers to downtown Burr Oak Saturday. Tiffany Wagler, executive director of the newly developed non-profit organization, said she and her husband, Rob, are humbled by the level of support. Proceeds will go to Rooted’s general fund. Wagler explained that Rooted …

Faced with the country’s highest rate of new coronavirus infections, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday urged a two-week suspension of in-person high school classes, all youth sports and indoor restaurant dining. She stopped short of ordering restrictions, instead asking for voluntary compliance to slow the spread of COVID-19. High schools should shift to virtual learning, both school and non-school …

Washington will rush federal resources to support vaccinations, testing and therapeutics, but not vaccines, to Michigan in an effort to control the state’s worst-in-the-nation COVID-19 transmission rate, the White House said Friday. The announcement came as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer strongly recommended, but did not order, a two-week pause on face-to-face high school instruction, indoor restaurant dining and youth sports. She cited …

Personal-finance company MoneyGeek has released statistics related to the most dangerous roads in Michigan, as well as identifying the most-dangerous roads in every county in the state. The data was based on analysis of 2,751 fatal crashes over a three-year period beginning in 2017. Nearly one-third of the fatalities were related to drunken driving. Seven of the 10 roads identified …

St. Joseph County commissioners have approved a request from county clerk Lindsay Oswald for an exemption to the county’s hiring freeze. During Tuesday’s board meeting, commissioners gave Oswald the green light to hire a deputy clerk. Commissioners acknowledged Oswald has been short-staffed for a year and that funding to accommodate the request was included in the county’s 2021 fiscal-year budget. …