News

Home damaged in Sturgis fire

No injuries were reported following a fire Sunday at a home at 208 Susan Street in Sturgis. Firefighters arrived around 8:45 p.m. and the fire was extinguished before significant damage was done to the structure. Investigators said most of the damage was sustained primarily by contents on the building’s interior. The home took on a fair amount of smoke and …

Read More »

Bronson man dies Monday following weekend crash

A Bronson man was airlifted from the scene of a two-vehicle accident over the weekend in Sherman Township, and died Monday at Bronson Methodist Hospital. Sheriff’s deputies were called around 11:30 Saturday morning to an area on North Centreville Road near Featherstone Road. Upon arrival, they found a 2005 GMC Canyon driven southbound by a 53-year-old Sturgis man had rear-ended …

Read More »

Sturgis public safety director arrested

Geoffrey Smith, public safety director for the city Sturgis, has been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation into a crash that occurred early Sunday, resulting in Smith being arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Sturgis city officials confirmed early Sunday that Smith was off-duty when the vehicle he was in crashed into an SUV in the 600 block …

Read More »

High school football moved to spring

The Michigan High School Athletic Association on Friday moved its football season to the spring, but said other fall sports would proceed as scheduled during the coronavirus pandemic. Executive Director Mark Uyl said the decision to delay football — considered a high-risk sport for the spread of COVID-19 due to the amount of face-to-face contact — was made after consulting …

Read More »

Free hearing and vision tests for incoming kindergartners

Here’s a message for parents or guardians of incoming kindergarten students. The tri-county health department is offering free hearing and vision screens in the next two weeks. Appointments are for any student entering kindergarten for the first time, whether they have opted for on-line only or in-person learning. Tests are between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and will be conducted …

Read More »

Glen Oaks president receives high rating

Glen Oaks Community College president David Devier was given a high rating by the school’s board of trustees last week. On a scale of 1 to 5 focusing on 48 specific performance expectations, Devier received an overall rating of 4.43, board chairman Bruce Gosling said. With help from Devier’s leadership and contributions of the staff, Glen Oaks has weathered numerous …

Read More »

New Constantine police officer sworn in

Sarah Bleything was recently sworn in as Constantine’s newest part-time police officer. Bleything graduated from the Kalamazoo Valley Community College police academy in early July, having been sponsored by the Constantine agency. Bleything served in the Army for eight years starting in 2006 and was deployed to Iraq twice. She earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2015 at …

Read More »

Michigan moves high school football to spring due to virus

The Michigan High School Athletic Association on Friday moved the football season to next spring but said other fall sports would proceed as scheduled during the coronavirus pandemic. The move came days after the Big Ten postponed all fall sports and said it hoped to make them up in the second semester. The MHSAA had previously allowed lower-risk fall sports — golf, …

Read More »

Animal control deals with another cat-hoarding case

An already-overwhelmed St. Joseph County Animal Control was dealt another blow this week, as agency director Greg Musser was called Wednesday to assist with the county’s second cat-hoarding case within an eight-day period. Though not as large as the 150-plus cats taken from a Park Township residence Aug. 4, Wednesday’s situation in Three Rivers yielded at least 50 cats. Musser …

Read More »

Man dies in Sherman Township crash

A Battle Creek man was killed in a two-vehicle crash late Wednesday in Sherman Township. Justin Noel, 19, was airlifted to Bronson Methodist Hospital following the incident, and later died. He was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Erandi Tzitziki, 19, also of Battle Creek. Police said Tzitziki was driving north on North Centerville Road and failed to stop at …

Read More »