News

After 22 years working in education, Sturgis High School Principal Ron Ehlers has announced he is retiring. His last day will be June 30. District officials said Ehlers has been a strong advocate for students. They hope to fill the position by July 1, as it was posted last week internally and externally. The selection process will include application screening, …

Jury-selection begins today in St. Joseph County Circuit Court for the murder trial of Zachary Patten. Patten is scheduled to stand trial for the July 2017 murder of Shane Richardson. According to authorities, Patten drove to a home in the 16000 block of Featherstone Road in Florence Township, where his ex-wife resided. Police said Richardson, along with his pregnant wife …

A thicket, a patch of tall grass and a quiet spot in your back yard – all places that fawns have been found. For the first few weeks of a white-tailed deer fawn’s life, its mother will hide it in secluded locations. This behavior helps reduce the potential of predators finding the fawn. While fawns may seem abandoned, they rarely …

Cass County sheriff’s officials arrested a man early Friday following a two-county pursuit. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies attempted to stop the suspect, who was driving a stolen vehicle. The vehicle eventually crashed on M-40, south of Hoffman Street in an area of Jones. The suspect fled on foot and was able to elude deputies and a K-9 officer. A …

Here is a weekly update from the Michigan Department of Transportation regarding the U.S. 131 project in Three Rivers. Northbound and southbound 131 will continue to feature single-lane closures. Meanwhile, construction will continue on the existing curb-lane islands, which will be removed and replaced with temporary paving. Also, work will continue on utilities on outside shoulders and median work will …

State Rep. Aaron Miller last week voted in favor of a measure to help bring lower car insurance prices to residents and families in Southwest Michigan. He joined House legislators in approving a plan to reform Michigan’s no-fault system. The plan guarantees lower rates for all drivers in Michigan, reducing what currently is the highest average car insurance premium in …

State police troopers are investigating a hit-and-run accident that involved a vehicle and a horse-drawn buggy in Branch County. The incident occurred at 10 p.m. Wednesday on Hamman Road near State Line Road in California Township. Investigators said a black passenger car traveling north on Hamman Road crossed the center line and struck a southbound buggy head on. The buggy …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed legislation to forgive Michigan schools from rescheduling up to four snow days that occurred during an artic deep freeze in which she declared a state of emergency. The law will let schools not count the Jan. 29-Feb. 1 period toward a cap on snow days. State law forgives districts from making up six days that …

Investigation into the shooting death of a 51-year-old woman in Fawn River Township is continuing, though few details are available from authorities. Pauline Randol was the victim. Her 9-year-old adopted son was allegedly responsible for the shooting, killing her after he fired a rifle at her. Court records show the boy was charged with one count of open murder and …

A 37-year-old man is in the St. Joseph County jail after a high-speed pursuit earlier this week. Matthew Gear was arrested after crashing a vehicle into the front porch of a home at 314 S. Elkhart St. in White Pigeon around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. Police from Goshen were responding to a call regarding a personal-protection violation. When they arrived, Gear …