News

Officials have released the names of two people who died after a boating accident in southwestern Michigan. The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office says the boat was crossing from Tub Lake to Barton Lake when it struck the top of a cement barrier under Portage Road Saturday evening in Schoolcraft Township. The department says in a statement Monday that 56-year-old Anthony …

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services have detected an unsafe level of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid in the discharge from the Bronson Wastewater Treatment Plant. The level detected was more than 10 times the allowable level. The discharge from the plant flows into Swan Creek. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has taken …

State Rep. Aaron Miller of Sturgis was recently joined by local law enforcement officers for the Michigan House’s Sept. 11 Memorial Service. St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Jason Bingaman, Undersheriff Mark Lillywhite and Sturgis Director of Public Safety Geoff Smith were Miller’s guests of honor at the Sept. 6 observance, held at the state Capitol. The annual event memorializes …

Cass County Sheriff’s deputies were called last week to the scene of a two-car collision in Penn Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said the incident occurred at 4 p.m. Friday on M-60 at Calvin Center Road. Investigators said Daniel Wences, 33, of Marcellus, was driving east on M-60 when a vehicle driven by 29-year-old Leon Myrick of Elkhart failed to stop …

A Marcellus resident was injured when a tree fell on his car during a storm earlier this week in Cass County’s Marcellus Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said the incident occurred at 10:25 p.m. Tuesday on Hemlock Lake Road, near the intersection of Taylor Drive. Deputies said a car driven by 56-year-old James Joseph Hokauson was struck by the fallen tree. …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved a number of appointments this week. Commissioners during Tuesday’s meeting reappointed Howard Bush and appointed Rose Ludwick and Gerald Loudenslager to the Community Corrections Board for terms to expire Dec. 31; Richard Anderson was named to the Workforce Development Board for a term to expire in September 2020; and David Mostrom, James …

Michigan State Police announced that preliminary reports indicate 11 people lost their lives in 11 separate traffic crashes during the 2018 Labor Day holiday weekend. During the 2017 Labor Day holiday weekend, 10 traffic crashes resulted in 15 deaths. Restraint use was unknown in four of the fatal crashes, two fatal crashes involved alcohol and three crashes involved both pedestrians and …

A White Pigeon couple was injured after a tree fell in front of the motorcycle on which they were riding Monday in Cass County. Sheriff’s deputies said the incident occurred shortly before 4 p.m. on M-40 near Teasdale Lake Street in Porter Township. The tree fell in front of a motorcycle driven by Ronnie Haas, 57. His wife, Eskalane Hass, …

Annual flooding problems at a St. Joseph County landmark could be resolved following action Tuesday by county commissioners. Acting on a request from parks and recreation director Jaymes MacDonald, commissioners approved a $20,000 contract with civil engineers Fleiss & Vandenbrink for the design and implementation of flood-mitigation actions. In a memo to commissioners, MacDonald said Rawson’s King Mill County Park …

A Schoolcraft woman died in a single-vehicle accident that may have been caused by a medical condition Tuesday afternoon in Park Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said the 81-year-old victim was driving west on Michigan Avenue when, according to witnesses, her car veered off the road near North Fisher Lake Road and struck a tree. The incident occurred …