News

Law-enforcement officials investigating the 2007 case involving the homicide of 11-year-old Jodi Parrack are pursuing a new avenue, thanks to a change in Michigan’s DNA collection law. A 65-year-old White Pigeon man, arrested in August for allegedly assaulting and restricting with a dangerous weapon a 10-year-old neighbor, is not considered a person of interest in the Parrack homicide, said Constantine …

State police have arrested a 52-year-old man in connection with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy at a southern Michigan cemetery. WOOD-TV and WXMI-TV report that the man and boy were in a van stopped about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. The trooper learned during the traffic stop that the boy had been sexually assaulted at a cemetery in Coldwater. The …

The bear is back. A 9-foot stuffed polar bear returned to Michigan State University on Tuesday after spending the summer with a taxidermist. It was the first time the bear had been away from the lobby of the Natural Resources Building since 1966. The Lansing State Journal says the bear has clean white fur, a new jaw and new pads …

Glen Oaks Community College announced last week it has entered into a partnership with Michigan State University to offer an Associate of Applied Science in Business degree with a concentration in Agricultural Operations. The partnership allows students to earn a certificate from the MSU Institute of Agricultural Technology while working toward an associate’s degree from Glen Oaks. The agreement, according …

Sturgis city commissioners recently voted to repeal Michigan’s Fireworks Safety Act, saying the 2011 law took away local government’s ability to regulate consumer fireworks. The law liberalized fireworks sales in the state and limited local governments’ oversight authority. Following the latest July 4 holiday, commissioners had complained about widespread use of loud pyrotechnics in Sturgis neighborhoods, claiming it created a …

The July unemployment rate in St. Joseph County increased by nine-tenths of a percent compared to a month earlier. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed St. Joseph County’s 5.6 percent July unemployment rate was higher than June’s 4.7 percent. July’s unemployment rate, however, was 1.5 percent less than the same month one …

About 100 people attended Friday’s third annual Local Food Dinner event, staged at St. Joseph County Fairgrounds. Sponsored by St. Joseph County Conservation District, the $20-per-person event featured food products either grown or produced in St. Joseph County. Carol Higgins, chair of the conservation district board, said she is encouraged that Local Food Dinner has potential to become an even …

Glen Oaks Community College announced last week it has entered into a partnership with Goshen College to bring its Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program to the Centreville campus. Glen Oaks president David Devier said the demand for the nursing workforce to hold a bachelor’s degree continues to grow. The Goshen College RN to BSN program is …

Electronic items were stolen from a Colon Township residence last week. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department was called Friday to the 54000 block of Correll Road in response to the daytime incident. The victim told investigators he was gone for a 90-minute period and during that time, someone forced entry by kicking in a door to the residence.

A truck-accessories manufacturing firm has received a 50 percent property tax break on a $330,600 expansion investment expected to create five new jobs and retain 25 others. Approved last week by the Sturgis City Commission, the 12-year incentive was offered to Unique Truck Accessories. It is constructing a 10,800-square-foot expansion at 1000 N. Clay St. to increase its manufacturing volume …