News

The St. Joseph County Grange Fair is announcing today its headline music act for the 2015 fair. Fair manager Bill Johnson said the duo Dan + Shay will take the stage on opening day, Sept. 20. In an attempt to interest younger attendees, Johnson said the entertainment committee prioritized newer artists on the path to stardom. In all, the committee …

State Rep. Aaron Miller has announced his May in-district office hours. Miller invites residents to join him May 22, at the following locations: LA’s Coffee Café, 145 W. Michigan Ave., Three Rivers, from 8 to 9:30 a.m.; and Rachel’s Family Dining, 300 E. Chicago Road, White Pigeon, from 11 a.m. to noon. Miller said he encourages anyone with ideas or …

Authorities say a pilot escaped with minor injuries following the crash of an ultralight aircraft. The Cass County sheriff’s department says in a statement Thursday that 57-year-old Carl Rosander of Cassopolis was flying near his home when the aircraft hit a tree and crashed in La Grange Township. He was the only person aboard the aircraft. The department says Rosander …

A 75-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of his ex-wife at their western Michigan home. Jimmy L. Thrasher was arraigned Tuesday in Kalamazoo District Court on murder and firearms charges. Judge Tiffany A. Ankley ordered him jailed without bond until a probable cause hearing May 26. The judge also granted his request for a …

A restructuring of special-education services next fall will initially have an impact on about 54 St. Joseph County students, close a White Pigeon special needs classroom and begin changing the way the county looks at serving its adult students. Aubree Spencer, principal at the ISD’s special education school Pathfinder Center, said she predicts up to 30 percent of current students …

Sheriff’s department deputies were called earlier this week to a business in Park Township, where a lawn mower was reported stolen. The incident was reported Monday after the John Deere zero-turn mower with a 48-inch deck was stolen from a shipping crate earlier in the day. The theft occurred at Green Mark Equipment, at the corner of U.S. 131 and …

Officials with Indiana Michigan Power have announced the company will continue to perform helicopter aerial inspections and maintenance on its high-voltage transmission lines throughout the spring and summer. I&M’s contractor will conduct the work using helicopters that will hover over system infrastructure and make repairs as necessary. The work is essential in order to provide continued reliable electric service, according …

A 55-year-old Sturgis man appears to have suffered a medical condition while driving earlier this week, leading to a single-vehicle accident in Sherman Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said the man was driving south on Shimmel Road around 5 p.m. Monday, when he drove his vehicle over the center line and off the roadway near Storms Road. The …

A geological fault line has been revealed in southeast Kalamazoo County following a small earthquake in the area over the weekend. Kazuya Fujita, a geosciences professor at Michigan State University, wrote a paper 20 years ago suggesting the existence of the geological fault line. According to Fujita, it appears the fault that caused the 4.2-magintude temblor Saturday is part of …

An investigation has found that dozens of staff members at Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital either abused a patient or witnessed the abuse that led up to the man’s arm being broken as staff struggled to restrain him. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports a summary report on an investigation into the June 2014 incident showed that of the 43 staff members cited, 23 …