News

Craig “Curly” Spink swirls a hand-made jig above a water-filled 15-gallon galvanized steel tub in his Kalamazoo back yard, tugging and relaxing the line attached to a wooded fish decoy he carved and painted. He’s trying to make it swim as realistically as possible. “This is how I test them,” Spink told the Kalamazoo Gazette. “See, how I can make …

Officials say a part failure caused about 20,000 gallons of sewage to overflow at a lake and beach in Branch County. Jason Laney, utility manager for the village of Quincy, says the part was from a pump inside a facility at First Lake. The Hillsdale Daily News reports t spill happened Tuesday at the lake in southern Michigan. Due to …

Ford Motor Co. has let loose of the latest souped-up, high-performance Mustang. The 2015 Shelby GT350R drove off the line Thursday at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant, southwest of Detroit. Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford, who drove the car, said in a statement that it’s “a special day for all Mustang enthusiasts.” Ford says the vehicle rolling off the line …

A man accused of stabbing four people on an Amtrak train in southwestern Michigan is scheduled for trial in November. Dates were set Tuesday during a hearing for Michael D. Williams. A judge ruled in March that he was mentally incompetent for trial, but he was found competent this month after receiving medications and treatment. Family members have said that …

The St. Joseph County Conservation District this weekend will focus on the fifth of its six river cleanup events of the summer. Saturday’s cleanup of the Portage River in Lockport Township starts at 9:30 a.m. at Carpenter Road and concludes at Liquid Therapy in downtown Three Rivers. Participants are asked to meet at Carpenter Road and details will be worked …

A 12-year-old Western Michigan boy has been charged with careless discharge of a firearm causing death in the accidental shooting of a 28-year-old family friend. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports  that the misdemeanor charge was authorized by a court referee. The boy is charged in juvenile court and currently lives with his grandfather. An Oct. 9 pretrial hearing is scheduled. Kalamazoo …

The July retirement of chief prosecuting attorney Chuck Herman has led to a series of promotions within the department. St. Joseph County commissioners Tuesday approved the promotion of Erin Harrington from assistant prosecuting attorney level II to chief assistant prosecuting attorney. The position pays an annual salary of about $68,500. Josh Robare was tapped to take Harrington’s previous position. Robare …

Organizers of a circus coming to Constantine Sunday are issuing a reminder that the cost of tickets is less if purchased in advance rather than the day of. Show times for the Kelly Miller Circus are 2 and 5 p.m.at Eastside Elementary. Advance tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children. They are available at the village office, Constantine …

The contracts of two administrators were approved during Monday’s Three Rivers Board of Education meeting. Nikki Nash will serve as interim principal at Three Rivers Middle School, while Ben McIntyre will be the interim principal at Andrews Elementary. Nash, 40, spent nine years as a third-grade teacher at Andrews and the past four as its principal. Her salary as interim …

Two weeks after county commissioners voted to begin the process of removing three members from the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Authority Board of St. Joseph County, the matter came to a head during Tuesday’s meeting. Despite strongly worded opinions from attorney John Gretzinger, representing CMHSAS board members Gaylene Adams, Larry Walton and Barb Parker, county commissioners voted …