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A 75-year-old man accused of fatally shooting his ex-wife at their western Michigan home has pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and felony firearm use. Jimmy L. Thrasher entered his plea Tuesday in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court. His attorney told the judge that Thrasher decided to plead no contest since he’s unable to recall the events that led to the …

Authorities say drivers found at fault in a series of crashes that left one woman dead and about a dozen-and-a-half people injured along Interstate 94 in southwestern Michigan are expected to be issued citations. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports the Michigan State Police are early in their investigation into the Sunday afternoon pileup near the Van Buren County community of Hartford. …

Four months after verbally committing to a multi-field sports complex in the Three Rivers area, the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners followed through on its pledge. During Tuesday’s board meeting, commissioners approved a recreation facility agreement that formalizes the $2.8 million commitment. County administrator Pat Yoder said an inordinate amount of legalities had to be sorted through by the …

A boil-water notice remains in effect in the village of White Pigeon nearly two weeks after the recommendation was yielded. Village officials Jan. 7 notified residents that the presence of coliform bacteria had been detected in the water supply. Since then, they have been urging residents to boil water before use or to use bottled water. White Pigeon Department of …

Two people were injured in an automobile accident this week in Cass County. Sheriff Joe Underwood said deputies were called to Marcellus Hwy, west of Sunset Drive, shortly after 8 p.m. Monday. Deputies indicated 20-year-old Brooke Johnson, of Schoolcraft, was driving west on Marcellus Highway when she lost control of her vehicle. Her vehicle swerved into the eastbound lane and …

Mendon Community Schools Board of Education members gave interim superintendent Roger Rathburn a vote of confidence Monday, as the seven-member panel agreed to extend Rathburn’s contract through the 2016-17 academic year. Rathburn joined the district after board members agreed last spring to not continue to participate with Centreville Public Schools in a shared-superintendent agreement. Rathburn said he’ll confirm his decision …

State police arrested a 31-year-old Indiana woman for alleged drunken driving following a traffic stop over the weekend in White Pigeon Township. Authorities said a motorist phoned police at 7:15 a.m. Sunday to report a vehicle with two flattened tires traveling east on U.S. 12 in the village of White Pigeon. The caller indicated the vehicle was not staying in …

A Sturgis man faces four counts of felonious assault and additional charges after he allegedly pointed a handgun at his girlfriend’s ex-husband during a child-custody exchange. Sturgis police said officers were called at 7:30 p.m. Sunday to the 600 block of North Lakeview Street in response to a man with a gun. Officers were told the 43-year-old man was intoxicated …

Sturgis city commissioners must decide if they’ll spend a large share of this year’s local road millage to make an industrial access road a concrete surface, at the expense of doing some other city streets. City engineer Barry Cox last week said the initial plan for resurfacing Wade Road, off M- 66 South, called for asphalt paving. That total project …

Authorities say one person died and more than a dozen were injured after about 60 vehicles were involved in a series of crashes in snowy weather along Interstate 94 in southwestern Michigan. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports three people were critically injured and 11 others, including a Van Buren County sheriff’s deputy, had minor injuries following the crashes near Hartford about …