News

A funeral mass was held Saturday in Kalamazoo for former U.S. District Judge Richard Enslen who died Tuesday. During his 30 years on the federal bench, the 83-year old Enslen ruled on a number of major cases in Michigan, one of which changed high school athletics. Enslen held that under Title IX of federal law guaranteeing equal education between the sexes, Michigan …

The man accused of setting the fire that destroyed a Kalamazoo adult store was arraigned Friday. 41-year-old Mitchell Hapner has been charged with one count of arson and one count of fleeing and eluding police. Hapner has told police he torched Hollywood Nights in an effort to eradicate  pornography from his neighborhood. Bond for Hapner was set at $250,000. Owners of the store …

The village of Constantine has reached an agreement with Rexam for a refund of 87 1/2 percent of a tax abatement the company owes the village. The village agreed to a 12 1/2 percent reduction, including a waiver of any penalties and interest, dropping the amount it is owed from $280,000 to a little more than $252,000. Abatements were granted …

Glen Oaks Community College’s Board of Trustees has agreed to a contract with Follett Higher Education Group Inc. to privatize bookstore services. James O’Connor, vice president of sales and operations, said Follett operates 945 campus stores internationally, has 1,500 e-commerce sites and plans to invest more than $ 250 million in the business over the next 36 months. Follett offers …

Cass County Sheriff’s deputies responded this week to a collision between a passenger vehicle and a plow truck. The incident occurred at 12:12 a.m. Thursday on U.S. 12, just east of Cassopolis Road in Mason Township. Deputies said an eastbound car driven by 39-year-old Erek Szymanski, of Mishawaka, crossed the centerline after the driver fell asleep. His vehicle struck a …

Michigan Milk Producers Association has closed on the purchase of two houses in the 400 block of East Second Street in Constantine, village officials were informed this week. The council discussed abandoning the 400 block of East Second Street to facilitate use by MMPA and a public hearing was subsequently set for 7 p.m. March 16. Meanwhile, Trustee Cathy Piper …

All St. Joseph County Commission on Aging senior centers are closed today, activities are cancelled, there will be no Meals on Wheels Delivery. Administrative offices are open.

Bolstered by a growing economy, Michigan retailers are projecting strong sales in the months ahead, based on a new monthly survey from the Michigan Retailers Association. The M-R-A’S Michigan Retail Index survey in January found 79-percent of retailers expect sales growth in 2015, with the increases averaging two-point-four percent. The results compare with 58-percent of retailers projecting 2014 sales growth averaging …

For the first time, Michigan recorded no fatalities during all hunting seasons in 2014, according to reports compiled by the Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division. Ten incidents involving injuries were recorded in the state – nine in the Lower Peninsula and one in the Upper Peninsula. Sgt. Tom Wanless of the DNR’s Recreational Safety, Education and Enforcement Section says that …

Students at Blandford Middle School were hard at work last week taking care of 125 baby chickens for their egg business. The high-achieving Grand Rapids Public Schools’ theme school offers 60 sixth-graders a unique hands-on learning experience, according to The Grand Rapids Press. The classroom is as much the surrounding ponds and woods as it is the school building. Cheri …