News

A piece of history has been returned to a historic schoolhouse now located in Burr Oak. The bell to Worden School, a former one-room schoolhouse, had been missing since it was stolen in 1974. Sturgis resident Sheldon Fieberkorn was instrumental in finding the bell and last month, it made its way back atop the school building. Fieberkorn said the family …

The Youth Advisory Council of the Sturgis Area Community Foundation recently awarded four grants. An amount of $12,500 went to the Children’s Trauma Assessment Group to provide immediate assessments for children in St. Joseph County who have been exposed to or experience trauma. Sturgis Youth and Family received $2,700 to support its 2015 Parenting Fair. Another $1,600 went to Campus …

After several weeks of gas prices under two-dollars per gallon in Michigan, they’re up above that level. An increase in wholesale gasoline prices is resulting in the price at the pump going as high as $2.19 a gallon in southwest Michigan and $2.39 in Detroit. GasBuddy’s Patrick DeHaan is not expecting prices to fall under the two-dollar mark anytime soon in the …

St. Joseph County is seeking applicants for the position of county clerk. Pattie Bender, current clerk, will retire June 30 and Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman will appoint her successor. Any interested applicant can submit a resume to Circuit Court, Box 189, Centreville, or electronically to: griffink@stjosephcountymi.org. The deadline for applications is Feb. 12. Following that deadline, interviews will be …

Sturgis police officer Bryan Stuck avoided trial after entering a guilty plea on a lesser charge earlier this week. The 29-year-old Stuck, a Bronson resident, was scheduled for trial on charges of drunken driving and having a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal limit. Stuck, however, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of misdemeanor operating a motor vehicle while …

State police have closed a Three Rivers daycare following claims of alleged sexual assaults. Investigators said the home-based daycare is under scrutiny after a number of victims have come forward since the investigation started last week. Lt. Chuck Christensen said police were made aware of the situation after a parent disclosed that their child made reference to sexual contact that …

An Elkhart-based RV and trailer company has chosen a location in the village of White Pigeon to expand its manufacturing operations. Forest River Manufacturing is launching new products and is expected to construct a three-building development to support its plans. The expansion, announced Tuesday by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, is projected to produce almost 400 new jobs over a …

St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners last week approved a revised Community Mental Health resolution originally authorized during its Jan. 6 meeting. County administrator Pat Yoder said the county on Jan. 6 made its annual appropriation to the county’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. The amount was more than $257,000. Yoder said an additional $90,000 to rectify a previous …

Deputies from the St Joseph County Sheriff’s Department were called last week to investigate a complaint related to a larceny of a motor vehicle. Deputies responded at 4:30 a.m. Thursday to the 14000 block of M-60 in Fabius Township, where a 14-foot U-Haul box truck was stolen two hours earlier. The vehicle, which was taken with its key, was last …

Authorities say they removed 11 dogs from a filthy, one-bedroom apartment in southwestern Michigan as part of an animal cruelty investigation. The Van Buren County sheriff’s department says the 11 Chihuahua mixes seized on Monday in the village of Lawton included one puppy. The department says there was a large amount of animal feces and urine throughout the apartment and …