Recent Posts

A big win for a Dowagiac resident

A Dowagiac woman recently submitted her claim for a lottery jackpot in excess of $195,000. According to a media release from the Michigan State Lottery, Joanne Kingman matched five out of five numbers in the Fantasy 5 lottery game. Kingman won after matching the digits 01-09-16-20 and 31 in the Aug. 7 nightly drawing. She bought her winning ticket at …

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Michigan adjusted unemployment rate dips to 5.3 percent

Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dipped last month to match the national average. The Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget released state and regional employment figures Wednesday. July’s statewide jobless rate was 5.3 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from June. It was 7 percent in July 2014. The state says the number of unemployed in Michigan dropped …

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Michigan folk art comes alive in wooden fish decoys

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 …

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Officials: Part failure causes sewage spill at lake, beach

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 …

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Hot Mustang rolls off the assembly line

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 …

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Trial scheduled for Michigan man accused in Amtrak stabbing

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 …

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Itsy Bitsy

Hi. My name is Itsy Bitsy kitty and I am a female about three years old. I am orange and white with lovely long fur. I came in with some of my babies. They have all been adopted so I hope now it is my turn to find a loving home. I am kind of shy but am very affectionate …

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River cleanup scheduled

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 …

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Boy, 12, charged in accidental shooting death of woman

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 …

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Retirement leads to changes in prosecuting attorney office

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 …

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