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White Pigeon Community Schools had four of its 14 buses red-tagged during annual inspections earlier this week. Superintendent Ron Drzewicki (joo-VICK-ee) told board of education members Wednesday the violations were on three of the district’s four oldest buses, which are 14, 15 and 17 years old. Drzewicki said Michigan State Police inspectors indicated the violations were minor and would not …

Lenox has been adopted! I am Princess. I am a beautiful five year old spayed female Malamute. I am a happy girl and I do need some direction. I want to be good but you will need to tell me what you want of me. I need a fenced yard so that I can run off my energy. I would …

Officials from the Three Rivers Police Department have confirmed their investigation into a case of embezzlement from the Three Rivers Little League. The case centers on the former director of the 300-player league and an amount of money close to $20,000 that may have been improperly taken. Police became involved in the issue after a former board member and sponsor …

Two Sturgis men were arrested Tuesday and charged with methamphetamine-related offenses. Following up on a tip, members of the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit made the arrests at an apartment unit at a residence at 207 N. Prospect St. Information regarding the ages and identities of the men arrested was not referenced in a sheriff’s department news release. Investigators …

Cass County Sheriff Joseph Underwood Jr. reports said deputies handled a double-fatal traffic crash on Chapel Hill Street, just east of Baldwin Prarie Road at 9:14 p.m. Tuesday in Porter Township. Ross Gambill, 19 from Osceola, Ind., said that he and two friends were traveling east on Chapel Hill Street at a high rate of speed when the driver lost …

A projected decrease in student enrollment wasn’t as severe as White Pigeon Community Schools officials had expected. Members of the district’s board of education on Wednesday noted the district lost fewer than the 17 students for which it had budgeted. That and an increase of nine students overall from a year ago translates into about $120,000 for the district, Superintendent …

Elkhart County’s health officer says three people have died from fungal meningitis after receiving injections there of a recalled back pain medication.  Doctor Dan Nafziger said Wednesday that three deaths and 28 cases of fungal meningitis have occurred in the northern Indiana county. He would not discuss any specific patients, but says most have responded well to treatment and left …

Michigan retailers are optimistic about the upcoming holidays, with 3 out of 4 retailers expecting sales to increase. According to the Michigan Retailers Association’s (MRA) Michigan Retail Index, 43-percent of the state’s retailers expect holiday sales to rise by more than 5-percent over last year, while 32-percent expect smaller increases.  MRA President and CEO Jim Hallan says Michigan retailers are …

Midland-based Dow Chemical says 2,400 employees will be laid off with 20 plants closed world wide due to continued economic slowdowns.  Roughly half of those layoffs will be in North America including workers at an Automotive Systems Diesel Particulate Filters plant in Midland that will be closed. No time table on the plant closures was immediately available.  Dow says the …

A preliminary report on the Amtrak derailment in Niles from the National Transportation Safety Board blames a reversed switch for the accident on Sunday.  The NTSB found the switch aligned the tracks the Amtrak train was on with a rail yard instead of the main track, and the train stopped only 21 feet from the nearest freight train car in …