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A Coldwater man pleaded guilty to drug-related offenses during a recent proceeding in Branch County Circuit Court Judge Bill O’Grady said 27-year-old Dylan Tompkins pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver meth and aggravated stalking. Sentencing on the 20-year drug felony and five-year stalking charge will be Oct. 10. With charges stemming from five drug sales, Tompkins came to the …

Through October 31, the U.S. Department of Education is offering public servants working in government and staff in eligible non-profits a second chance to qualify for student-loan forgiveness. This is a separate program than the broader Student Debt Relief Plan that President Joe Biden announced last week, State Superintendent Michael Rice said. The opportunity for student-loan forgiveness is an important …

Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport announced it will host another temporary TSA PreCheck Application Center. Residents of Southwest Michigan will be able to enroll in the PreCheck program at the airport Sept. 26-30. The program enables enrolled travelers to experience an expedited security-screening process. The “pop-up” office will be located in the airport terminal. Airport officials said the application process allows …

Two people were injured after a school bus was struck by a vehicle Wednesday in Cass County’s Wayne Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called at 6:43 a.m. to the intersection of Dewey Lake Street and Atwood Road. Investigators said a Dowagiac Schools bus driver, 40-year-old Benjamin Hoopes of Dowagiac, was traveling south on Atwood Road. The bus contained four Dowagiac students and another …

Two Michigan Department of Transportation projects will begin next week in St. Joseph County. The bigger task involves a seven-mile stretch of roadway in Leonidas Township. MDOT officials said the work starts Tuesday and will center on M-60, which will be re-repaved from the junction of M-66 east to Hacker Road, at the Branch County line. Meanwhile, the other project …

Michigan State Police troopers are investigating a larceny of two lion statues from a location in Mendon Township. Investigators said the incident occurred between 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday from outside a residence in the 22000 block of Springer Road. The lions are identical, outdoor decorations and were set in the yard, near the victim’s driveway.

Branch County Coalition Against Domestic And Sexual Violence benefitted from an annual fundraiser held Sunday in Coldwater. About 1,200 golf balls – purchased at $10 each – filled five, 5-gallon buckets. Coldwater Board of Public Utilities staff went in an aerial truck and poured the golf balls onto the lawn of the Naomi Davis Shelterhouse. The ball purchased by Rick …

Strong storms blew through St. Joseph County on Monday, causing downed limbs and power outages across the area. Weather officials said the line of storms hit St. Joseph County around 4 p.m., elevating a severe thunderstorm watch into a warning. Wind gusts and heavy rain were reported throughout the area. Following the storms, 400 of 9,290 Consumers Energy customers in …

July’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County increased by six-tenths of a percent from June. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget was released recently. It showed St. Joseph County’s unemployment rate rose from 4.7 percent in June to 5.3 percent in July. The rate was 6.1 percent 12 months earlier. Meanwhile, Cass County …

COVID-19 infections are still reported daily, but not to the extent of early 2022 and before. Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency medical director Karen Luparello said the virus now is similar to the flu or a common cold with most of the same symptoms. Luparello, however, said that bit of news is not a reason for the public to let …