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The earth is huge. There are over 7.5 billion people living on the earth. The earth is about 24,874 miles tall and 24,860 miles around, so when we were told as a child, teen or young adult, that “it’s a big world out there”, they weren’t kidding. On the flip side, you also hear people say “what a small world” …

St. Joseph County residents can once again dial 211 for various forms of assistance. The service was not in operation for a while but resumed Saturday, according to Kelly Hostetler, executive director of the St. Joseph County United Way. Hostetler said 211 is a free call for help, information and referral service. It is a central access point that people …

State Reps. Aaron Miller and Jim Tedder detailed their legislation to protect Michigan residents who play fantasy sports. The bills update state law to keep pace with evolving technology and maintain the legality of fantasy sports services such as FanDuel, DraftKings, Yahoo and others. Miller said Michigan residents already are playing these games, and he would like legislators to make …

Southern Michigan Bank and Trust officials wish to advise the public that the lobby of its office on U.S. 131 in Three Rivers is closed for renovations. Drive-thru lanes, however, will remain open during the anticipated three-month project. SMBT will be installing a deal drawer during this transition, giving business customers the ability to go through the inside lane and …

A community college in southwestern Michigan is expanding its nursing and health education building in an attempt to combat a growing shortage of nurses that seems particularly acute in the area. Southwestern Michigan College has launched a $9.6 million initiative to more than double the size of the nearly 50-year-old building. Work is expected to begin this summer to update …

Kalamazoo County has decided to create an identification card program for residents who lack documents needed to get a state ID. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports the county Board of Commissioners’ 6-5 vote Wednesday was split along party lines, but the Democratic majority approved a resolution creating the program. The resolution authorizes an initial budget of $60,000 to begin the program …

Authorities say a man has died after being thrown from a personal watercraft and hit by the vehicle at a lake in southwestern Michigan. The crash happened Tuesday at Magician Lake in Cass County. The sheriff’s department says 28-year-old Derek Jackson of Gobles hit a wave and was thrown from the watercraft. He was taken to a hospital in South …

Lt. Gov. Brian Calley is starting a new effort to make Michigan’s Legislature part-time. The Detroit News reports Calley’s Clean Michigan Committee announced Monday it submitted a new petition with revised language to the Secretary of State. The new petition would generally require lawmakers to finish the regular legislative session by April 15 each year. The previous version sought to …

A Michigan man who tried to use fireworks to remove a bees’ nest from his garage ended up burning the building down instead. MLive reports crews responding to the home in Grand Blanc Township on Monday saw fireworks shooting into the sky from the burning garage. No one was injured. Grand Blanc Fire Chief Bob Burdette says the homeowner was …

A priest who oversaw parishes in Colon and Bronson has been ordered to stand trial on charges of embezzling more than $100,000 in church funds. Court officials said Richard Fritz’ case has been bound over to St. Joseph County Circuit Court. Fritz, a priest in the Diocese of Kalamazoo for 35 years, was arraigned in April. He resigned last year …