Recent Posts

Three arrested in Branch County after traffic stop

State police arrested three people on a weapons charge after the vehicle they were in was stopped after it was clocked traveling in excess of 100 miles per hour on I-69 in Branch County. The incident started around 2 a.m. Sunday when a trooper on stationary patrol observed a car being driven southbound at 115 miles per hour. It was …

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Health Care Leaders Must Drive Solutions for the Opioid Crisis

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recently released its annual report on drug overdose deaths in America, and it’s bad news for Michigan. According to the report, the Great Lakes State experienced an 8 percent rise in overdose-related deaths last year. Overdoses in the state claim more than seven lives a day, far outpacing the number of suicides, traffic fatalities …

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Officials release names of 2 dead after boating accident

Officials have released the names of two people who died after a boating accident in southwestern Michigan. The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office says the boat was crossing from Tub Lake to Barton Lake when it struck the top of a cement barrier under Portage Road Saturday evening in Schoolcraft Township. The department says in a statement Monday that 56-year-old Anthony …

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Tests pending for local water

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services have detected an unsafe level of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid in the discharge from the Bronson Wastewater Treatment Plant. The level detected was more than 10 times the allowable level. The discharge from the plant flows into Swan Creek. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has taken …

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Law enforcement officers attend Capitol Memorial Service

State Rep. Aaron Miller of Sturgis was recently joined by local law enforcement officers for the Michigan House’s Sept. 11 Memorial Service. St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Jason Bingaman, Undersheriff Mark Lillywhite and Sturgis Director of Public Safety Geoff Smith were Miller’s guests of honor at the Sept. 6 observance, held at the state Capitol. The annual event memorializes …

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Minor injuries in Cass County crash

Cass County Sheriff’s deputies were called last week to the scene of a two-car collision in Penn Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said the incident occurred at 4 p.m. Friday on M-60 at Calvin Center Road. Investigators said Daniel Wences, 33, of Marcellus, was driving east on M-60 when a vehicle driven by 29-year-old Leon Myrick of Elkhart failed to stop …

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Tree falls on motorist

A Marcellus resident was injured when a tree fell on his car during a storm earlier this week in Cass County’s Marcellus Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said the incident occurred at 10:25 p.m. Tuesday on Hemlock Lake Road, near the intersection of Taylor Drive. Deputies said a car driven by 56-year-old James Joseph Hokauson was struck by the fallen tree. …

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County board approves appointments

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved a number of appointments this week. Commissioners during Tuesday’s meeting reappointed Howard Bush and appointed Rose Ludwick and Gerald Loudenslager to the Community Corrections Board for terms to expire Dec. 31; Richard Anderson was named to the Workforce Development Board for a term to expire in September 2020; and David Mostrom, James …

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11 people killed in holiday weekend crashes

Michigan State Police announced that preliminary reports indicate 11 people lost their lives in 11 separate traffic crashes during the 2018 Labor Day holiday weekend. During the 2017 Labor Day holiday weekend, 10 traffic crashes resulted in 15 deaths. Restraint use was unknown in four of the fatal crashes, two fatal crashes involved alcohol and three crashes involved both pedestrians and …

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Motorcyclists injured in Cass County

A White Pigeon couple was injured after a tree fell in front of the motorcycle on which they were riding Monday in Cass County. Sheriff’s deputies said the incident occurred shortly before 4 p.m. on M-40 near Teasdale Lake Street in Porter Township. The tree fell in front of a motorcycle driven by Ronnie Haas, 57. His wife, Eskalane Hass, …

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