Leak estimate is increased

The Environmental Protection Agency says it believes more than a million gallons of oil may have leaked this week into a major southern Michigan waterway that leads to Lake Michigan.  Read more

Governor criticizes cleanup

Michigan’s governor says efforts by the company responsible for a more than 800,000-gallon oil spill making its way down the Kalamazoo River are “wholly inadequate.”  Read more

Templin ceremony on Friday

A ceremony to recognize the founders of the largest manmade lake in St. Joseph County is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. Friday.

Representing the co-founders of Lake Templene will be Floyd and Marie Templin. The husband and wife are the only surviving founders of the 1,050-acre lake, which was created in the 1960s.

The brief program will take place at the Lake Templene Dam and spillway, near Findley Road. The location marks the site where Founder’s Landing, a boat launch to be constructed within a few years, will be developed exclusively for Lake Templene residents. Founder’s Landing is to recognize the Templene and others whose efforts led to the creation of the lake.

Founder’s Landing is not the same public access proposed by Nottawa Township for the Prairie River.

Former Sturgis man dies in Florida

The former owner of a jewelry store in Sturgis was shot and killed at his business in Florida earlier this week.

Investigators from West Palm Beach said John Lauseng (LAW-sing) was ambushed by two men as he arrived at his jewelry store. Police said following a brief scuffle, Lauseng was shot in the back as he attempted to flee the store through an exit at the rear of the store.

He staggered to a nearby gas station, where he collapsed and later died at a local hospital, police said. The suspects remain at large and a motive was not immediately identified.

Lauseng lived in Sturgis until 2001. He operated a jewelry store in the 1200 block of South Nottawa Road.

TR school board meeting Monday

Three Rivers Community Schools has called a special meeting for 8 a.m. Monday at Superintendent Roger Rathburn’s office.

The lone agenda item indicates a “resolution to borrow” will be contemplated by the district’s seven-member board of education. The unidentified expense ties in to an energy-conservation project approved by the board earlier this month. The project is part of a Performance Agreement for Comfort, which provides services designed to reduce energy use and operational costs.

The energy-efficiency measures are expected to save the district about $200,000 annually, district officials said.

Oil spill in Calhoun County

Southern Michigan is learning that devastating oil spills aren’t limited to the Gulf Coast.  Crews were working Wednesday to clean up an estimated 877,000 gallons of oil that coated birds and fish as it poured from a pipeline leak into the Kalamazoo River.  Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm toured the area by helicopter Tuesday night and said more resources are needed. The river eventually flows into Lake Michigan, but officials don’t believe oil will seep that far.  Calgary, Alberta-based Enbridge Inc.’s affiliate Enbridge Energy Partners LP of Houston owns the pipeline. Its chief executive says “we’re going to clean it up.”  The pipeline carries about 8 million gallons of oil daily from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, Ontario.  (AP)

Next Page »