News

The final river cleanup effort of the season by the St. Joseph County Conservation District was hailed a success by its organizers. Staged Saturday on a 2 1/2-mile stretch of the St. Joseph River between M-66 and the old Railroad Street bridge in Mendon, the cleanup drew 20 participants in 17 boats. Conservation District Board member John Nelson said volunteers …

The St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit last week pulled 170 marijuana plants from a field in three different townships. Sheriff Brad Balk said SCAN officers participated in a Domestic Cannabis Eradication Operation in Park, Fabius and Mottville townships Friday. During the execution, officers seized the marijuana plants. Had the plants been cultivated, they would have yielded a street value …

State Rep. Aaron Miller was joined last week on the Capitol rotunda by Sturgis Chief of Public Safety Geoff Smith and Assistant Chief of Public Safety Ryan Banaszak prior to the House of Representatives’ Sept. 11 memorial service on the House floor. House members invited first responders and members of the military as their guests during the ceremony, which marked …

A White Pigeon man has been charged with the 2007 homicide of 11-year-old Jodi Parrack. St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough made the announcement during a press conference Thursday afternoon at the county courthouse. He said the August arrest of 65-year-old Daniel Furlong resulted in the collection of DNA that matched DNA found at the Parrack crime scene. Furlong following …

A Three Rivers-based group seeking to recall a trio of Three Rivers board of education members filed suit Thursday against St. Joseph County Clerk Lindsay Oswald. Attorney Kelly Ward, representing TR Cares, said Oswald failed to properly fulfill her duties in the signature-verification stage of the procedure. Oswald last week said after a full review of the signatures on petitions …

A preliminary report about a small plane crash that killed a pilot at a southwestern Michigan airport last month says witnesses reported seeing the plane operating erratically while taking off. The Battle Creek Enquirer reports (http://bcene.ws/1gbpu9x ) the National Transportation Safety Board says a witness “saw that the wings were rocking back and forth during the takeoff.” The plane crashed …

President Barack Obama pushed his plan for free community college at a Michigan school, and invoked a former president from the other side of the aisle who visited the campus three decades ago. Obama on Wednesday said Ronald Reagan told a Macomb Community College audience the nation’s duty is to ensure that students have the “same America” of opportunity and …

Rural portions of Edwardsburg and Schoolcraft, along with other parts of southwest Michigan, recently joined the big cities of Atlanta, Charlotte and Kansas City in having gigabit speed internet service available. Midwest Connections, teaming up with Midwest Energy Cooperative, launched a fiber-to-the-premise internet service in 2014, offering the first true broadband experience to homes and businesses in rural southwest Michigan. …

Skye Russell, of Mendon, has been awarded the Professor Emeritus B. Swartz Scholarship for Excellence in Mathematics. Russell recently graduated from Glen Oaks Community College with an Associate of Science degree with a Life Science focus and plans to begin classes at Western Michigan University this fall to complete her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and minor in general mathematics. Russell …

A former greenhouse property that’s been redeveloped to provide a public gathering space for biking, running, walking and other purposes is set to open this week along the Kalamazoo River. A grand opening ceremony for the Riverview Launch will be held Thursday. The event will feature food and drinks, live music, yard games and entertainment. The Kalamazoo County Land Bank …