News

An openly gay United Methodist pastor has gotten married several days after he says he was forced to resign. The Kalamazoo Gazette and South Bend Tribune report the Rev. Benjamin Hutchison married Monty Hutchison Friday in Cassopolis outside southwestern Michigan’s historic Cass County Courthouse. Guests included about 30 ministers. The 31-year-old says he resigned Monday from Cassopolis United Methodist Church. …

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and others on Saturday helped mark the bicentennial of the true end of the War of 1812 on Mackinac Island. Snyder took part in a ceremony in Marquette Park near Fort Mackinac. He was to be joined by Canadian Consul General Douglas George and Eric Hemenway of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. The event, …

When customers first step in Grundy’s Ace Hardware in Howell, most ask where Bobbi the cat is. “That is seriously the first thing people would ask: ‘Where is Bobbi?’ ” laughed Grundy’s owner Cliff Grundy. “She was the center of attention.” Bobbi was the store’s 21-year-old calico cat that would greet customers and expect belly rubs in return, according to …

Kalamazoo County Circuit Court Judge Gary Giguere Jr. on Friday affirmed a June 26 decision by the St. Joseph County Election Board regarding the case of a recall sought of three members of the Three Rivers Community Schools Board of Education. In a four-page summary, Giguere sided with the election board in the fact that “each reason for the recall is …

The Three Rivers Health Auxiliary has awarded four, $1,000.00 scholarships to local students pursuing degrees in the medical field. The Auxiliary raises funds for the scholarships through various raffles, sales and events as well as the snack bar and gift shop located at the hospital. The auxiliary has been awarding scholarships for more than 15 years and is excited to …

A 20- year- old Middlebury, Ind., woman received a prison sentence of 51 months to 20 years for her part in a Jan. 3 armed robbery at Sturgis Petroleum Marathon at the corner of Fawn River and South Centerville roads. St. Joseph County 45th Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman handed down the sentence to Kayla Sue Cockburn earlier this month. …

A three-way traffic signal on South Nottawa Street at Wenzel Street will become a blinking light for the next 90 days, in anticipation of its potential removal. Sturgis city commissioners have approved a temporary control order that will change the stoplight to a flashing yellow signal for two-way traffic on South Nottawa Street and a red flashing light for Wenzel …

Thanks to the alertness of a Three Rivers police officer, the suspect in a Kalamazoo bank robbery has been arrested. Sgt. Andrew Howes was on patrol Monday when he spotted a vehicle matching the description of one used in a July 10 robbery at Consumers Credit Union. Howes stopped the vehicle on Millard Street. The suspect, later identified as Simon …

Authorities have released the name of a worker who died in a fall at a grain elevator company in Kalamazoo County. The sheriff’s department says 31-year-old Marcos Fonseca of Marcellus died after the fall Tuesday morning at H&H Feed & Grain Inc. in Schoolcraft Township, just west of Vicksburg. The department says he fell about 15 feet when he left …

Authorities are looking for a man who robbed a Sturgis convenience store while wearing trash bags to disguise his identity. Police say the man walked into Sturgis Party Store around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, showed a handgun and demanded money. The man took cash and police say he was last seen running away from the store. Anyone with information about the robbery is …