Commercial-News, Penny Saver, & Sturgis Sentinel

School food service employee charged with sexual assault of minors

School food service employee charged with sexual assault of minors

Robert Tomlinson Sep 29, 2025 3 min read

Updated 9:14 p.m. Sept. 30, 2025 By Robert TomlinsonNews Director MENDON — A woman who worked as a contractor in the food service department of a St. Joseph County school district was charged Monday on multiple counts of criminal sexual…

Vicksburg football reclaims Swine Bone with close win over Three Rivers

Vicksburg football reclaims Swine Bone with close win over Three Rivers

Robert Tomlinson Sep 29, 2025 8 min read

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director THREE RIVERS — The Swine Bone rivalry has been hotly contested the last couple of years, with the rivalry trophy trading hands the last three seasons, and Three Rivers owning it following a 14-11 win last…

Tennis Roundup Sturgis defeats Otsego, goes 2-1 in quad, beats Plainwell

Editorial Staff Sep 26, 2025 4 min read

STURGIS — Sturgis defeated Otsego 6-2 in boys tennis, in what coach George Earl called “a very well-played match.” He stated that “the singles were very strong as usual, and gave up very few games.” Earl went on to say…

Soccer Roundup Sturgis defeats Paw Paw, loses close match to Mason

Editorial Staff Sep 26, 2025 1 min read

STURGIS — The Sturgis varsity soccer team hosted Paw Paw this week, and sent the Red Wolves home with a 5-1 loss.Giared Lopez had the hat trick, netting three goals, while teammate Osiel Magana came up with two. Adrian Correa…

Out and About: Bees, persistence, and air movement

Out and About: Bees, persistence, and air movement

Editorial Staff Sep 26, 2025 4 min read

“A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.” -John A. SheddSome bees can fly as fast as 15 miles per hour, depending on their species and wing shape. Weather and wind can also speed…

Birthing Barn, sea lion show,4-H highlight ‘successful’ St. Joseph County Grange Fair

Birthing Barn, sea lion show,4-H highlight ‘successful’ St. Joseph County Grange Fair

Editorial Staff Sep 26, 2025 6 min read

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director CENTREVILLE — One of the biggest weeks in St. Joseph County has come and gone, with the St. Joseph County Grange Fair cleaning up and packing up for the year.Organizers of the annual county fair said…

Birthing Barn, sea lion show, 4-H highlight ‘successful’ St. Joseph County Grange Fair

Birthing Barn, sea lion show, 4-H highlight ‘successful’ St. Joseph County Grange Fair

Editorial Staff Sep 26, 2025 6 min read

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director CENTREVILLE — One of the biggest weeks in St. Joseph County has come and gone, with the St. Joseph County Grange Fair cleaning up and packing up for the year.Organizers of the annual county fair said…

Ceremony to mark 100th year of Congress School

Ceremony to mark 100th year of Congress School

Editorial Staff Sep 26, 2025 2 min read

By Dennis Volkert Congress School in Sturgis marks its 100th anniversary with a special ceremony scheduled for 10-11 a.m. Oct. 3.The event features performances by the high school marching band, guest speakers and unveiling of a commemorative plaque.Dianne Gorsuch, former…

Birthing Barn, sea lion show, 4-H highlight ‘successful’ St. Joseph County Grange Fair

Editorial Staff Sep 26, 2025 6 min read

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director CENTREVILLE — One of the biggest weeks in St. Joseph County has come and gone, with the St. Joseph County Grange Fair cleaning up and packing up for the year.Organizers of the annual county fair said…

Mike’s Musings: Erika Kirk’s Greatest Act of Courage-Forgiving the Unforgivable

Mike’s Musings: Erika Kirk’s Greatest Act of Courage-Forgiving the Unforgivable

Editorial Staff Sep 24, 2025 4 min read

When tragedy strikes, our instincts often turn toward anger, resentment, and the pursuit of vengeance. That is human nature. Yet, every so often, someone rises above those instincts and shows us a higher way — a path of grace that…

Second-half scores, stifling defense lead TR to homecoming win over Plainwell

Second-half scores, stifling defense lead TR to homecoming win over Plainwell

Robert Tomlinson Sep 21, 2025 6 min read

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director THREE RIVERS — In football, like in life, sometimes something unanticipated comes at you, and you need to learn to adapt on the fly in order to succeed. After a scoreless first half in Friday’s Three…

Tiny Tails Birthing Barn brings fresh look to old County Fair tradition

Tiny Tails Birthing Barn brings fresh look to old County Fair tradition

Editorial Staff Sep 19, 2025 5 min read

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director CENTREVILLE — A familiar sight at the St. Joseph County Grange Fair got a bit of an expansion and rebrand for this year’s edition, but its mission is still the same as ever. The Tiny Tails…

Soccer Roundup: Three Rivers shut out by Plainwell

Editorial Staff Sep 19, 2025 2 min read

PLAINWELL — Three Rivers’ boys’ soccer team had a tough time at Plainwell Thursday, Sept. 11, getting shut out by the Trojans 7-0.No stats were reported for the match.With the loss, Three Rivers goes to 1-4-1. Constantine earns first win…

Tennis Roundup Three Rivers loses to Vicksburg, narrowly beat Niles

Editorial Staff Sep 19, 2025 4 min read

VICKSBURG — Three Rivers’ boys’ tennis team traveled to Vicksburg Thursday, Sept. 11, and came away with a 6-2 loss to the host Bulldogs.Winning for the Wildcats were the No. 1 doubles duo of Parker Bingaman/Todd Wadsworth, who defeated Mason…

Out and About: Saving money, roads, and Iceland

Out and About: Saving money, roads, and Iceland

Editorial Staff Sep 19, 2025 3 min read

“A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.” -John A. Shedd As promised, here are some ways to save money on your home utilities:

County superintendents urge Lansing to ‘act quickly’ to pass state budget

County superintendents urge Lansing to ‘act quickly’ to pass state budget

Editorial Staff Sep 19, 2025 5 min read

Superintendents: ‘Our students deserve a stable, fully funded school year’ By Robert TomlinsonNews Director CENTREVILLE — Leaders of every school district in St. Joseph County are urging action by state lawmakers as a deadline to pass a state budget looms…

Mike’s Musings: A Father’s Painful Choice Shows True Honor

Mike’s Musings: A Father’s Painful Choice Shows True Honor

Editorial Staff Sep 17, 2025 4 min read

Many of us are grieving the assassination of TPUSA founder, 31-year-old Charlie Kirk. Its unimaginable to me that in this day and age, a person debating students at an outdoor rally in Utah would be murdered.The assassin has been named…

Schoolcraft’s high-flying offense downs Constantine

Schoolcraft’s high-flying offense downs Constantine

Robert Tomlinson Sep 14, 2025 6 min read

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director CONSTANTINE — In the 79th meeting between U.S. 131 football rivals Constantine and Schoolcraft, Constantine has led the series 43-35 prior to Friday night’s contest, including a double-overtime win in the 2024 meeting in Schoolcraft. However,…

Tennis Roundup TR tennis defeats Plainwell, loses to Brandywine

Editorial Staff Sep 12, 2025 3 min read

THREE RIVERS — Three Rivers’ boys’ tennis team split their two matches this week, defeating Plainwell Monday 7-1 and losing to Brandywine Tuesday 7-1.Against Plainwell, Three Rivers won matches at all but No. 1 doubles. Alex Nowak defeated Plainwell’s Kevin…

By Mike Wilcox
Owner/Publisher

Every year, as the Christmas season draws near, I’m reminded just how generous our communities can be. For nearly two decades, Wilcox Newspapers has hosted what’s become one of my favorite traditions: our Annual Christmas Wish Program.

It started simply enough. We asked readers who were struggling to write in and tell us what would make their Christmas a little brighter. The idea was to connect local families in need with local people who wanted to help. Over the years, it’s grown into something truly special—and this year, we’re doing it again.