News

PAW PAW – Sgt. Lena Wresinski, assigned to the Paw Paw Post, was recognized as the 2025 Trooper of the Year. The Gerstacker Trooper of the Year Award recognizes the MSP trooper or sergeant who symbolizes outstanding professional ethics, dedication…

By Paul GarrodStaff Writernews4garrod@gmail.com PAW PAW – The Paw Paw Fire Department was dispatched to the 63000 block of 38th Street in Paw Paw Township at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 23, for the report of a structure fire with…

By Paul GarrodStaff Writernews4garrod@gmail.com PAW PAW – The Paw Paw Village Planning Commission will meet Thursday Feb. 5, for a public hearing on two items, a site plan review for Culver’s restaurant, who has proposed building on County Road 665,…

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director CENTREVILLE — A Sturgis man was formally arraigned and charged Monday for the alleged sexual abuse of his adopted daughter over nearly a decade. According to St. Joseph County Prosecutor Deborah Davis, 57-year-old Raymond Bontrager was…

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director CENTREVILLE — A Sturgis man was arrested Sunday on criminal sexual conduct charges that prosecutors allege stem from nine years of purported sexual abuse of his adoptive daughter. According to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office,…

A water main break has led the city of Sturgis to issue a boil-water advisory for a limited number of homes on West West Street and North Clay Street.  The precautionary measure is due to a loss of pressure in…

By ELIZABETH FERSZT Contributing Writer Jackson County Sheriff’s officers and Michigan State Police troopers braved subzero temperatures and unstable ice to save a person in crisis early Saturday. JSO officers responded to an emergency call Jan. 25 at about 6:30…

By ELIZABETH FERSZT and KATHRYN PALON Contributing Writers Frederick Lewis Noakes, 43, was arraigned Jan. 23 in the courtroom of Magistrate Christopher Dickerson on felony charges related to a Jan. 21 fire that injured two other men. According to a…

Albion City Council approved updates to the city’s adult-use marihuana ordinance Jan. 20, following discussion and a first reading earlier in the month. The ordinance clarifies municipal licensing requirements and expands the city’s authority to inspect and enforce compliance at…

By ELIZABETH FERSZT Contributing Writer Michael Mishaw of Jackson is the victim of the second homicide of the year in the City of Jackson. He was found dead in a parking lot on the city’s east side. According to a…

By ELIZABETH FERSZT and KATHRYN PALON Contributing Writers A deer culling originally set to take place in Jackson, Jan. 16-18 has been rescheduled for this weekend. According to information posted on the City of Jackson’s website, the city, “in partnership…

On a frigid January evening, while winter weather disrupted travel across much of the country, the warmth inside St. James Episcopal Church told a different story. Nearly 100 people, including volunteers, gathered for the Albion Community Gardens annual Chili Dinner…

By Maggie LaNoue, Contributing Writer Albion City Council voted Jan. 20 to approve a Michigan Department of Transportation contract for improvements on West Cass Street, advancing a project that has been in planning for several years and helping define the…

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director THREE RIVERS — A new massage establishment could soon be on the way to Three Rivers, and could, unrelated to its application, spark new conversations about the requirements for such businesses to come into the city.On…

By Dennis Volkert On Jan. 12, Sturgis Board of Education approved a bond election resolution, by a 7-0 vote. Proposal details were approved by the board in November.The proposal is scheduled to appear on the May 5 election ballot. If approved…

By Robert TomlinsonNews Director CENTREVILLE — A prison sentence was handed down Friday to a former food service worker at Mendon Junior/Senior High School accused of sexually assaulting minors.Kaitlyn Sand was sentenced by Judge Paul Stutesman in St. Joseph County…

By Genine Hopkins The past week has seen record breaking cold temperatures for Northern Michigan, including Clare County, including temperatures well below freezing. The only consolation is there was little wind. Accuweather’s readings by the early morning hours of Friday,…

By Genine Hopkins Farwell Area Schools (FAS) Board of Education (BOE) held a Special Meeting on Monday, January 19th. Below are some of the items discussed.The FAS BOE voted to approve contracts for both Carrie Carncross as the Interim Superintendent…

By Christopher Johnson After serving the Mount Pleasant community for nearly a century, it is with a heavy heart that Jon’s Country Burgers has announced an end to 69 years of service.On the diner’s Facebook, last Wednesday’s announcement reads, “Due…

There has been some confusion about dates for curbside recycling in Sturgis, city manager Andrew Kuk said. The new contract is structured for collection every two weeks for each residence, instead of twice-monthly, as had been the case since the…