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 charged with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim under 13 and Read More…
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, the 57-year-old, whose name is being withheld pending arraignment, is charged with multiple counts of Read More…
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 the water distribution system, caused by the break. The advisory involves homes in the following Read More…
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 a.m., to a house in the 7500 block of Trophy Court, a small street neighboring Read More…
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 press from the Jackson Co. Prosecutor’s Office, Noakes’ charges include one count of first-degree arson, Read More…
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 marihuana growing and processing facilities operating within the city. The measure, Ordinance 2026-01 — the Read More…
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 press release from JPD Chief Christopher A. Simpson, the body of a 49-year-old, African American Read More…
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 with Summit Township, and Jackson County, will conduct a managed deer harvest in and around Read More…
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 Fundraiser, filling the parish hall with conversation, laughter, and the comforting aroma of simmering chili. Read More…
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 city’s 2026 construction season. The Cass Street project, which runs from Albion Street to Ann Read More…