Bremen

BREMEN - An explosion happened in a Bremen business building, police say, Thursday afternoon. According to dispatch, police and fire crews arrived in the 400 block of industrial drive around 3:30 p.m. The Nappanee Fire Department was called to help. Dispatch says that the building was evacuated immediately and no injuries were being reported. They will not release the name of the business at this time. Stay with WSBT.com for updates as they become available.

Power was out for several hours Monday evening after a transformer failure in Bremen. Bremen police and fire dispatch said the transformer fire happened about 4:30 p.m., leaving residents in the dark as a result — and, according to one worker, businesses idled while the power was out. Authorities say the fire was quickly controlled and they believed all power was restored later in the evening.

A barn burned to the ground this afternoon south of Bremen. Firefighters were called to the 6100 block of 5 B Road, after smoke was seen coming from the barn. Firefighters from Bremen, LaPaz and Plymouth were called to help fight the fire, which jumped from one barn to a second barn nearby. The second barn is OK. Firefighters are planning to use an excavator to get to hot spots. No people or animals were hurt in the fire.

Three businesses were evacuated after a gas leak near 331 in Bremen. Vermeer Excavating was drilling to lay pipes Monday afternoon when they struck an underground gas service line. Gas began to spew from manholes around 12:30.  Crews blocked off parts of 331 in order for NIPSCO to work on capping the leak. The gas leak is now contained.  About 50 people were evacuated during the cleanup.

Police say a man has been flown to an area hospital following an accident involving a lawnmower in Marshall County. The man was trapped under the commercial lawnmower in Bremen shortly before 6 p.m. Authorities are not releasing other details as they continue to work at the scene. The man was airlifted from the scene, but there was no immediate word on his condition. For any further updates, stay with SBT24/7News page or check with our SBT24/7 News partners at WSBT-TV and WSBT Radio News.

Though the 1990 Honda caught fire after it crashed early Saturday in the 6600 block of Fir Road, just north of 7th Road in Marshall County, the crash is believed to be what killed the car's driver. The lone occupant of the car, Joel Stetzel, 25, of Bourbon, was killed instantly in the crash and was ejected from the car, according to Marshall County Coroner Bill Cleavenger. Emergency crews found him on the ground when they arrived at 5:30 a.m. A caller to 911 alerted police to the crash, noting the car was was on fire.

A Madison Township Volunteer Fire Department tanker rolled over Friday morning at Elm/Shively roads, as it was en route to a house fire in the 68000 block of Gumwood Road. There’s no immediate word on injuries, though at least two ambulances are at the scene. Madison’s fire department was responding as mutual aid for the house fire, which was dispatched at about 9:20 a.m. The accident occurred about 9:40 a.m. Stay connected to wsbt.

Former Indiana Governor Otis "Doc" Bowen, a man with strong ties to our area, has passed away. He was 95 years old. Indiana's current Governor Mike Pence made the announcement Sunday afternoon. And since that time, we've been working the phones, talking with people who knew this icon within in our community and within  the state of Indiana. Here's what we know right now: Governor Pence says Bowen passed away Saturday night at the Catherine Kasper Life Center. That's in Donaldson, near Bowen's hometown of Bremen.

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY - A 20-year-old bicyclist from South Bend killed when he was hit by an SUV in southern St. Joseph County Thursday has been identified. St. Joseph County police say Kevin Slisz was walking his bicycle southbound in the northbound lane on State Road 331 when he was struck by the SUV. It happened shortly before 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon just north of the St. Joe/Marshall County line, a couple of miles north of Bremen. Slisz was flown by helicopter to Memorial Hospital in South Bend with massive head and neck injuries and died about two hours after the crash.

A Bremen man died Friday from injuries he received in an accident along the U.S. 20 Bypass on March 3. Police say it was the most severe accident among the many - more than 20 - that happened on that road because of slick conditions that night. Police say an officer who was investigating an unrelated crash in the westbound lane witnessed the accident. They said around 6:20 p.m. a car driven by 21-year-old Kari E. Davis of Plymouth was heading eastbound at the Miami Road overpass when she lost control on the ice and spun into the path of a semi driven by 64-year-old James F. Beach of Nashville, Indiana.

People packed the Lutheran church and filled the streets in Bremen to say goodbye to former Indiana Governor "Doc' Bowen. The beloved longtime family doctor passed away Saturday at the age of 95 and was laid to rest today. As the flag-draped coffin of Otis "Doc" Bowen approached downtown Bremen, the crowd of hundreds lining Center Street quieted down to hear the military band play and to pay their respects to a man many considered a friend and a life saver. "I had rheumatic fever when I was in the fourth-grade of school,” said Kent Coontz.

Former Indiana Governor Otis "Doc" Bowen, a man with strong ties to our area, has passed away. He was 95 years old. Indiana's current Governor Mike Pence made the announcement Sunday afternoon. And since that time, we've been working the phones, talking with people who knew this icon within in our community and within  the state of Indiana. Here's what we know right now: Governor Pence says Bowen passed away Saturday night at the Catherine Kasper Life Center. That's in Donaldson, near Bowen's hometown of Bremen.

A LaGrange County-based company has just announced plans to expand, bringing new jobs to the area in Marshall County by 2015. Japanese auto parts manufacturer Nishikawa Cooper, or NISCO, is planning to expand operations at its Bremen facility. The company headquarters are in Topeka.     NISCO manufactures sealing systems for the automotive industry. It already has more than 900 employees in Indiana, and has already begun hiring additional finishing associates, operators and engineers in Bremen.

ROCHESTER - A Bremen man was airlifted to a Fort Wayne hospital after a serious deer hunting accident. Indiana conservation officers say 69-year-old Bill Hundt was hunting from an elevated tree stand and fell 16 feet to the ground. It happened around 6 p.m. Tuesday in Fulton County. The Department of Natural Resources says Hundt was unable to call for help due to the extent of his injuries. His wife contacted their son around 9 p.m. when Hundt failed to return home.

SOUTH BEND - For a lot of people in our community, 3 simple numbers are a lifeline when they need help finding out where to go for food, affordable housing, legal advice, or even help with their taxes. You may have heard of 211, but most people don't realize just how much some of their neighbors rely on it. WSBT spent some time at the 211 call center in South Bend, where on certain days, phones are ringing every minute. When you find yourself in desperate circumstances, don't know where to go or who you can talk to for some guidance, give John Savinski a call.

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY - A 20-year-old bicyclist from South Bend killed when he was hit by an SUV in southern St. Joseph County Thursday has been identified. St. Joseph County police say Kevin Slisz was walking his bicycle southbound in the northbound lane on State Road 331 when he was struck by the SUV. It happened shortly before 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon just north of the St. Joe/Marshall County line, a couple of miles north of Bremen. Slisz was flown by helicopter to Memorial Hospital in South Bend with massive head and neck injuries and died about two hours after the crash.

Marshall County is banning all fireworks, both public displays and for personal use. But the Bremen Fire Department still plans on holding its annual fireworks on July 4th. And THAT decision is causing some fireworks of its own. WSBT Reporter Denise Bohn contacted the Bremen fire chief and he did not want to comment on the subject. The fireworks display is in conjunction with the annual Bremen Fireman's Festival, which has been happening in Bremen for more than 50-years and is a town tradition.

BREMEN - Four traffic accidents within an hour in the Bremen area kept police busy Saturday, and people in three of the crashes were rushed to the hospital. At US 6 and Elm Road, a moped collided with a pickup truck, sending the moped driver to the hospital. Bremen police say the driver of the moped failed to yield to the truck. Police weren't sure why all these accidents happened at the same time. “Nothing has been weather-related,” said Bremen Patrolman Nick Laffoon.

A Bremen man died Friday from injuries he received in an accident along the U.S. 20 Bypass on March 3. Police say it was the most severe accident among the many - more than 20 - that happened on that road because of slick conditions that night. Police say an officer who was investigating an unrelated crash in the westbound lane witnessed the accident. They said around 6:20 p.m. a car driven by 21-year-old Kari E. Davis of Plymouth was heading eastbound at the Miami Road overpass when she lost control on the ice and spun into the path of a semi driven by 64-year-old James F. Beach of Nashville, Indiana.

Magali Garcia, 14, says she's not a hero, she just did what anyone would do. But firefighters disagree. They say she is a hero who probably saved the lives of six of her family members. On Tuesday morning Bremen High School and the Bremen Fire Department paid tribute to Magali. The cheerleaders at the school are giving her family a check for $650 after losing their belongings in a fire. That money was meant to pay for a cheerleading trip to Florida, but the kids decided the money would be better spent on the family.