Granger

First in a series of coffees Sheriff Mike Grzegorek plans throughout St. Joseph County is set for Wednesday. When: 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 6 Where: Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library branch, 51446 Elm Road, Granger Who: Area residents can discuss concerns and ideas with Grzegorek.

It could be something out of a sci-fi B movie - Thousands of bees swarmed a car show at Heritage Square in Granger Saturday evening. In the video attached above, WSBT's Clifton French reports on the buzz surrounding what happened.

Occupants of a Granger residence were awakened early Tuesday morning by the smell of smoke. They called 911 and quickly fled the house, all five escaped injury.  Clay Fire Territory firefighters responded to the house in the 52000 block of Fir Road at 3 a.m. to find smoke in the attic of the single-story house. Firefighters quickly got the fire under control. The fire’s cause is believed to be wiring that shorted out in the attic, Battalion Chief Rob Brentlinger said, via a news release.

State excise police arrested a 42-year-old Granger man for bootlegging alcohol. Patrick O'Brien last week after officers saw him selling liquor out of his car outside the Olive Mini Mart on Olive Street in South Bend. Police say he told them his girlfriend shoplifted the alcohol. Selling alcohol without a permit is against the law in Indiana.

There is a surge in the building of new urgent care health care facilities in St. Joseph County, and on Thursday a new one opened in Granger. Doctors Express is located in the Heritage Square Shopping Center. The facility will operate on 12-hour shifts from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., 7 days a week.     This will be the second urgent care center within a half-mile of Heritage Square. The 24-hour Memorial Med-Point is within walking distance on North Main Street.

GRANGER - An employee of the Gino's East in Heritage Square has confirmed the location is closing its doors for good. The employee said they were not told why they are going out of business. They are telling their customers their final day of business will be February 29. Last Sunday Heidi Prescott with the South Bend Tribune reported the Granger restaurant's future was uncertain. At the time the owner-operator of Gino's East, Larry Briski, told Prescott the Mishawaka restaurant is open.

GRANGER - About a thousand customers in Granger are currently without power all because of an early morning crash. The accident happened along Adams between Elm and Cherry. Police say a pickup truck hit a utility pole and cracking it in half. Crews are currently working to replace the pole. AEP says the power will be out for at least two more hours while these repairs are made.

There was a wild drunk driving accident Saturday afternoon in Granger. St. Joseph County Sheriff's Department officials say an intoxicated man ran into the back of another vehicle, pushing it 75 feet toward the intersection of Bittersweet and State Road 23. As you can see in the video above (provided by viewer Jeff Broadwick) the driver burned rubber, filling the intersection with smoke and destroying his tires. Police say the man is a habitual traffic offender.

GRANGER — A Horizon Elementary School fifth-grader took a knife to school Tuesday and verbally threatened a teacher with it. Teresa Carroll, spokeswoman for Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp., said another student saw the incident and reported it to another teacher, who intervened and confiscated the knife. The student with the knife has been suspended from school and a police report was filed.

A 61-year-old Granger man was killed Sunday morning when police say an oncoming car attempted to pass another and drove into his path. This happened just after 10 a.m. on U.S. 12 and Leet Road in Cass County's Milton Township. Police say Tim McCavit swerved his motorcycle to avoid 25-year-old Donavan Avance of Elkhart, but was unable to avoid colliding with his Chevy Corsica. McCavit was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say alcohol and drugs do not appear to be factors in this crash.

GRANGER - A popular Granger restaurant extends an olive branch to nursing mothers after an incident last Sunday left many of them outraged. A customer complained about a woman breastfeeding her child in the dining area. That's when an employee stepped in. Managers wouldn't say what was said between the two, but we do know that the mother got upset and left. State law says women can breastfeed in any public or private area. Restaurant managers say they recognize that right and showed it with a special event.

A Granger woman has survived a lot of heartache at the hands of heart disease -- the #1 killer of most women. It's a story you'll only see on WSBT:

MISHAWAKA - Former Penn high school and Notre Dame standout Braxston Cave has been anxiously awaiting for this weekend for months. At some point during the next three days, the Granger native will learn his NFL fate.  Cave is hoping to be drafted in the middle to late rounds of the NFL Draft. Just hours before the draft began, Cave sat down with WSBT-TV Sports Director Pete Byrne to share his thoughts about beginning his professional career.      

MISHAWAKA - The long anticipated wait for some shoppers is over. Whole Foods opened in Mishawaka on Wednesday inside the former Border's bookstore. The opening created a lot of excitement over there with thousands of people packing the store all day. Not only does Whole Foods fill a vacant storefront in Mishawaka, it added about a hundred new jobs to the city this year as well. Newcomers and patrons wanted to experience the hype first-hand. "I would usually go to Chicago or Ann Arbor, but it's nice to have one right here now,” said Brad Gorman of Benton Harbor.

For many, Easter is a time of religious reflection, but among Catholics there's a sense of excitement -- all thanks to a new leader. "Easter is our greatest feast, without resurrection there's no hope and so we celebrate that resurrection today and we celebrate those who die with Christ and rise with him," said Monsignor William Schooler of St. Pius X Catholic Church. Parishioners filled every pew and seat at St. Pius X Sunday. "It's a time to bring our family in and show Christ is at the center of our life," said Julie Hahn, a parishioner.

A fire that broke out at a Granger lumberyard called Universal Forest Products was quickly contained. This happened just off of S.R. 23 on Herbert Street. CLICK HERE FOR A MAP Multiple fire crews were called to the scene shortly after noon. A dispatcher told us the fire started in the attic of a building. The blaze has since been contained. We have a crew at the scene and will keep you updated on air and online.

EDWARDSBURG, Mich. - It's the fastest and easiest way to get from Granger to Edwardsburg, but some people who travel and work along the busy M-62 aren't happy about repaving plans for that stretch of roadway. Crews are scheduled to begin paving the three miles of roadway from the Indiana state line to U.S. 12 in Edwardsburg April 1, and MDOT spokesman Nick Schirippa said the project is expected to be complete by May 10. Signs warning the roughly 6,200 drivers who travel along that section of M-62 daily are already up. Avona Foreman drives the state road from her home on Redfield Road to work in Granger five days a week.

Because of the NCAA Tournament, this is a busy day for sports bars. Nevertheless, WSBT has learned the Between the Buns restaurant in Granger closed its doors for good today after 5 years in business. Tom Wilson, one of the owners of the sports bar at the corner of S.R. 23 and Princess Way, lists the economic downturn, sewer and road construction, and the smoking ban as factors in their decision to close. Wilson says he would love to be open for the tournament today, but that wasn't possible.

GRANGER - Catholics all across the area are celebrating their new pope and praying for the future of their church. Evening mass took place at some local churches, including St. Pius X Catholic Church in Granger, which held a special mass of celebration and thanks giving. "I'm here to pray for him because that's what he asked for," said Monica Topa, a Catholic from Brazil. "I'm very happy that he's from South America," she said. "I think it's awesome that we got someone from across the Atlantic," said Tony Pratt, a parishoner at St. Pius.

The Disney film "Oz: the Great and Powerful" premiers this Friday. It's a story about how the Wizard landed in Oz - way before Dorothy and Toto entered the picture. And it turns out a local man ended up being cast in a part for the film. His name is Mikey Witous, and for him it was the chance of a lifetime. The Granger man, who wrestled at Penn High School for four years and is currently an assistant wrestling coach at Discovery Middle School, plays a Munchkin in the prequel to the 1939 classic "the wizard of oz. " It all started a couple of years ago, when he was attending the Little People of America conference in California.