Murder trail is underway

The trial is underway for the second of two men accused of murdering a 74-year-old Kalamazoo antiques dealer last summer.  52-year old John Aguilar faces charges of first-degree murder, felony murder, assault with intent to rob and home invasion in the August 2012 death of Robert Medema.  Aguilar and 21-year-old Antonio Livingston were accused of forcing their way into Medema’s home and beating him to death with a baseball bat. Investigators say the pair had seen the victim a few weeks earlier carrying a large amount of cash and began planning the robbery then.  Livingston was found guilty of the same charges and sentenced in March to life in prison without parole.  (MRN)

Home Depot gives grant

St. Joseph County Grange Fair manager Bill Johnson announced that the Home Depot Foundation has given the county fair a grant to improve a building project on the grounds.

Volunteers from the Three Rivers Home Depot showed up Thursday to do a majority of the construction. The project calls for replacing wood siding with metal on a building and also replacing large doors on a building that is an extension of the larger show arena.

About a dozen local volunteers worked on this project, Johnson said.

He declined to state in a press release the amount of the grant.

Purchase agreement for DOVE Ag Services

DOVE Ag Services, Inc., a Union City-based agricultural company, agreed earlier this year to purchase the former Essex Wire property off Broadway Street, in Three Rivers.

In light of the recent accident in the city of West, Texas, DOVE Ag Services officials said in a press release it is important to assure Three Rivers residents that its state-of-the-art facility design focuses on safety to employees, residents and the environment. To that end, company officials wished to state the National Fire Protection Agency has given UAN, a liquid fertilizer, a flammability rating of zero.

Additionally, UAN is not considered a hazardous waste under Federal Hazardous Waste Regulations, and is not listed as a hazardous material by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Transport Canada and the United Nations, company officials said.

DOVE Ag Services Inc. plans to construct a two-million-gallon tank to store liquid fertilizer.

Additional information regarding DOVE Ag Services, Inc. may be found on its website, at doveageservices.com.

State Rep. Lori favors budget plan

State Rep. Matt Lori voted in favor of a budget plan supported by both Republicans and an Independent lawmaker that cuts government waste and prioritizes funding for public safety, roads and schools.

Lori, R-Constantine, joined a majority of his colleagues in voting Wednesday in favor of House Bills 4228 and 4328, the Fiscal Year 2014 House budget recommendation.

Lori, who chairs the House Department of Community Health Appropriations Subcommittee, said the House-approved budget is more than adequate to cover the community-health needs of the state. He added, however, that the budget is still a work in progress.

Lori said the measure is now before the Senate.

Lori praised the overall House budget as a responsible spending outline that does not depend on one-time funding or other gimmicks.

Food-services receive good scores

Thirty-two food-service establishments in St. Joseph County were recognized for earning exemplary inspection scores by the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency.

Certificates of excellence were awarded to the eateries for meeting criteria set by the state and earning top scores after being inspected at least once annually by the Coldwater-based department.

Among the fast-food and sit-down establishments in Sturgis, Mancino’s Pizza, McDonald’s, Mike’s Pizza, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell and Wendy’s were recipients of the certificate.

Elsewhere in the county, fast-food and sit-down restaurants to achieve the top scores were Chicken Coop and Rachel’s in Constantine, and Los Cazadores in White Pigeon.

The six food-serving establishments in Three Rivers to be recognized were Andrews, Norton, and Three Rivers Middle schools, Sam’s Place, Three Rivers Health and Twin County Community Probation Center.

Tickets for ‘Citizen of the Year’

Tickets are now available for the banquet and program to honor Carol Boulette as this year’s Three Rivers Lions Club “Citizen of the Year.”

The gathering takes place May 14 at Belle Epoque in downtown Three Rivers. A reception is at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30.

Tickets are $20 per person and available at the Southern Michigan Bank and Trust office in downtown Three Rivers.

They will be on sale through May 7. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

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