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St. Joseph County grant writer James Hissong said he is pursuing a few grants that will benefit the county. During their executive committee meeting Wednesday, commissioners were provided an update from Hissong. He said the First Responder Hazard Pay grant program, which makes available $1,000 in hazard pay payments to first responders, equates to about $73,000 for the county. The …

A member of Southwest Michigan First is urging St. Joseph County officials to assemble a Brownfield Redevelopment Board. Cathy Knapp joined commissioners during their executive committee meeting Wednesday and said in addition to repurposing former industrial sites, brownfield-redevelopment projects tend to qualify for exclusive grant dollars. Knapp said a meeting with county administrator Teresa Doehring and grant writer James Hissong …

St. Joseph County officials might consider a plan that would cut the weekly hours of some full-time employees from 40 to 35. County administrator Teresa Doehring raised the proposal during the county board’s executive committee meeting Wednesday. Doehring said the concept is in its infancy and, for now, remains nothing more than a potential option to help the county’s financial …

A Branch County man died Tuesday in a single-vehicle accident in Quincy Township, according to Michigan State Police. Troopers were called to North Ray-Quincy Road, in an area north of Wildwood Road, regarding an accident with injuries. Investigators said a vehicle driven by 20-year-old Preston Sarles was traveling northbound on North Ray-Quincy Road when it attempted to pass another vehicle. …

St. Joseph County is expected to begin the process of selling a building it owns in Centreville to an organization that has occupied its space the past four years. County commissioners were told during their executive committee meeting Wednesday that Covered Bridge Healthcare would like to buy the building in which it has operated since July 2016. The 1,980-square-foot building, …

The County Closet free store is now open in Three Rivers. Its hours are 9 a.m. to noon, Tuesday through Saturday. The store is open Mondays but only to accept donations. Until further notice, masks are required inside the store, which is located at 901 S. Main St.

Michigan on Wednesday reported its biggest increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in nearly two months, leading Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to say she may be forced to reimpose some restrictions if the upward trajectory holds. Whitmer again pleaded with people to wear face coverings in public. Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo, women’s coach Suzy Merchant and University of Michigan …

Officials from St. Joseph County’s largest school district are in the midst of establishing a plan for how to proceed with the 2020-21 academic year. During last week’s board meeting, Sturgis Public School Superintendent Art Ebert said plans are in development and details will be released after those proposals are finalized. Administrators apologized about being unable to provide details, but …

Several traditional and ethnic holidays were celebrated as part of the holiday-themed Palmer Lake Flotilla in Colon. The 80-minute parade on the Fourth of July circled Palmer Lake for hundreds of families who lined the shore to cheer on 23 entrants, the biggest Flotilla in terms of participation, said event organizer Tim Taylor. First place was awarded to Ryan Doherty …

Hours after the Sturgis Police Department released a statement Monday saying it would not respond to complaints about people violating the requirement of facemask use, public safety officials clarified with more details the reason behind their decision. Geoff Smith, director of public safety, said due to the high volume of potential complaints and the complexities of executive orders versus enforcement …