Recent Posts

Several items before the county commission

Members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners will consider the purchase of a new laptop computer for the prosecutor’s office as one of its five items of new business this evening. Other items before the five-member panel include accepting the sheriff’s department annual report, an employee handbook revision related to ID cards and the purchase of property for …

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River cleanup planned

The St. Joseph County Conservation District is staging the first of its seven river cleanups of 2017 this Saturday. The Centreville-based agency is looking for volunteers to assist with cleaning the three-mile stretch of the St. Joseph River from North Farrand Road in Colon Township to Jacksonburg Road in Leonidas Township. All equipment will be provided, but organizers need to …

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Lawmaker voting proposal considered

A proposal to allow Michigan’s state lawmakers to cast legislative votes from their home districts instead of only at the Capitol building has been suggested. Mackinac Center for Public Policy President Joseph Lehman proposed the concept last week. The option, he said, would give lawmakers more flexibility to divide their time between the districts and Lansing. Removing the geographic voting …

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Literacy Council names new director

The St. Joseph County Literacy Council has hired J.P. Yoder as its new executive director. Yoder’s first day on the job was Thursday. He replaces Rebecca Lilly, who retired earlier this year. Yoder spent nine years in the 1980s and ‘90s as administrator at Thurston Woods senior-living center in Sturgis. He has also served on executive boards of several non-profit …

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Burr Oak graduates student with perfect attendance

A Burr Oak High School student graduated last month with perfect attendance throughout his K-thru-12 education. Brandon Hernandez said the only exception was excused absences during Fair Week. Hernandez said he values his work in 4-H but would have quit the organization if it meant losing his standing of perfect attendance. Hernandez said his mother is a kindergarten teacher in …

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Water tower has been repainted

The Three Rivers 139-foot water tower, located on Broadway, is sporting a new coat of paint. Fedewa, a firm located in Hastings, was awarded the $122,000 contract. Engineering costs totaled $13,000. The tower, which was constructed in 1964, is repainted, on an average, every 15 years.

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Man, 71, dies after falling from boat at marina

Authorities say a 71-year-old man has died after falling from a sailboat while working on the vessel at a marina in southwestern Michigan. The Allegan County sheriff’s department says John Edward DeBoer of Kalamazoo was found in Kalamazoo Lake less than 15 minutes after falling Thursday. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where the sheriff’s department says he …

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Miller hosts community forums

State Rep. Aaron Miller is hosting three community forums related to a bill that would close the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System to new school employees. Miller said House Bill 4647 would institute a defined contribution retirement plan that is identical to that of state employees and legislators. He said the meetings were called in light of numerous emails …

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Sturgis man arrested on drug charges

A 31-year-old Sturgis man was arrested on drug-related offenses following an investigation by the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit. According to a sheriff’s department media release, SCAN narcotics investigators executed a search warrant Thursday at a residence in the 66000 block of Myers Landing Road in Sherman Township. Investigators found marijuana, methamphetamine and items used to manufacture meth.

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Hit-and-run in Cass County

Cass County sheriff’s officials are looking for a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run incident earlier this week. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called around noon Wednesday to a location on U.S. 12 west of M-217 in Porter Township. Deputies found that a motorcycle driven by 19-year-old Colin Schieber of Elkhart had crashed into the rear of another vehicle. Schieber …

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