Relying on a postmark for proof of a mailed tax return, bill payment or time-sensitive item, for example, may no longer work. As the U.S. Postal Service continues implementing operational changes in an effort to shore up its finances and modernize its infrastructure, the agency expects an increase in delays between when a letter is mailed and when it is …

St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners will be chaired for the second consecutive year by Three Rivers-area resident Jared Hoffmaster. During a special meeting Tuesday and in a split-vote decision, Hoffmaster was voted leader of the seven-member panel for 2026. As part of their annual, first-meeting-of-the-year process, board members nominated and then voted on a peer to serve as chairman. …

St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners agreed to change the start time of their monthly meeting. During a special meeting Tuesday, commissioners handled their usual first-of-the-year business, which includes establishing start time and dates for their monthly executive committee meeting – essentially a committee of the whole – and their once-a-month board meeting. Commissioners agreed to continue holding executive committee …

Twenty-nine people turned over their keys Wednesday night and left the driving to St. Joseph County Transportation Authority as part of its “New Year’s Eve Free Ride Home” offer. Agency director Marci Goodman said the service started at 7 p.m. Wednesday and concluded at 2 a.m. Thursday. With a driver and vehicle positioned in Three Rivers, and another in Sturgis, …

Three Rivers municipal officials have issued a media release regarding a rule change employed by Michigan Department of Transportation. Due to MDOT’s revisions of its policies, the downtown snow-plowing-and-removal process will change effective immediately. Instead of piling snow to the center of the roadway on Main Street, snow will now be plowed from the center to on-street parking spots. Once a …

A 62-year-old Illinois man was injured following a two-vehicle crash last week in Cass County’s Howard Township. Sheriff Clint Roach said deputies were dispatched shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday to an area on Detroit Road, near Dodge Court, in response to a personal-injury crash. Investigators said Chicago resident Dallas Dunn was driving north on Detroit Road when his vehicle crossed …

St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded over the weekend to a report of an accidental shooting in Mendon Township. Central Dispatch fielded a call Sunday from a person in the 24000 block of Pinhook Road. Deputies arrived to learn a 46-year-old man was placing a loaded pistol into a safe. The firearm fell to the ground and discharged a …

A Cass County woman was arrested on a drug charge last week. Sheriff Clint Roach said deputies and members of the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team, along with the Dowagiac Police Department, recently executed a search warrant in the 200 block of West Railroad Street in Dowagiac. While they were searching the residence, authorities found several stolen items, along with …

A Sturgis landmark is closing for business by the end of the week. WOOD-TV reports the Strand Theater, which has been a staple in the community for more than 60 years, is for sale. It will close at the end of the day Wednesday. Third-generation owner Eric Saitz did not elaborate on the decision to close. He said, however, that …

Personnel from White Pigeon Township Fire Department rescued a person who fell through ice last week. Department officials were called Wednesday morning to an area of Klinger Lake, where central dispatch received a report of a person in the lake. Fire personnel managed to rescue the victim. Meanwhile, two other people who were on the lake with the victim managed …