A five-acre flower meadow at a Vicksburg redevelopment site is planned as part of a multi-year commitment to establish a flower meadow network. The meadow is on the east side of the Vicksburg Mill property, as well as along neighboring houses along Highway Street. It will consist of wildflowers and brightly colored sunflowers. Project officials said the goal is a …

St. Joseph County Central Dispatch will soon have its own advocate dog. During their monthly meeting Tuesday, St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved a request from agency director Stacey Bower. The emotional-support dog will live at Central Dispatch and be cared for by its staff. St. Joseph County United Way has donated $6,500 toward purchase of the dog, which …

St. Joseph County Undersheriff Jason Bingaman said the department is staging a grand opening of its new training center. The fanfare takes place 2 to 5 p.m. May 24 at the facility, located behind the county’s former Parks and Recreation Department on East Main Street. By having a modern and spacious training center, the sheriff’s department is able to conduct …

Five appointments to two boards were made by St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners this week. During their monthly meeting Tuesday, commissioners OK’d the appointments of Steven Houts and Jeffrey Knautz to the county’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Meanwhile, Jessica Eyster, Jared Hoffmaster and Alan Ives were appointed to the Workforce Development Board.

The end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Declaration will bring changes to the COVID-19 testing services and COVID-19 vaccination scheduling process offered by the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, effective May 30. The tri-county health department will discontinue in-person COVID-19 testing at the Coldwater and Hillsdale locations. Self-service kiosks, which offer PCR lab and at-home testing kits, are still …

An annual art show hosted by the Carnegie Center for the Arts enters its final week next week. The 37th “Celebration of the Visual Arts” started earlier this month and concludes May 25 at the downtown Three Rivers facility. More than 1,000 pieces of art are on display from students in grades Young 5s through high school from Three Rivers …

Glen Oaks Community College Board of Trustees last week approved a 2.7 percent tuition increase, effective this fall. Citing efforts to help offset inflation, the board approved the increase at its monthly meeting. School officials said general and technology fees will remain the same. Starting in the fall, students will see a $3 increase per contact hour, bringing the new …

Indiana Michigan Power will begin tree trimming near high-voltage transmission lines in southwest Michigan this week. The process will require the use of an aerial saw, company officials said. The work is routine maintenance to remove overhanging or encroaching branches that can interfere with reliable energy delivery. I & M is contracting with Aerial Solutions Inc. to perform the work …

Sturgis City Commission members last week approved a bid for road milling and resurfacing projects. The tasks are on schedule to occur over the summer. A bid in excess of $720,000 from Northern Construction Services Corporation was approved. Sturgis City Manager Andrew Kuk said work will be performed on three streets and will be done as part of the 2023 …

Organizers of the semiannual electronics recycling and collection of household hazardous waste had no idea what to expect Wednesday, as the event for the first time in its 17-year history was held on a weekday. Pat Kulikowski, secretary of the St. Joseph County Solid Waste Committee, said the turnout exceeded her expectations. The collection was forced to a weekday because …