The Three Rivers DDA/Main Street Design Committee recently awarded two grants for signage improvements. Pin-Up Salon and Northside Beverage received the grants, which were made possible through the DDA’s rebate program. The program awards rebates to property and business owners who improve signage, awnings and/or painting. The rebates cover up to 25 percent of costs, with maximum amounts of $200 …

Ezra Graber, 96, of Goshen, Ind., died at 12:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 at his residence. He was born on Oct. 27, 1918 in Mylo, N.D., to Abraham and Rubena (Roth) Graber. On June 1, 1941, he married Maudie Kauffman, she died Jan. 28, 2001. On May 18, 2002 he married Irma Gingerich, she survives. Survivors in addition …

John Boyd, of Allegan, died Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, at his home. John was born May 9, 1945, in Three Rivers, the son of the late Robert and Elizabeth (Kinney) Boyd. He graduated from Mendon High School in 1963. He graduated from Green’s Barber College, and was a barber in Mendon for several years, before coming to Allegan and working …

Jack Ellis Oberle, age 85, of Columbus, OH (formerly of Constantine), passed away Monday, February 2, 2015 at University Hospital, Cleveland, OH. He was born in Three Rivers  on March 20, 1929, a son of Oswald  and Margaret (Ellis) Oberle. Jack married Shirlie Mae Miller, she preceded him in death  on Dec. 29, 2012 after 60 years of marriage. Jack graduated from …

Voters in the Three Rivers Community Schools district will decide later this year whether to support a 1.95 mill, sinking-fund request. District officials on Monday agreed to put the measure before voters during the May 5 vote. If approved, the request would generate an estimated $9.9 million over its eight-year life. The proposal would cost the owner of a house …

St. Joseph County Sheriff Brad Balk said the department last month recognized a day designated for support of law enforcement nationwide. Jan. 9 was Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, an occasion endorsed by the Michigan Sheriff’s Association. Balk said the event was staged in conjunction with the group Concerns of Police Survivors. According to Balk, the event was created in response …

A Mendon High School junior was the recipient of a prestigious honor recently at the annual Winter Beef Classic in East Lansing. Ty Cool competed in the heifer showmanship event, along with showing his own stock in other classes. Cool received the Michigan Junior Livestock Society’s senior division Showman Award as well as the coveted Supreme Champion Heifer Showman. Staged …

Roger Bird has been named to Sturgis Area Community Foundation’s board of trustees. Bird, an attorney with the firm of Bird, Svendsen, Brothers & Scheske, has served as the city attorney for Sturgis since 1993. A longtime Sturgis resident, Bird has served many community organizations since moving to the city after graduation from law school. He currently serves as president …

Constantine Police Chief Mark Honeysett said an area near Constantine High School will see a greater presence in response to complaints about reckless driving by students at the end of the school day. Honeysett said complaints stem from the manner students operate their vehicles on Falcon Drive and Riverside Drive. Honeysett said he has sent a letter to parents of …

The Michigan Senate Tuesday on a 28-9 vote approved legislation designed to speed up the process for obtaining a concealed weapons permit in Michigan. Specifically, the bills eliminate county gun boards and transfers the permit procedure to county clerks, sheriffs and the Michigan State Police. An earlier version of the measure had been vetoed by Governor Rick Snyder, who said it also …