As I get Out and About, I can’t help but notice how many friends and acquaintances are doing the same, but with much more difficulty. The other day at the post office, I met a friend walking with a cane. He thought that he was experiencing problems with his leg. His doctor informed him that it wasn’t his leg that …

Dorothy Ann (Smith) Shoemaker, 86, of Three Rivers, passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 23, 2015, with her children surrounding her at bedside. Dorothy was the daughter of Harm and Katherine (Koets) Smith, who both preceded her in death. She was born on Feb. 9, 1929 in Kalamazoo. She graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School in 1947. On May 31, …

The April unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by seven-tenths of a percent compared to a month earlier. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed St. Joseph County’s 3.9 percent April unemployment rate was less than March’s 4.6 percent. April’s unemployment rate was 2.7 percent less than the same month in 2014, …

Organizers of the Three Rivers Farmers Market said the 2015 season debut last week was a success. The market’s season kicked off Thursday and approximately 200 people took advantage of a sunny day to attend the event. The market, which was moved from Tuesdays to Thursdays, will run 1 to 6 p.m. through Sept. 3 and is located in Scidmore …

Three public hearings will be staged this evening before members of the Three Rivers City Commission. The first is a show-cause hearing regarding the parcel of land at 621 S. U.S. 131, the second centers on the city’s proposed 2015-16 budget and general property tax act, and the final is a user fee ordinance update. In other business before Mayor …

The St. Joseph County Conservation District is appealing to the public in hopes of generating funds toward a variety of programs it supports. The agency’s second annual golf outing takes place Friday at Klinger Lake Country Club. Opportunities exist for hole sponsorship and four-person teams of participants. Board member John Nelson said the second annual fundraiser has openings for hole …

Members of the Colon Community Schools Board of Education this month will debate the merits of a plan being pitched as a prospective money-maker for the district. The concept of owning a self-serve ice and water dispenser was discussed during the board’s May meeting. The device would be the first of its kind in Michigan and only the second in …

An additional use for a proposed, senior center has prompted Sturgis city commission to seek new maintenance assurances from St. Joseph County. County officials recently added a 1,100-square-foot adult day care space to the initial plan for the $2.6 million development, now called Community Enrichment Center. Plans show it added to the southwest corner of the proposed building that will …

Old National Bank closed its Constantine branch May 22, and donated the Wallace Norman Harvey and Jane Harvey Memorial Coin Collection to the village. It consists of coins in value of $1, $2.50, $5, $10 and $20, an 1862 dollar bill, Continental Army currency and a $300 bank note. ONB site manager Becky Foster presented the collection to village president …

Robert Wayne Johnson, age 83, of Constantine, passed away Friday, May 28, 2015 at Borgess Medical Center. Wayne was born on December 2, 1931 in Constantine to Ralph and Nellie (Carnes) Johnson. He graduated from Constantine High School in 1950 and also attended Glen Oaks Community College. Wayne later went on to serve in the U.S. Army. He was previously married to …