St. Joseph County government will begin the week with nearly 70 employees furloughed from their jobs. During a special meeting Friday, St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved letters of understanding with the various unions to which impacted employees belong. With projected 2020 revenue expected to fall way short of what was budgeted for the 12-month fiscal year, commissioners agreed …

Here’s the latest update from Michigan Department of Transportation regarding the reconstruction of U.S. 131 in Three Rivers. Stage 5 traffic pattern remains in place, meaning all traffic will use the southbound lane of U.S. 131. Meanwhile, some utility-relocation work will continue this week throughout the length of the construction zone. Also, traffic on Michigan Avenue is one-way for westbound …

The coronavirus has claimed another community festival: Centreville’s Covered Bridge Days. Members of the Covered Bridge Days Committee agreed Thursday to cancel the 2020 festival. Chair Vicki Allen said all pros and cons were weighed and in the end, committee members agreed they couldn’t take the risk of keeping the two-day festival on the calendar. Covered Bridge Days was to …

Betty Lampen passed away peacefully on Sunday evening April 26th at Three Rivers Hospital. Betty Ilene Lampen was born on July 25, 1926 in Scott, Indiana, the daughter of Ethan Allen Strawser and Maybelle (Platz) Strawser. She was the 14th of 15 children. In her mid 40’s she decided to get a birth certificate as none had been issued with …

The Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors voted Thursday to move the 2020 Three Rivers Water Festival to July. Chamber director Christy Trammell said the difficult decision was made out of concern that the original dates, June 18-20, were simply too close to the current COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the annual community celebration will be July …

Glen Oaks Community College plans to award nearly $300,000 in emergency grants to assist eligible students whose lives and education have been disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak. The funding is part of the overall $6 billion package from the U.S. Department of Education through the Higher Education Emergency Relief fund, and authorized by the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security …

The Three Rivers Area Community Foundation is launching a $20 for $20 Gift Card Promotion. When a $20 gift card is purchased through the foundation at the web site threeriversfoundation.com, the purchaser will receive an additional $20 gift card. The goal is to help and support small businesses. The donation will cover the purchase of 250 gift cards putting up …

As part of its 2020 construction season, Michigan Department of Transportation has announced plans to complete improvements at four intersections with M-66 in the Sturgis area. According to MDOT, the intersections are at Fawn River Road, West South Street, West Street and Wenzel Avenue. MDOT’s upgrades, at no cost to the city, include Intelligent Transportation System/ connected vehicle enhancements; changing …

Ruth Ann Patterson, age 81, formerly of Three Rivers, passed away peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday, April 21, 2020. She was born in Three Rivers on July 26, 1938 the daughter of Ralph and Carmelita (Beck) Dean. She is preceded in passing by her parents and her brother Ralph Dean Jr. Left to cherish her loving memory is …

A proposed staffing move that would likely include furloughs, reduced hours and potential layoffs could impact as many as 45 St. Joseph County employees. During their executive committee meeting Wednesday, commissioners examined the issue of temporary staffing reductions in light of the coronavirus pandemic and financial toll it has taken on county operations since mid-March. County administrator Teresa Doehring said …