The fate of the 2020 community festival season is unclear at the moment, but all eyes are on Three Rivers and Sturgis to see what direction organizers of their respective celebrations take. The two earliest festivals in St. Joseph County, the Three Rivers Water Festival and Sturgis Fest, are the only June events of the eight community celebrations. Cathi Garn …

St. Joe County Resources is tracking by town the percentages of St Joseph County households that have completed the 2020 U.S. Census. Agency officials said progress is being made and would like to remind the public that every 100 people missed in the Census is $2 million dollars that does not come back to local communities in federal funding. From …

A recycling program that required more than a year to develop at Westside Landfill in Fabius Township is on hold for the time being. Eric Shafer, district manager for Waste Management of Michigan, said offering a weekly electronics recycling event was a goal he had in mind for years and was finally able to implement last month. Then, out of …

Olive Mae Kline, age 89, of Three Rivers, passed away peacefully at her home on Saturday, April 4, 2020 surrounded by her loving family.  She was born on March 21, 1931 in Three Rivers, the daughter of William and Clara (Noles) Stuebgen. Mrs. Kline has been a resident of this area for most of her life.  She graduated from Three …

Michigan Department of Transportation has suspended work on the U.S. 131 redevelopment project in Three Rivers as a precaution against COVID-19. MDOT’s Nick Schirripa said crews will be on hiatus this week and next before resuming April 20. That return date, however, is subject to conditions at that time, Schirripa added. In the meantime, northbound and southbound U.S. 131 will …

A vehicle was stolen from the St. Joseph County Courthouse parking lot last month. Sheriff’s deputies were notified shortly after 5 p.m. March 20 that a dark blue, 2017 GMC Terrain SLT with a temporary Indiana plate was stolen. Through court security camera footage, it was established that the vehicle was taken from a parking lot south of the courthouse. …

Nearly 800,000 people have filed for unemployment benefits in Michigan since mid-March. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday detailed the stunning impact of the coronavirus on the state’s economy. Only businesses deemed essential remain open and Whitmer says her stay-at-home order will be extended in the coming days. She says more people have applied for unemployment aid in the last two …

One night I was attending a Kalamazoo Wings hockey game. I checked my phone during the game, as I always do, and learned that the NBA had suddenly suspended their season.   The next day, the K-Wings announced that their season was suspended.  Later that night, it was announced that our schools were closing down for three weeks. The dominos were …

Edna Miller, age 94, of Centreville, passed away on Sunday, April 5, 2020, at Thurston Woods Care Center, Sturgis, Michigan. Edna was born November 7, 1925, to Levi C. and Fanny (Beechy) Yoder. On February 21, 1948, she married Ezra J. (Hez) Miller. They spent all their married life living in the Burr Oak, White Pigeon, and Sturgis communities. Several …

White Pigeon Paper Company in White Pigeon will be listed on the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team’s website. The team last week updated officials from St. Joseph County and White Pigeon Township about investigation of contamination. The site will be added to the MPART web page because results of a groundwater monitoring exceeded the groundwater cleanup criteria. Michigan Department of …