An area elected official was the recipient of a prestigious honor last week at the 111th annual Michigan Association of County Clerks Summer Conference in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The MACC “Clerk of the Year Award” was presented to Branch County’s Terry Kubasiak. The award recipient is selected based on criteria formulated by the MACC Board of Directors from nominations by …

A moped was stolen from a Sturgis-area location last week. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said the incident was reported Aug.20 in the 69000 block of South Nottawa Road. The moped is a Flat Back Huwain moped, model year 2017. It has damage on the right-hand brake lever and scrapes on the front side. Investigators said it was stolen …

Gladys “Lucille” Melville, age 94, of Marcellus, passed away early Thursday morning, August 22, 2019, peacefully in her sleep. Lucille was born on April 21, 1925 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, the daughter of Robert F. and Iva P. (Luskleet) Midkiff. On November 20, 1943, she married Leslie E. Melville in Benton Harbor, MI. Together they had five children: Sandra, Donna, …

July’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County was two and one-tenth of a percent higher than the previous month. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed the county’s 6.6 percent July unemployment rate marked an increase from June’s 4.5 percent. St. Joseph County was well above the state unemployment average, which was 5.1 …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners last week re-appointed five people and added a new face to the county’s Solid Waste Management Planning Committee. Two-year reappointments were approved for Sturgis-area residents John Smits and Frank Kalasky, Burr Oak Township resident Glenn Nissley, Carol Higgins of Mendon Township and Mark Ripplinger of Mottville Township. Their terms will be in place …

A Sturgis woman was arrested last week on drug-related offenses and on an outstanding warrant. According to the Sturgis Police Department, officers stopped a woman on a bicycle shortly before 3 a.m. Thursday at an undisclosed location. Officers were concerned for her safety, as the bicycle she was operating did not have illumination of any kind. The woman eventually provided …

Members of the Constantine Village Council voted last week to opt out of recreational marijuana. As a result, the council requested village manager Mark Honeysett to hire Portage-based attorney Catherine Kaufman to write the ordinance for an opt-out. Kaufman could not attend this week’s meeting, but sent an email stating that, in her opinion, opting-out is a good idea and …

Cass County Treasurer Hope Anderson said a percentage of money collected from fines for speeding tickets resulted in nearly $200,000 for libraries within the county. The 2019 amount is up 32 percent from 2018, with the majority of the money going to the Cass County Public Library. Every year, Michigan county treasurers distribute penal fines to public libraries across the …

A laptop was taken during a breaking-and-entering incident earlier this week in Three Rivers. Sheriff’s officials said the incident occurred around 4 a.m. Tuesday in the 57000 block of North Main Street. In an unrelated incident, deputies were called at 7 p.m. Monday to a report of larceny from a motor vehicle. According to a department media release, the incident …

August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month and in order to promote early breastfeeding success and breastfeeding outcomes, the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency offers a variety of ways to support families. Breastfeeding peers, support groups, lactation consultants and resource materials are available to all residents in the tri-county area. According to registered nurse Maria Ansett, the availability of these resources is …