The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency is offering radon-testing kits at no charge to residents of the tri-county area. Paul Andriacchi, director of Environmental Health, says January is Radon Action Month, and he encourages residents to test their homes. Excessive indoor radon levels are frequently found in the region due to the soil types, he said. Radon is an odorless, …

Undersheriff Jason Bingaman said a teenager who was reported missing earlier in the week has been located. Bingaman said the agency was notified Tuesday about a juvenile who had been reported as a runaway. Family members said attempts to reach the runaway, 16-year-old Abby Nicole Pitcher, were initially unsuccessful. Bingaman said deputies received information Wednesday on Pitcher’s whereabouts. She was …

A local fundraiser staged prior to the holidays was deemed a success by leaders from a local organization. The Sturgis Academy of Martial Arts recently announced the accomplishment. Eastwood Elementary School was raising funds for a new campus therapy dog and the “Karate on Campus” event did what it was designed to do. The campaign ran through the first half …

Oh Boy!  I’m waiting for snow so I can stir it up and make it fly.  My name is ” Cookie Monster”, a two year old male.  They say my color is “Blue and white”.  I am a Bull Terrier mix and I am house trained and I get along with other dogs and kids.  Since I am a talented …

St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners will be overseen for the second consecutive year by Ken Malone. During their annual organizational meeting Tuesday, commissioners unanimously chose the 60-year-old Sturgis resident to serve as board chairman for 2024. Malone owns Advantage Water Service in Sturgis. Malone, who is starting his sixth year as a member of the seven-man panel, said the …

A Sturgis man was arrested last week after leading authorities on a high-speed pursuit in St. Joseph and LaGrange counties. Undersheriff Jason Bingaman said deputies were made aware around 11 a.m. Saturday of a driver who refused to pull over for speeding on Fawn River Road, near Balk Road, in Sturgis Township. Authorities said the driver reached speeds in excess …

St. Joseph County Transportation Authority’s “Free Ride Home” program provided New Year’s Eve transportation for 16 people over the course of the seven-hour offer. Agency director Allen Balog said seven rides were given by the Sturgis-based bus, while the rest were by the bus positioned in Three Rivers. The service was offered from 7 p.m. Sunday through 2 a.m. Monday. …

Sturgis municipal officials anticipate a busy year with the opening of a number of new businesses. None bigger than the Watershed project, a large-scale commercial-residential development started earlier in 2023 and well underway in downtown Sturgis. The first floor is planned to be a steakhouse, with the second through fifth floors to be studio, one- and two-bedroom residences. The project …

Completion of the Three Rivers satellite court campus has been identified by St. Joseph County officials as another achievement to look forward to in the new year. In order to free up space at the Centreville courts building, county officials are refurbishing the former Three Rivers Public Library as the new location for Friend of the Court and Probate/Family/Juvenile Court …

Constantine Village Council members last month approved expanding its Industrial District to benefit a local business. During their Dec. 18 meeting, council members OK’d the expansion proposal for Michigan Milk Producers Association. Village manager Mark Honeysett said the expansion is on property MMPA already owns. It is located at 455 E. Water St. MMPA officials said the property will be …