A Three Rivers woman was charged with embezzlement, as authorities suspect she stole up to $15,000 from a trust fund she was managing. Three Rivers Police Chief Tom Bringman said Judy Smith-Lynes, 73, was arrested Monday following an investigation that started in January. Smith-Lynes was a successor trustee for the estate of a long-time friend who passed away two years …

St. Joseph County Animal Control is reporting an incident of canine parvovirus at the Centreville shelter. Parvo is a highly contagious disease that can turn into a life-threatening illness. Because animals in the shelter are in such close quarters, extreme measures are being taken to quarantine, move and clean to reduce the spread of the disease, said deputy Josh Shook, …

Three Rivers Community Schools Superintendent Jean Logan is inviting the public to a community pep rally taking place later this week. Logan said the Three Rivers Athletic Department is hosting the season’s first rally at 5 p.m. Friday at Armstrong Field. Parents, fans and community members will be introduced to the 2016-17 fall sports teams during the program. Hot dogs, …

An annual giveaway by the St. Joseph County United Way starts today in Three Rivers. The St. Joseph County United Way is staging its annual “Donut Drive” as its way of thanking county residents for their continued support. United Way volunteers will spend the next seven weekdays distributing donuts free of charge at major intersections between 7:30 and 9 a.m. …

A public open house for the new Covered Bridge Healthcare facility in Centreville takes place 2 to 4 p.m. Friday. The 1,980-square-foot facility, remembered by many locals as a former doctor’s office operated by the late medical specialist, Frank Olney, is located just east of the sheriff’s department. The center is funded through a $990,000 annual federal grant renewed every …

The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra says it’s reached a contract agreement with members of its musicians union. The symphony’s Board of Directors and management announced Tuesday that they reached the tentative deal with the Kalamazoo Federation of Musicians Local 228. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports the union is expected to submit the tentative contract to its membership for ratification. The union represents …

A family of swans has been found dead along a Washtenaw County road. Scio Township resident Emily Bauerle tells The Ann Arbor News that she saw the five dead water fowl Wednesday in Freedom Township and it appears they were hit by a vehicle. Bauerle says the swans were hit several feet from the roadway near a pond. Bauerle said …

The former executive director of St. Joseph County Commission on Aging received a six-month severance package, shortly after a Kalamazoo consulting firm recommended that she be terminated for creating what it called a “toxic and manipulative” work environment at the agency. Lynn Coursey denied that charge and said it was her decision to leave the job she had held for …

A St. Joseph County employee who took charge of the register of deeds office at a critical time in 2010 left her job last week. Jennifer Wall, 44, said she turned in her two-week notice Aug. 3, a day after Lindsay Oswald was elected to a four-year term as county clerk and register of deeds. She said her decision was …

Organizers behind a local benefit to aid a wounded solider and his family are hoping for a bit more generosity from the public. Peggy and Jim Fassett last weekend staged for the seventh consecutive year a fundraiser to aid the organization “Homes for our Troops.” Specifically, the $9,600 raised Saturday will be earmarked to assist Wisconsin resident Russell Dennison, his …