Step Up St. Joseph County celebrated National Teen Pregnancy-Prevention Month by highlighting the county’s dramatic decrease in teen birth rates. According to Rebecca Burns, Health Officer for the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency and member of the Step Up St. Joseph County initiative, enormous progress in reducing teen pregnancy has been made. During 2014, 62 St. Joseph County teenage girls …

Indiana Michigan Power (I&M), an operating unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for its first solar power plant in Michigan, on a 35-acre site just east of Watervliet. The Watervliet Solar Power Plant will have more than 50,000 solar panels and generate up to 4.6 megawatts of emission-free energy. The facility is expected to …

The American Red Cross recently recognized SERVPRO®, a cleanup and restoration company, for participation in its Disaster Responder Program1. As a Disaster Responder Program member, SERVPRO pledges a donation to the Red Cross in advance of disasters, allowing the organization to respond quickly and effectively to nearly 66,000 disasters annually, most of which are home fires. SERVPRO is entering their third …

Mary Ellen Hargett, age 61 of Three Rivers, died Monday, May 30, 2016 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. She was born in Gary, IN on Oct. 21, 1954 the daughter of Richard and Sarah (Durham) Gray and later graduated from Michigan City High School. She was a homemaker, and a volunteer at the COA site in Three Rivers. Mary …

A 34-year-old Three Rivers woman reported missing since Sunday was found deceased Tuesday afternoon in Park Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said the body of Kelli Anne Guthrie was found in the 19000 block of M-60, near the intersection of Mahnke Road. Preliminary findings indicate foul play is not suspected and there is no public-safety concern. She was …

Cass County officials responded last weekend to Marcellus Township regarding a single-vehicle accident involving a Marcellus man. Sheriff’s officials said a vehicle driven by Jacob White, 22, was heading west on M-216 when he lost control near Knight Road. His vehicle went off the roadway and struck an embankment. The incident occurred at 4:20 a.m. Saturday. White suffered minor injuries …

Officers from the Three Rivers Police Department were called Friday evening to a report of a fight in progress in the 600 block of South Erie Street. Upon arrival, officers found seven people actively engaged in a physical confrontation. Additional people joined in the melee before officers were able to disperse the participants. Officers responded again to a fight, this …

State police are investigating the theft of two firearms from a residence last week in Park Township. According to a department media release, a residence in the 54000 block of Hutchinson Road was entered and a rifle and pellet gun were taken. The incident occurred during daylight hours May 25.

Authorities say a rider on horseback is on life support after being thrown from his horse while on patrol during a Memorial Day parade in southern Michigan. The Branch County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Tuesday that 39-year-old sheriff’s posse member Deputy Mike Winter of Coldwater is on life support after his family decided to donate his organs. …

Three Rivers Health Center for Wound Healing, a member of the Healogics network, is helping raise awareness of chronic wounds. The third annual Wound Care Awareness Week is being held from June 6 to June 10. One of nearly 800 Healogicsmanaged Centers; Three Rivers Health Center for Wound Healing offers advanced therapies to patients suffering from chronic wounds. Program Directors …