Business

The next option for gambling opens up in Southwest Michigan at the end of this month. The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians says the Four Winds Dowagiac casino will open on April 30. The casino is the smallest of the three Four Winds locations. Pokagon Chairman Matt Wesaw says it will have 300 slot machines, four table games and a …

A 96-year-old woman, who has played a key role in two longstanding local traditions, has been selected as Three Rivers Citizen of the Year for 2013. Carol Boulette was named the recipient, bestowed annually since 1965 by members of the Three Rivers Lions Club. Boulette played a hand in the formation of the Three Rivers Water Festival as well as …

Site Selection magazine has ranked the Sturgis micropolitan – a region that includes St. Joseph County – No. 23 on its list of the 2012 Top Micropolitans. The ranking represents the number of new facility and facility-expansion projects as tracked and reported by Conway Data Service’s New Plant Report. Ron Kitchens, chief executive officer of Southwest Michigan First, said the …

After two delays, the Michigan Department of Transportation is set to begin next week road construction on M-216 in Flowerfield Township. Starting Monday, the road will be closed west of the U.S. 131 intersection for a $1.8 million reconstruction project. A detour will follow Pulver, Johnson and Flowerfield roads. The roadwork is set to be completed in June. Previous start …

A wallet was stolen from a vehicle parked behind a business in White Pigeon, according to state police officials. An employee at Mancino’s said his vehicle was damaged and the wallet stolen from inside the vehicle between 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Indiana Michigan Power has announced it will conduct aerial inspections of its high-voltage lines next month as part of its ongoing program to maintain the reliability of the electric-transmission system. Officials from the Fort Wayne-based utility said the helicopter flights will inspect transmission lines in and around Fort Wayne and South Bend, as well as in areas within Ohio and …

A Constantine eatery is a two-time winner of an annual chili cook-off. Rachel’s, which won the inaugural event in 2010, was voted by the public as the best chili between a competition that also featured Constantine-based restaurants Town Fryer and Piper’s Grinders Galore. The fourth annual Chili Throw-Down took place Saturday. Rachel’s won the inaugural even in 2010, followed by …

A hit-and-run crash shortly before 5 a.m. Monday in Sturgis Township is being investigated by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department. Department officials said a midsize car of unknown make, model and color was westbound on U.S. 12, west of Shimmel Road, and side-swiped the victim’s vehicle. The suspect vehicle, which continued west on U.S.12, may have damage to the …

A 23-year-old Elkhart man was airlifted to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo after he was injured in a one-vehicle crash Sunday in Constantine Township. Investigators from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said Bradley Owen was driving on North River Road when he drove off the roadway near Maple Road and his truck ran into a tree. Owen had to …

A 90-year-old White Pigeon man was issued a citation last week after he drove into a moving, horse-drawn buggy in White Pigeon Township. State police investigators said the man was driving east on Fawn River Road when he ran into the back of the buggy near the intersection of Aldrich Lake Road at 9:45 a.m. Friday. The 35-year-old driver of …