Business

A proposal to market St. Joseph County as an attractive retirement option for residents in Chicago and its suburban communities was explained during a presentation Thursday. Addressing a crowd of about 40 people – comprised primarily of city, village and township leaders from throughout the county – St. Joseph County Commissioner Don Eaton explained details of a potential marketing agreement …

A quarterly report from the Economic Development Corporation board chairman of Southwest Michigan First provided St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners detailed information about the three-month period that concluded at the end of December. Ken Jones, who attended the county’s executive committee meeting last week, said 28 consultations resulted in three company announcements, 202 new jobs created, 801 jobs retained …

The St. Joseph County MSU Extension is inviting elected officials and area farmers to an overnight agriculture and water tour of Central Wisconsin. Jon Zirkle, MSU Extension program director, told members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Tuesday the tour offers stops at several locations to view vegetable, field crop and cranberry farms in an irrigated, sandy part …

A 59-year-old Three Rivers man was charged with operating while intoxicated after he was involved in a one-vehicle accident Monday in Fabius Township. The man, whose name was not released pending arraignment, sustained minor injuries after his Jeep rolled over at 1 p.m. on Coon Hollow Road, between East Clear Lake and Stoldt roads. There were no passengers in the …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has approved a plan to issue paychecks to county employees by direct deposit or through a payroll debit card only The measure will be implemented with the April 12 payday for the two-week pay period ending April 8. Finance director Joni Smith said no longer hand-delivering checks to employees will save staff in …

The Michigan Works! of Kalamazoo-St. Joseph counties is hosting a job fair this weekend to fill more than 500 positions at American Axle in Three Rivers. The company announced earlier this month its plan for a $100 million investment in its Three Rivers plant. About 500 hourly positions and 40 salaried jobs will be available, company officials said. Saturday’s job …

St. Joseph County treasurer Judith Ratering has included the county in a state program designed to assist homeowners who have fallen behind on their property taxes. “Help for Hardest Hit; Step Forward, Michigan” is a state initiative to assist homeowners who have endured a financial hardship and are unable to catch up on their property taxes. Discussing the program last …

About 100 people attended the inaugural Three Rivers Harmony Fest chili cook-off and home-brew beer fundraiser Feb. 2. More than $800 was collected to help fund this year’s Harmony Fest, which marks its 20th anniversary Labor Day weekend. In the chili competition, Fred Pruitt from Three Rivers Health took top honors, with Pub 21 and Paisano’s Bar and Grill coming …

Glen Oaks Community College officials have announced the school is providing employee training to Sturgis Molded Products in order to advance employee-processing skills. Sturgis Molded Products is one of two recipients in St. Joseph County of an Incumbent Worker Training Grant designed to upgrade the skills of its employees. The $36,000, fully funded grant was awarded through Michigan Works and …

A 44-year-old Three Rivers woman was issued a moving violation after the vehicle she was driving rear-ended a school bus last week in Park Township. Investigators from the White Pigeon detachment of the Michigan State Police said the incident occurred at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at the railroad crossing on Moorepark Road, just east of U.S. 131. Police said the Three …