Business

A 16-year-old from Shipshewana said he suffered a medical condition while driving and, as a result, crashed the vehicle he was driving into a tree Friday night in Sherman Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s department said Rylan Hochstetler was driving west on Banker Road when he blacked out momentarily and drove off the roadway around 10 p.m., he told …

There are predictions that oil prices could fall sharply to around $50 per barrel, with those coming from analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Grand Rapids-based GasBuddy.com analyst Patrick DeHaan says he thinks they might be right for a few reasons: Domestic oil production is hitting highs unlike any seen in two decades and crude oil inventories are about …

The Sturgis City Commission recently approved the five-year renewal of its curbside recycling with an Indiana-based company. The arrangement with Borden Waste-Away of Elkhart continues an agreement reached in 2008 and it maintains the $1.92-per-household unit price. The city pays for the curbside recycling program with a state-authorized surcharge of $2 per month, collected annually on the summer tax bill. …

Governor Rick Snyder Tuesday signed legislation making Michigan the 24th “right-to-work’ state in the nation. Snyder signed the bills less than five hours after the Michigan House gave final approval to the so-called “right to work” legislation, which prohibits requirements that workers pay a fee that would go to a union as a condition of employment. 

A family dispute was at the center of a hit-and-run incident Sunday in the 500 block of Michigan Street in Three Rivers. According to the Three Rivers Police Department, a person whose gender, age and address were not disclosed, was treated at Three Rivers Health for minor injuries as a result of the incident. The driver of the vehicle, who …

Three Rivers City Manager Joe Bippus said he and a group of municipal representatives received a warm welcome from American Axle Manufacturing officials during a goodwill visit last week to the company’s Detroit-based headquarters. Bippus said the scheduled meeting provided an opportunity to thank AAM President David Dauch for the company’s commitment to Three Rivers. The Three Rivers facility is …

State Rep. Matt Lori praised the passage of freedom-to-work legislation that he says will allow Michigan workers to earn a living regardless of union membership. Lori said workers should have the freedom to work any job without being forced to pay for that right to work. He added that unions will have the freedom to make their case to workers, …

The seventh annual Christmas in Colon event takes place 5 to 9 p.m. today in downtown Colon. The event features a 6 p.m. parade from Colon Elementary to Colon Township Library. In addition, downtown businesses will have promotions, goodies and attractions throughout the four-hour period, including reindeer and Santa Claus outside the library. Also, an Amish grilled chicken dinner will …

With little fanfare, members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Tuesday approved the county’s 2013 fiscal year budget. The $28.8 million budget goes into effect Jan. 1. It is more than $780,000 less than the 2012 fiscal-year budget, thanks in part to a lower-than-expected allocation sought by the St. Joseph County Road Commission. According to a breakdown of …

A 17-year-old Three Rivers woman was treated for minor injuries following a single-vehicle accident at 3 p.m. Monday in Fabius Township. According to the St Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, the woman was driving south on U.S. 131 when she lost control of her vehicle due to a wet roadway around Hoffman Road. The vehicle went into a ditch and rolled …