Business

St. Joseph County’s July unemployment rate saw a notable increase from the previous month. Monthly figures released from the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget Analysis show St. Joseph County had a July unemployment rate of 9.7 percent, a 1.1-percent increase from June. The agency indicated summer layoffs in education contributed to the increase. Despite the increase from June, …

Park Township officials have accepted a low bid of $29,000 to demolish the former Parkville Christian Community Church. During action last week, the township board approved the bid from Three Rivers-based Roberts Brothers Excavating, which could begin the tear-down process as early as by the end of the month. The 146-year-old building has been deemed unsafe by township officials and …

A 50-year-old Nottawa woman remains in critical condition as she recovers from being struck by a car while riding her bike last week. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said Esther Schmucker has been at Bronson Methodist Hospital since she was struck head-on by a vehicle driven by 28-year-old Jeremy Conley, of Sturgis. The incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. Thursday …

Officials from the city of Sturgis have closed the RV dumping station near the municipal airport due to several incidents of improper and illegal use of the site. Road construction on West Lafayette Street this summer forced the station to be closed temporarily. Numerous incidents of illegal use and misuse, however, prompted city officials to close the site for good. …

Mayor Tom Lowry and members of the Three Rivers City Commission have agreed to name a new city street in memory of a community activist and long-time employee of Three Rivers Community Schools. During their regularly scheduled meeting earlier this week, Lowry and commissioners agreed to name a road in memory of Suzy Warner, who passed away in April. Warner …

St. Joseph County Emergency Services Coordinator Jim Barnes has passed along information relevant to agriculture-related businesses that have suffered financially from this summer’s drought. Barnes noted that the U.S. Small Business Administration is making available federal economic-disaster loans to small businesses, agricultural cooperatives and other agriculture-related businesses in Michigan. St. Joseph County is one of 10 drought-stricken counties in the …

Seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates increased in all of Michigan’s 17 major labor market areas in June, according to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget. Total employment and labor force levels rose in most regions in June. “Workforce and employment levels in most Michigan regions expanded in June as summer and seasonal hiring continued,” said Rick Waclawek, director of …

Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Jamie Clover Adams Wednesday (July 25) applauded the quick action by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack in designating four counties in Southwest Michigan – Branch, Cass, Hillsdale and St. Joseph – as primary natural disaster areas due to the extreme drought conditions facing farmers in those counties. Additionally, …

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has announced TWO road closures in the WLKM listening area: • There will be a total closure of M-60 from M-62 to Calvin Center Road in Cassopolis (Cass County) from 5 p.m. Monday, August 6, through 8 p.m. Friday, August 24, for CN Railroad track reconstruction. Detour routes will be posted. • There will …

The St. Joseph County Transportation Authority has added a second bus to its Circle Line route in Sturgis. CTA Director Steve Yorks said the additional bus, which began operating Monday, was necessary to accommodate steady ridership aboard the six-day-a-week Circle Line already in place in Sturgis. He said an average of 1,200 people patronize the Sturgis Circle Line monthly. The …