County Information

The March unemployment rate in St. Joseph County increased by one-tenth of a percent compared to a month earlier. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed St. Joseph County’s 3.8 percent March unemployment rate was greater than February’s 3.7 percent. March’s unemployment rate was 1 percent less than the same month one year …

A team of Three Rivers High School students that spearheaded a safe-driving campaign over the past few months has been recognized for its efforts. Members found out last week they came in second place and were awarded a $1,250 cash prize. The teens facilitated three events that provided the school’s student body with tips about safe driving during the winter …

Glen Oaks Community College’s Board of Trustees voted this week to proceed with the bidding, design and construction of a $6.5 million, 120-bed student housing facility. Subject to final approval on a USDA low-interest loan, the proposed four-story building would begin with a groundbreaking expected to take place in early summer with plans for the facility to open with the …

The Michigan Transportation Asset Management Council has honored the St. Joseph County Road Commission with a 2016 TAMC Organization Award. The award was presented last week during the annual TAMC Spring Conference in Dearborn. Chris Minger, St. Joseph County’s Managing Director, told TAMC that the Centreville-based road commission has spent many hours developing five year plans with various funding balances. …

State Reps. Aaron Miller and Eric Leutheuser recently presented a legislative tribute to the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency in the Capitol rotunda after the agency was recognized with an award during National Health Week. Miller and Leutheuser presented the tribute to Rebecca Burns, health officer for Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph County, and Jim Cook, emergency preparedness coordinator for the tri-county agency, …

A team of TRHS students spearheaded a safe driving campaign over the course of the last few months. The teens facilitated three events that provided our student body with tips about safe driving during the winter months. At the end of the campaign, a report and powerpoint presentation were submitted to a panel of judges. TRHS won second place and …

Seven individuals were named to the St. Joseph County Remonumentation Peer Review Group this week. The action was taken during Tuesday’s board of commissioners meeting. Group members provide advice on original public land survey corners presented by surveyors before the county accepts the corners for filing under its County Remonumentation Plan. Members of the group will serve for a term …

The reward for finding who was responsible for damage at Oak Lawn Cemetery earlier this month in Sturgis has been raised to $3,000, thanks to donations from a number of area businesses. Police said the vandalism occurred between April 1 and 3. In all, 34 headstones – some dating to the 1800s – were damaged. Other damage included shots from …

Cases associated with marijuana and methamphetamine were the most common drug-related incidents handled by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department in 2015. Led by Sheriff Brad Balk and aided largely by Captain Jason Bingaman, the department’s annual report was presented to the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Tuesday. The report featured an assortment of statistics related to crime, narcotics …

Indiana Michigan Power has announced it is conducting proactive inspections of poles in areas throughout its service territory in both states. I&M has contracted with GeoForce, a company licensed and experienced in pole inspection, to visually examine the poles. In some cases, the inspection process also involves minor digging at the base of the poles and treatment of the wood, …