County Information

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency wishes to remind parents and caregivers of techniques that can help to substantially reduce the infant death rate in the three-county region and across the state. After years of significant decline, Michigan’s infant-death rate has held relatively steady since 2004, indicating that not all parents and caregivers are getting the message about safe sleep …

St. Joseph County was chosen for a pilot program through the Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards. The group was recently awarded a $4.2 million grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund to support 12 initiatives aimed at improving the quality of health for seniors. According to officials from the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services of St. …

The St. Joseph County Grange Fair Board met Tuesday with representatives from the county’s summer festivals to discuss details of River Country Has Talent. Fair manager Bill Johnson last month said the 2016 fair plans to showcase local talent instead of a big-name act as part of its entertainment lineup. The new approach involves a partnership with the county’s eight …

Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency has received a $20,000 grant to increase testing and reporting of HIV. Prevention director Kim Wilhelm said the funds will also allow the agency to increase testing and counseling for sexually transmitted infections at each of its clinics. Wilhelm said she expects the agency to designate one day a week to provide HIV and STI …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners recently approved the submission of three grant requests to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. In all, the requests amount to more than $150,000, not including more than $100,000 county-required matching dollars. County grant writer James Hissong said the first was an appeal to the DNR’s trust fund for development of two accessible …

St. Joseph County District Court Judge Rob Pattison has announced he will stage a “Court in the Schools” session next month in Three Rivers. Pattison on Monday said the session, will involve an actual sentencing from someone who pled guilty to a drug- or alcohol-related offense. The event will take place at 1 p.m. April 15 at Three Rivers High …

High school students interested in 2016-17 career and technical education are encouraged to apply soon. CTE director Tommy Cameron said the early application deadline is Thursday. Prospective participants can apply online at sjcisd.com. Classes include agri-science, automotive services, building trades, computer information technologies, CAD, graphics design, marketing, medical occupations and welding. Cameron said early deadline provides prospective participants the best …

Investigators from the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit worked in conjunction with parole agents from the Michigan Department of Corrections in performing compliance checks last week. Sheriff Brad Balk said investigators teamed with corrections agents to check on individuals on parole and probation in Three Rivers, Fabius Township, and Lockport Township. Seven different locations were targeted, resulting in five …

Dep. MaKenzie Kreiner of the Cass County Sheriff’s Office has been selected as the 2015 Child Passenger Safety Technician of the Year by the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. The annual recognition program, now in its second year, honors those who serve as an example to other technicians by educating families about the proper installation and use of car …

The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado touched down last week near Edwardsburg. The agency said the incident occurred around 3:15 p.m. Thursday a mile west of the community at the north end of Sundance Road, just south of U.S. 12. A video was taken that shows debris being lofted with notable rotation. The tornado tracked in an east-northeast direction. It heavily …