County Information

A job fair for people considering work in the manufacturing industry will take place Wednesday, January 29th in Three Rivers. Hosted by Michigan Works, the event features employers looking to fill positions in the fields of customer service, logistics, engineering, warehouse work and machinists. American Axle and Manufacturing Co. will be one of the employers on hand. Prospective participants must …

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency is offering free radon test kits to residents in its district. Rebecca Burns, environmental health director, said the offer is in conjunction with January being National Radon Action Month. She said radon has no taste or odor, and is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally in soil and rock. Its vapors can seep through …

The village of Burr Oak has a new squad car for its police department. Spearheaded by Police Committee chairperson Brad Woodman and finance chairperson Alice Munoz, the process of a grant request yielded funds to help the village replace its 13-year-old squad patrol car with a 2014 Police Interceptor. The grant was provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. …

A Fabius Township residence sustained severe damage during a fire Sunday afternoon. Fabius/Park Fire Chief Scott Roderick said the residence, in the 10000 block of Hoffman Road, was fully engulfed when fire personnel arrived. Potential cause of the fire is likely due to a wood-burning stove, Roderick said. There were no injuries as a result of the incident.

The village of Centreville is less than a month from starting up its own police department. After contracting law-enforcement service through the sheriff’s department for more than 20 years, the village has decided to run its own police force. Village president Jeff Johnson said interviews with chief candidates took place over the weekend. The village has allocated a $40,000 annual …

The city of Three Rivers is looking into whether it should establish an ordinance to regulate the growing number of collection boxes scattered throughout the city. Mayor Tom Lowry said he is concerned about the influx of containers, which seek donations ranging from books and shoes, to clothing. Lowry, who said he is in favor of an outright ban on …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners last week gave approval to fill a few open positions. A candidate for the job of deputy probate register will be pursued, as it was vacated due to the retirement of Bonnie Walter. Her last day of work was Friday. The vacant position of juvenile neglect/abuse specialist, which has been open for a …

The city of Three Rivers is making an appeal to the public for help in filling vacancies on a variety of commissions and boards. City officials said the Three Rivers planning commission, River Country Recreational Authority, local officers compensation commission, board of appeals, industrial development authority, brownfield redevelopment authority and board of review are all in need of one additional …

Colon resident Ron Carnell has announced the village will be the site of the 45th annual Michigan Magic Day in April. The International Brotherhood of Magicians Ring 386 in Colon will host the two-day gathering April 11 and 12, the first time the community will have hosted the annual event. Carnell said around 150 magicians from around the Midwest are …

Four manufacturing companies based in St. Joseph County are among the recipients of $235,000 in training grants. The Kalamazoo-St. Joseph Michigan Works announced this week that the Skilled Trades Training grants, funded by Michigan’s Workforce Development Agency, will assist with training for in-demand jobs. The St. Joseph County companies receiving grant money are Vaupell Midwest Molding and Tooling of Constantine; …