County Information

The St. Joseph County United Way is poised to start its 2014 campaign with the annual Donut Drive event coming next week. Executive director Kelly Hostetler said the donut drive also serves as a public thank you for the support provided to the Centreville-based agency. United Way volunteers will be in each of the county’s eight municipalities over an 11-day …

St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners last week agreed to a modification regarding its lease agreement with renters at the Meyer Broadway Park house. Tenants Dan and Sarah Hershberger have requested use of an attached, two-car garage known as Dimmick Lodge. The Hershbergers said they wish to park their vehicles inside the structure, and have offered to pay an additional …

The June unemployment rate in St. Joseph County increased by seven-tenths 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 8.4 percent June unemployment rate was more than May’s 7.7 percent. June’s unemployment rate, however, was four-tenths of a percent less than the same …

Saturday’s Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce fundraiser was deemed a success by event organizers. A catered dinner inside the Langley Covered Bridge drew about 100 guests, who were seated at a cluster of 16 tables for a meal prepared by the Sturges-Young Auditorium. Christy Trammell, chamber president, said pontoon-boat rides and a professional photo next to the historic landmark …

The 76th Abbott’s Magic Get-Together is in the books and Greg Bordner, head of the four-day event, said the event went as smoothly as it possibly could. Several hundred fans and participants of the trade spent at least a portion of the four days in the village, where nightly performances at Colon High School drew strong crowds and world-class talent. …

A Three Rivers man was cited for failure to yield after he was involved in a two-vehicle accident last week. According to the Three Rivers Police Department, Larry McNair, 49, turned left from Main Street onto Michigan Avenue when he was struck by a southbound vehicle driven by Jennifer Hertsel, 30, of Three Rivers. She was treated for undisclosed injuries …

Officials from St. Joseph County’s largest employer are hoping a job fair this weekend will help fill 200 positions. American Axle & Manufacturing is staging the event 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at its Three Rivers plant. The Detroit-based company is filling the openings as a result of 500 positions created to accommodate production of its EcoTrac driveline system. …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department is looking for the suspect in a hit-and-run incident that occurred around 8:30 p.m. Monday in Constantine Township. Department officials said Centreville resident Steven Bontrager, 41, was driving south on U.S. 131, when an eastbound pickup on Stears Road failed to stop at the intersection and struck the driver’s side door of Bontrager’s vehicle. …

The congregation of the First Presbyterian Church of Three Rivers-Centreville will be a part of a milestone service Sunday, August 11. The Three Rivers-based church is observing its 175th anniversary with a variety of observances. The first is the 11 a.m. service Sunday, August 11. Then, an open house is set for Sept. 28, when historic artifacts and documents will …

A woman believed to be in her 20s staged an all-day protest Wednesday related to tree-clearing in Cass County’s Newburg Township. After nearly 10 hours on a plywood platform about 40 feet up a tree, the woman came down around 6:30 p.m. Her descent came after lengthy negotiations that involved the Cass County Sheriff’s Department and the Michigan State Police. …