County Information

Indiana Michigan Power Co. has announced that work on the upgrade of power poles and lines from Park Township to Sturgis Township is expected to get started by the end of next month. The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based company said the 14-mile improvement is in addition to an eight-mile line improvement between Schoolcraft and the Moorepark neighborhood. That project is slated …

The Michigan Court of Appeals in Grand Rapids concluded that the estate of Calista Springer cannot sue the state over the 16-year-old’s death four years ago. The opinion was rendered in response to Springer’s grandmother – Three Rivers resident Suzanne Langdon – who sued the State Department of Human Services and St. Joseph County’s Child Protective Services in 2010. Each …

State Rep. Matt Lori has announced a $168,000 grant to help St. Joseph County farmers better manage their yields while protecting the environment. The funds come from the Southwest Michigan Adapt Network, a new partnership involving the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Services and the Environmental Defense Fund. Lori said …

The village of Centreville plans to repave three sections of Dean Street in order to alleviate the problem of standing water. Municipal officials this week said the impending work, which will cost the village $225,000, will be conducted in three phases. The three phases are Market to Ann streets, Ann to Mill streets and from Mill Street north to the …

High school basketball playoffs continue tonight. District finals on tap for 7 p.m. include 8-13 Constantine taking on 8-14 Cassopolis in Mendon. In addition, Three Rivers, 7-15, will battle 19-3 Sturgis at Comstock High School. Sturgis won the only meeting between the two teams this season, an overtime thriller in December. Meanwhile, a record-setting season for the Mendon girls basketball …

St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners voted this week to a variety of agriculture-related services offered by the Michigan State University Extension. Following action Tuesday, Dr. Dale Mutch, an agriculture and agribusiness institute extension educator from Michigan State University Extension Office, will join the county. Mutch is a senior extension educator of sustainable agriculture. Meanwhile, approval was given to hire …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department is continuing its investigation into illegal dumping of tires in Constantine Township. Investigators were notified by the St. Joseph County Road Commission about a location where a number of tires were discarded alongside a roadway. The sheriff’s department is working with the tire manufacturers to determine the original owners of the tires. Investigators believe …

Three Rivers Mayor Tom Lowry and commissioners on Tuesday approved a special-exception-use permit for Menards. As a result, the Wisconsin-based home-improvement center is clear to break ground on its 215,000-square-foot store on the south side of Broadway Road, just west of U.S. 131. City officials said Menards representatives indicated they would like to break ground as soon as possible in …

The Three Rivers Downtown Development Authority last week approved the use of its cables for organizations wishing to promote upcoming events. The cables, which are in place throughout the downtown section of Main Street, allow vertical banners to be hung. Use of the cables will be granted after review by DDA Director Christy Trammell and a fee to cover the …

The fate of where the Weenie Kings push-cart hot dog stand will set up for business in 2012 remains unresolved. Three Rivers Mayor Tom Lowry and commissioners on Tuesday discussed the situation after being told by Weenie Kings proprietor Mike King that the Three Rivers Public Library Board has approved a policy that prohibits commerce from taking place in the …