St Joseph County

At its October meeting, Three Rivers Health Board of Trustees reported preparation of the 2016 operating and capital budgets have begun. Also, the finalized 2016 operating plan was presented for review in the format of the Studer Groups Leadership Evaluation Manager. Once reviewed and approved, these LEMS will be used for the leader’s performance evaluations at the end of 2016. …

Trick-or-treat hours for Halloween Saturday night vary from community to community. In Three Rivers, hours are 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. In addition, the annual Halloweenie Roast will begin at 5 p.m. and continue while supplies last. The Three Rivers Moose Lodge will host a trunk or treat 4 to 7 p.m. The village of Centreville has trick-or-treat hours 5 to …

Patrol officers with the Sturgis Police Department will be outfitted with body-camera technology in the next two to three weeks. Sturgis city commissioners this week approved a five-year contract to purchase the hardware and data storage. Geoffrey Smith, director of public safety for the city of Sturgis, recommended the no-bid purchase, saying Arizona-based Taser International is the only firm that …

The city of Three Rivers last week made official its acquisition of a downtown building given as a gift. Tom Meyer, of Meyer Ventures, offered the former Whitehouse Manufacturing building, as the city is studying the idea of relocating the Three Rivers Public Library to the downtown location. Meyer also deeded the city a six-acre parcel that borders the Rocky …

Brian Persky, executive director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street, announced Tuesday he has submitted his letter of resignation to the board of directors. Persky, whose last day on the job in Three Rivers will be Nov. 25, said he was recently presented with an opportunity to serve as sports sales manager at Discover Kalamazoo. He said the position combines …

Members of the group TR Cares plan to assemble a slate of candidates for the local school board and a county position in elections next year. During what was promoted as a town-hall meeting Tuesday at the JOCO Center in Three Rivers, attorney Kelly Ward addressed more than 60 people who heard a recap of the timeline related to an …

An active case of tuberculosis is under investigation and treatment in the Sturgis area, according to Kim Wilhelm, prevention services director for Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency. The man became infected in April, Wilhelm said. The agency is attempting to find the man’s contacts and is involved in extensive testing, Wilhelm said. Between 20 and 30 people were found to …

The Mendon Village Planning Commission last week recommended acceptance of a plan for a Dollar General retail store. The matter was forwarded to the Mendon Village Council, along with an additional recommendation that specific signage be installed to help negate some of the traffic flow concerns. The proposed development is being eyed at the corner of West Main and Railroad …

A benefit magic show last weekend will help the Colon Food Pantry stretch its inventory as a season of high need approaches. A five-act magic show Saturday at Colon Elementary School entertained a crowd of about 60 people, whose price of admission was a donation of a non-perishable food item or cash. In many cases, cash as well as food …

The September unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased 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 3.7 percent September unemployment rate was less than August’s 3.8 percent. Also, September’s unemployment rate was 1.4 percent less than the same month one …