St Joseph County

Motorists along state routes are advised to use extra caution, as the second Adopt-A-Highway roadside cleanup event of the year begins Saturday and continues over an eight-day period. Thousands of Adopt-A-Highway volunteers will be back picking up litter along state roadways starting Saturday, as they’ve done each summer since 1990. Every year, Adopt-A-Highway volunteers collect about 70,000 bags of trash, …

A detour on a major north-south route in St. Joseph County will remain in effect at least through September while a bridge is replaced. Crews from Hudsonville-based Grand River Construction started work Tuesday on the Silver Street bridge at the Portage River. The job is a full rebuild to replace a bridge that job foreman Dean Stewart said was in …

A legislative update from State Rep. Aaron Miller was the highlight of Tuesday’s St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners meeting. Miller, a first-term legislature from Sherman Township, said the senate plan for road funding was the biggest bit of news he had to offer. He said $400 million in federal funds was allocated for the state’s transportation fund for the …

St. Joseph County’s Intermediate School District Board last week approved the 2015-16 operating calendar that officials said is in close alignment with the countywide shared-services calendar. Due to a late Labor Day date of Sept. 7, Michigan public schools will not open until Sept. 8, pushing back the end of the school year to June 9, 2016. ISD will not …

The St. Joseph County United Way is in the throes of preparing for its 2015 silent auction later this year at the county fair and its organizers are turning to the public for help. United Way executive director Kelly Hostetler said many great items have been donated so far, but more are being sought. Hostetler said some examples of popular …

A ceremony to acknowledge improvements made at the St. Joseph County veterans memorial took place last week. Located at the northwest corner of the St. Joseph County courthouse, the memorial now has eight flags flying overhead. The central focus of last Friday’s ceremony was the raising of each of the flags. The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and …

A 33-year-old Constantine man died in a motorcycle accident over the weekend in Constantine Township. Sheriff’s deputies said James Carlson was driving east on Featherstone Road at 3:05 a.m. Saturday when he failed to negotiate a curve a half mile west of Constantine Road. His 2014 Harley Davidson went off the roadway and crashed into two trees. Authorities said Carlson …

The 2015 tax rates for Sturgis city property owners will remain unchanged from a year ago. The Sturgis City Commission recently set the general-operating tax rate at 10.0285 mills and continued a 3-mill levy approved by city voters in 2014 for street and sidewalk improvements. According to Ken Rhodes, city clerk/treasurer, the operating tax rate – about $10.03 for each …

Two members of the Three Rivers Fire Department were recently promoted. Paul Schoon, an 11-year full-time employee, was named captain. Meanwhile, Chad Witt was promoted to lieutenant. He joined the agency in 2010. A pinning ceremony to formalize the occasion took place June 16 before the Three Rivers City Commission.

Hamilton Harley-Davidson in Sturgis is offering a special program to complement the parent company’s support of U.S. veterans. Co-owner Tom Hamilton said the Sturgis location will provide free motorcycle rental for a day to any veteran or current member of the Armed Forces. It’s the first program of its kind in the country, said Cathi Abbs, executive director of Sturgis …