Government

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency is reporting an uptick in flu-like illness and other viruses. Agency health officer Rebecca Burns said the tri-county health department during February saw an increase in respiratory illnesses and gastro-intestinal illnesses, as well as other communicable diseases. According to Kim Wilhelm, prevention services director, it is typical for flu to peak in February and …

Three Rivers Middle School teachers and administrators were on full alert Wednesday, the day after a threat of violence was posted on a social media site. Superintendent Jean Logan said middle school principal Nikki Nash was made aware Tuesday night of a social-media posting by a student who threatened to commit an act of violence Wednesday. Logan said police were …

Sturgis city commissioners on Monday approved a $1.6 million agreement for St. Joseph County’s commitment to help fund a proposed $2 million softball complex. The move came six days after the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved a motion to allocate the amount to the city toward development of the four-field complex on city-owned property on Lafayette Street, near …

A utility trailer was discovered stolen from a Mendon Township location this week. State police said the 5-by-8-foot trailer was stolen from the 26000 block of M-60. The black, Tractor Supply-brand trailer is believed to have been stolen sometime in December 2015.

Cass County Circuit Judge Michael E. Dodge announced this week he will not be a candidate for re-election this year. Dodge will be leaving the post he has held since early 1982 due to mandatory retirement provisions in the Michigan constitution. According the state constitution, judges are no longer eligible for re-election once they reach age 70. Dodge has served …

A federal grant in excess of $900,000 was awarded this week to support funding of a new health clinic for low-income and indigent St. Joseph County residents. Monte Bordner, chair of the Covered Bridge Healthcare of St. Joseph County board, said the $910,000 grant will allow the agency to continue services it offered under the name St. Joseph County Health …

St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough said a charge of concealing the death of an individual has been filed against two people in a case related to the death of a Three Rivers-area man last summer. Steven Stoner, 53, of Three Rivers, and 37-year-old Tracy Scott of Kalamazoo were charged after they allegedly broke into a Park Township residence where …

A Cass County man faces up to 15 years in prison after he was taken into custody for fleeing the scene of a fatal accident. Edwardsburg Police Chief Tim Kozal said Brett Gilpin, 25, whose prior community of residence included Edwardsburg, was arrested Thursday by the Michigan State Police Fugitive Team. He was taken to the Cass County Jail on …

The January unemployment rate in St. Joseph County increased by six-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 3.7 percent January unemployment rate was higher than December’s 3.1 percent. January’s unemployment rate, however, was 1.7 percent less than the same month one …

A new Adult Protective Services Centralized Intake process was made official during a signing-in ceremony Friday in Centreville. Led by probate court judge David Tomlinson, the signing-in marks the culmination of a plan nearly six years in the making. The intake process ensures referrals are sent to the local office in a timely manner. Furthermore, updates to the 2016 St. …