Government

A 74-year-old Elkhart County man was charged with arson following an incident Friday evening in White Pigeon Township. According to the Michigan State Police, the man allegedly set fire to a rental unit in which he was residing, in the 71000 block of Aldrich Lake Road. There were no injuries and no other adjacent structures were damaged by fire, heat, …

Members of the St. Joseph County Conservation District said perfect weather and sufficient water depth Saturday combined for a successful cleanup of the Rocky River. Twelve volunteers participated in the daylong effort, which started at Null Road and concluded just past U.S. 131. An estimated 250 pounds of debris was collected from the river, including a bale of wire fencing, …

Twenty-year-old Three Rivers native Marco Drayton, who had been missing since July 22, has reportedly made contact with his family and is safe.  A variety of news reports stated Drayton left the area without informing his family, whose members reported him missing after he failed to show up at a friend’s house a short distance from his residence.  Drayton reportedly …

South Bend police are investigating the weekend death of a Michigan man killed when his dune buggy crashed during a “mud bog” race at the St. Joseph County 4-H Fairgrounds.  Forty-eight-year-old Steven DeLeeuw of West Olive, Mich., was pronounced dead Saturday night at a South Bend hospital after his vehicle flipped several times and crashed into a concrete barrier and …

Divers from the Michigan State Police recovery unit had no success in a search Thursday for locating the remains of Venus Stewart. Acting on a tip, divers spent the morning searching a stretch of the St. Joseph River in Colon Township, adjacent to her parents’ residence on Driftwood Drive. A cadaver K-9 helped pinpoint an area to search, but divers …

Organizers of the fourth annual Burr Oak Heritage Festival said the three-day event, which concluded Sunday, was the village’s most successful community celebration yet. Barb Wittlock, village clerk and a member of the Heritage Festival Committee, said Friday’s old-fashioned baseball game between the Burr Oak Bandits and Sturgis Biscuits drew more than 200 spectators, Saturday’s parade featured 60-plus entries, the …

The process aimed at sustainable and more equitable funding for the Three Rivers Fire Department (TRFD) Ambulance Service continued to move forward Thursday evening (July 26) with the latest ‘Community Development Meeting’ (CDM) of officials from the City of Three Rivers and Fabius, Lockport and Park townships. City officials presented draft agreements between the city and each of the townships …

Seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates increased in all of Michigan’s 17 major labor market areas in June, according to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget. Total employment and labor force levels rose in most regions in June. “Workforce and employment levels in most Michigan regions expanded in June as summer and seasonal hiring continued,” said Rick Waclawek, director of …

Over 60 people came out July 21 to the second annual Stroller Roll to support the local early childhood fund. Many adults brought their children in strollers while others came out to run competitively. The funds raised will support the Early Childhood Implementation Fund held at the Sturgis Area Community Foundation. These dollars support preschool scholarships for at risk three …

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency – in conjunction with Governor Rick Snyder’s declaration of August as Breastfeeding Awareness Month – is sponsoring a Hats Off to Breastfeeding Campaign. All breastfeeding mothers and their children are invited to participate in a fun, free “photo session” with the latest fashion hit for breastfeeding babes – Nursing Hat Covers, a fashion craze …