Health and Wellness

A meeting for prospective volunteers in the 2014 Sturgis Relay For Life takes place at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Sturgis VFW. Volunteers for the American Cancer Society-sponsored event may be walkers, cancer survivors, caregivers, community leaders, or anyone wanting to make a difference, according to event organizers. In addition, volunteers will be asked to help organize and recruit …

A federal grant announced earlier this month will benefit St. Joseph County residents who are without insurance or considered underinsured. Officials from the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services of St. Joseph County said the $812,000 award will fund the first 15 months of a new, county health center. An annual renewal of $650,000 will be made available in …

National Adoption Day was observed locally in St. Joseph County Tuesday, as Probate Court Judge David Tomlinson administered an adoption proceeding for a Three Rivers family. Taylor and Sara Tompkins, 12- and 8-year-old sisters, were made the legal children of Jessen and Brooke Tompkins. The public procedure marked the 14th year of acknowledging National Adoption Day locally. Tomlinson said the …

A 25-year-old Constantine man was injured last week after the vehicle he was driving crashed into a tree in Florence Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said it fielded a call around 1 a.m. Friday in response to a one-car accident on Sevison Road near Mintdale Road. Upon arrival, deputies saw a 2007 Ford F-250 crashed into a tree …

A Sturgis Hospital employee is spearheading a fundraising effort to benefit a rural Filipino community devastated by this month’s typhoon. Noel Fontanilla, a native of the Philippines, is hoping his effort will help the village of Cangumbang. The community is where a pair of Sturgis High School graduates, Elsa Thomasma and Carter Brown was working on a community/evacuation center. Fontanilla, …

Appointments and re-appointments were made by members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners last week. Constantine-area resident David Miars was reappointed to another three-year term on the county’s Board of Public Works. His current term expires at the end of the year. Deb Leyes of Sturgis was tapped to serve a one-year term as a general-public representative on …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department responded to a two-car collision at 9:30 a.m. Thursday in Lockport Township. According to a department media release, one of two cars going in opposite directions on M-60 near Mahnke Road crossed the center line and collided with the other vehicle. One of the vehicles rolled several times and the driver had to be …

A Florence Township official will have to look for an alternative source of financial help to address a crumbling roadway in his jurisdiction, as he was turned down for assistance by county officials Tuesday. For the second time in two months, Florence Township Supervisor Gordon Evilsizor asked the commission for consideration to help replace Constantine Road from Dickinson north to …

A chimney fire is being cited as the source of a blaze that destroyed a house in Mendon Township last week. Investigators said the conclusion was made after a closer look into the situation and its origin. The fire, which was reported at 11:30 a.m. Friday, destroyed a residence in the 53500 block of Nottawa Road. One occupant inside the …

Four Three Rivers residents were treated for injuries they suffered in a two-vehicle accident Saturday in Fabius Township. According to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, a vehicle driven by 19-year-old Samantha Jo Combs attempted to turn left off U.S. 131 and onto North Main Street into the path of a vehicle driven northbound on U.S. 131 by 52-year-old Karen …