Health and Wellness

Three Rivers Fire Department Chief Dan Tomlinson issued a statement Thursday, warning people to be aware of thin ice. Tomlinson said fluctuating temperatures this winter have resulted in unsafe ice coverage at many lakes. He cited lake-rescue incidents in Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties as situations where poor judgment led to consequences that could have been fatal. He said the …

A Three Rivers man was treated for injuries suffered in a two-vehicle accident Wednesday morning in Constantine Township. Deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said Constantine resident Gene Foreman was driving east on North River Road when he crossed the centerline and his vehicle struck a westbound pickup driven by Thomas McGee. McGee was transported from the scene …

Area fire departments are urging residents to exercise caution with alternative sources of heat. The warning comes as three fires in the past two weeks, including two last weekend, are believed to have started from alternative heat sources. The most recent fire was reported Sunday night at a residence in the 10600 block of Hayman Road in Fabius Township. A …

Three Rivers Health Chief Executive Officer William Russell has announced the addition of Hospital Physician Partners, a new emergency-services partner to staff and manage the hospital’s emergency department. Hospital Physician Partners currently works with more than 100 hospitals across the country. Russell said the partnership is a good fit for Three Rivers Health and the community. Hospital Physician Partners is …

Three of six people involved in a single-vehicle accident Sunday on M-60 in Leonidas Township were treated for minor injuries. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said Donald Korff II, 40, of Marcellus, was traveling east on M-60 when his van hit an icy patch in the roadway near Jacksonburg Road. The van spun out and crashed into a tree. …

Immunizations are expected to be administered today to as many as 90 students at Eastwood Elementary School following a confirmed case of whopping cough at the Sturgis Public Schools building. The fifth-grade student was diagnosed with whooping cough last week, prompting county health officials to review health records of students at the school. About 90 were found to be in …

The names of four Sturgis residents arrested on drug-related charges have been released, as the suspects were arraigned in St. Joseph County Circuit Court. Sturgis Police said they executed a search warrant around 4 p.m. Feb. 1 at a residence in the 400 block of Walker Street. Arrested were Douglas Keefer, 58, charged with maintaining a drug house; Jared Payton, …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department responded Monday morning to a methamphetamine dump site by Big Swan Creek in the 62500 block of Needham Road, in Burr Oak Township. A backpack containing meth waste and a burn site that resembled remains of a campfire were discovered at the site. Officials concluded three one-pot meth labs was produced at the location. …

Steve Todd, health officer for the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Health Agency, said Tuesday that a supply of free flu shots remains available at St. Joseph County’s Three Rivers-based site. Todd told members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners that the three-county agency received about 400 doses of flu vaccine. The supply it has on hand in Three Rivers remains …

The Sturgis Department of Public Safety took four Sturgis residents into custody after raiding a house where production of methamphetamine was allegedly taking place. The four people arrested range in age from 18 to 57. Police said they executed a search warrant around 4 p.m. Wednesday at a residence in the 400 block of Walker Street. Arrested were: a 57-year-old …