Health and Wellness

A 59-year-old woman was forced from her SUV late Wednesday night outside the Sturgis Walmart. Police said the woman told them a black man, in his late 20s or early 30s, dragged her from her vehicle as she was entering the gray 2004 Chevy Trailblazer. The vehicle was last seen heading north on South Centerville Road. The vehicle has a …

State Rep. Matt Lori announced this week that legislation he introduced, regarding a change to the legal blood-alcohol content for which boaters are considered legally drunk, has passed a vote by the State House Judiciary Committee. The two bills set the legal blood-alcohol content for watercraft operators from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent. They also modify sentencing guidelines to make …

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency has issued a press release indicating a potential increase in reports of bedbugs. The agency said bedbugs typically attach themselves to luggage, clothing or other items, and the means of transportation help them travel from a warmer climate into a colder host site. Bedbugs are not known to carry diseases, but they can be …

Three Rivers-based Riverside Health Clinic has expanded its services to Sturgis. The clinic, which specializes in treating patients with insufficient insurance coverage, is operating a dispensary site from the Grobheiser Building on the Sturgis Hospital campus. The location is open 12 to 3 p.m. the first Thursday of the month and dispenses medication to patients already registered through its main …

James Baker, director of the Three Rivers Clean Water Plant, said residents in the city’s Third District may experience strong, fowl odors emitting from the plant for the next two to seven days. Baker stated in a news release Tuesday that the start up of digesters at a reduced temperature will cause the spread of odors. The digesters have been …

It took fours days into the new year, but Sturgis Hospital’s first baby of 2012 was born last Wednesday. Alexah Stafford, the daughter of Three Rivers residents Bridget and Dustin Stafford, weighed in at 8 pounds, 11 ounces. They are Constantine High School graduates. Chance Ray Rhodes, the son of Paige Tice and Ethan Rhodes, was the first baby of …

Slippery roads are blamed for a two-vehicle accident that left a 48-year-old Marcellus woman injured. The Cass County Sheriff’s Department said Rosemarie Guest was traveling west on Marcellus Highway around 6 a.m. Wednesday when she lost control of her vehicle near Finch Road. Guest drove off the roadway then reentered the road, striking an oncoming vehicle, sheriff deputies said. Guest …

Investigators with the Michigan State Police at White Pigeon are looking into separate cases of a man using a red light atop his vehicle to pull over and approach women alone in their cars. Twice on Saturday, women were pulled over by the suspect. One incident took place on U.S. 131 at Gleason Road in Fabius Township and the other …

Three Rivers Health officials announced the hospital’s first baby of the new year was born Sunday afternoon. The son of Paige Tice and Ethan Rhodes was born at 2:43 p.m. on New Year’s Day. The new arrival, who was 2 1/2  months early, weighed 3 pounds and 9.4 ounces. The parents, who are Three Rivers residents, named their son Chance Ray. …

New Year’s Eve revelers will have a chance to catch a free ride home, as the St. Joseph County Transportation Authority is offering complimentary rides to any location in the county. The service, which is resuming after a one-year hiatus, will begin at 10 p.m. Saturday and conclude at 4 a.m. Sunday. The cost to support the special service is …