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Three Rivers Fire Department Chief Dan Tomlinson said personnel responded to a carbon monoxide problem at a residence where furnace vents were blocked with snow. In light of the recent issue, Tomlinson suggested residents to be sure snow is cleared from around their gas meters, venting and fresh-air intakes are unobstructed, and steps to clear snow from roofs be taken, …

Triple A Michigan says it has helped at least 2,200 motorists slammed by snow and low temperatures. Spokeswoman Nancy Cain says it’s not a record, but crews have been “extremely busy” Monday. The problems include dead batteries, cars in ditches after slipping off roads, no gas and people locked out of their vehicles while warming them up. Cain said 2,200 …

It’s a winter storm they’ll be talking about for years. And it’s hit Michigan head-on, and has impacted millions in Detroit and much of the Lower Peninsula, with a foot of snow or more, creating hazardous travel and dangerous conditions for anyone who is outside for any length of time. Flight delays and cancellations are leaving passengers stranded at airports …

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency has issued a press release, noting that the Centers for Disease Control has declared a health advisory. Increasing reports of severe respiratory infections among young and middle-aged people due to H1N1 infections have resulted in Michigan’s flu activity being upgraded from local to regional. According to Steve Todd, health officer for the local health …

A pair of three-star athletes – one a senior at Sturgis High School and the other a senior at Mendon – have been named St. Joseph County’s male and female prep athletes of the year for 2013. The honor, bestowed by the Sturgis Journal sports department, went to Chance Stewart and Brooke Howard. Stewart, whose high school career has seen …

Thirty-five people took advantage of a free ride home New Year’s Eve and early New Year’s Day in St. Joseph County. Thanks to the St. Joseph County Transportation Authority and a number of sponsors, the fifth New Year’s Eve Free Ride Home program saw a 13 percent increase in ridership from a year ago, when it attracted 31 participants. The …

A question of whether to remodel or build a new animal-control facility has been researched by county administrator Pat Yoder. Though Yoder has not yet reached a definitive answer, he said input from animal-control officer Tom Miller has helped him consider suggesting a remodel job. The issue was discussed during the county’s December committee-of-the-whole meeting. Yoder said there seems to …

St. Joseph County Commission Chairman John Dobberteen said the county might consider employees work a four-day, ten-hour-a-day work week as an option. Dobberteen raised the idea earlier this month, when he said the option would be on the table since the county can’t always afford to increase compensation. The concept is in place at the sheriff’s department as well as …

The murder of Sturgis-area CPA David Locey was chosen by a local newspaper as the top local story of 2013. The Sturgis Journal has released its top stories in St. Joseph County for 2013, and the October murder of Locey was the unanimous top choice. Following Locey’s murder, the March fire that destroyed Curly’s in Colon was deemed the second-biggest …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has approved a service agreement with Ann Arbor-based Merit Network Inc. During their Dec. 17 meeting, commissioners supported the service agreement that comes with the Internet line the county had previously approved and paid for. The service agreement covers a five-year period and will go into effect when the Internet line is installed …