News

A two-year road project on a major route through St. Joseph and Kalamazoo counties will begin next week. Michigan Department of Transportation officials said work on US-131 from the Rocky River in Three Rivers is slated to start Monday. Agency officials said 13.4 miles of U.S. 131 will be under construction as part of the $51 million project. Phase one …

Two people have lined up – with more likely to follow – in a bid to become St. Joseph County Sheriff. Though the election is not until August 2024, Chad Spence and Joe Bingaman have announced their respective candidacies for the four-year term. Chad Spence is public safety instructor with the St. Joseph County CTE consortium. He announced his candidacy …

St. Joseph County Sheriff Mark Lillywhite was ordered to serve one year of probation after pleading guilty to a pair of misdemeanor charges related to a drunken-driving crash from earlier this year. The 47-year-old Lillywhite appeared Monday during arraignment at the Kalamazoo County Courthouse. Lillywhite apologized to emergency personnel who responded to the Feb. 26 crash that led to his arrest …

The Michigan Supreme Court has released its fiscal-year 2022 Problem-Solving Courts annual report, tracking the progress and highlighting the success of 207 problem-solving courts across Michigan from October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022. Melissa Bliss, St. Joseph County’s director of community corrections, said St. Joseph County is fortunate to have the 45th Circuit Adult Drug Treatment Court, 45th Circuit …

Centreville Board of Education members approved two key contracts during their board meeting Monday. First, a one-year agreement was reached with Centreville Education Association for the 2023-24 academic year. The contract includes minor changes from the previous contract, a salary schedule and school-year calendar. Meanwhile, a contract was settled with Centreville Educational Support Personnel, also for the 2023-24 academic year. …

Here’s a reminder that the Salvation Army of Kalamazoo County is still in need of volunteers to help with an upcoming, annual event in May. The National Association of Letter Carriers “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive is May 13 and the agency is seeking assistance to help with collected items. Salvation Army officials will be at the Parchment Post Office …

Vicksburg village officials this afternoon are scheduled to acknowledge the start of a major project. A ceremonial groundbreaking takes place at 4 p.m. to mark the start of construction of Vicksburg’s new village office. The $2.5 million project is being paid with cash on hand and a variety of grants, according to village manager Jim Mallery. Construction is slated to …

St. Joseph County officials made a number of appointments during their monthly meeting last week. Bill Walters and Steven Holt were named to the Veterans Affairs Advisory Board; Stoney Summey was appointed to the St. Joseph County Transportation Authority Board; and five people were either appointed or re-appointed to the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Board. They are: …

Nearly $20,000 was added to the coffers of the Three Rivers Promise last weekend through the second annual “Run for the Future.” All proceeds from the 5K run and one-mile fun run benefit the Promise, whose aim is to provide financial assistance for college or a vocational education to Three Rivers High School graduates. The Promise would like to thank …

Glen Oaks Community College has announced its 2023 Presidential Scholars. The recipients are: Eduardo Hernandez-Medina, of Three Rivers High School; Brady Miller, Centreville High School; Addison Nally, of Clay High School in Indiana; and Raina Wickey, of Northridge High School in Middlebury. To qualify for the award, recipients must be part of the graduating high school class of 2023 and …