News

If your TV seems calmer today, you’re right, and its not just because the political ad season is over. Just a month after viewers got a respite from screaming political ads, they’re getting a break from screaming ads of any kind. A new law called CALM went into effect Thursday that mandates no commercial can be louder than the programming itself. …

Glen Oaks Community College is one of four Kalamazoo-area junior colleges to reach a reverse-transfer agreement with Western Michigan University. Signed earlier this month, the arrangement allows students who obtain credits at Glen Oaks and Western to combine credits from both schools and apply them toward an associate’s degree. In most cases, the agreement will benefit students who attend one …

A St. Joseph County department head was suspended for a day without pay over a hunting-related incident last month. John Pence, parks and recreation director, served the one-day suspension Nov. 21 after it was discovered he gave permission for a party of four to hunt at Cade Lake County Park. The hunters were found on the 52-acre, county-owned parcel after …

A 17-year member of the Three Rivers Community Schools Board of Education was recognized this week for his longevity to the seven-member board. John Rentfrow was issued a gift card and many thanks from board members. Rentfrow chose to not seek re-election last month and will be replaced by Carl Barth during the board’s January meeting.

Numerous windows in a house in the 100 block of Pleasant Street in Sturgis were shattered around 10 a.m. Wednesday. Officers from the Sturgis Police Department are investigating the matter. The homeowner, meanwhile, is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible for causing the damage.

A longtime employee of the Three Rivers Public Library has been named director of the Colon Township Library. Dave Stewart, a native of Peoria, Ill., started the job in late September following nine years of employment with the facility in Three Rivers. The 31-year-old Stewart, who remains a Three Rivers resident, replaces Patti Miller, who retired in the fall. Stewart, …

Constantine Board of Education members will stage a special meeting next week to review policies and procedures stemming from the recent investigation of sexual conduct demonstrated by a pair of 5-year-old boys. Set for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday next week at the high school library, the parents-only meeting will include a look at policies such as the paid, temporary suspension of …

The Centreville Downtown Development Authority recently oversaw the completion of a village-wide improvement focusing on new street signs. All 65 intersections in the village now have blue and yellow signs that feature the school district’s bulldog logo. The highly reflective, new signs replace the black-and-white signs that had been in place for more than 40 years. The cost for the …

Two unrelated theft incidents are being investigated by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department. According to a department media release, investigators were called to a report of the theft of two Bushnell trail cameras from the 51000 block of McClish Road in Mendon Township. The cameras were located in a wooded area east of McClish Road and were taken sometime …

The Sturgis City Commission recently approved the five-year renewal of its curbside recycling with an Indiana-based company. The arrangement with Borden Waste-Away of Elkhart continues an agreement reached in 2008 and it maintains the $1.92-per-household unit price. The city pays for the curbside recycling program with a state-authorized surcharge of $2 per month, collected annually on the summer tax bill. …