News

St. Joseph County’s November unemployment rate of 8.3 percent was its lowest in the first 11 months of 2011. The Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget Analysis report for November shows the county’s unemployment rate dropped from 8.9 percent in October. The analysis indicated retail sectors gearing up for seasonal end-of-the-year jobs played a significant role in the drop. …

Officers from the White Pigeon Police Department last week arrested a 20-year-old Detroit man who stole cell phones from separate residences while conducting door-to-door solicitations. Police said the man was among a group of three people Wednesday in White Pigeon attempting to peddle energy discounts through the company Just Energy. On two occasions when the man was allowed inside a …

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 …

Sturgis Police are investigating an armed robbery which occurred Sunday evening shortly after 7pm at the Admiral gas station on West Chicago Road. A white male wearing all black clothing entered the the gas station brandishing a large knife and demanded money. He fled the scene on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.

St. Joseph County officials this week signed off on a four-year, $1.2 million agreement involving a partnership with Kalamazoo-based Southwest Michigan Partnership. The agreement, reached Tuesday during the county commission’s first meeting of 2012, involves the seven-member commission, the St. Joseph County Economic Development Corporation and Southwest Michigan Partnership. As a result, SMP will assign three full-time employees to work …

The city of Sturgis has announced that recycling collection for homes on the north side of U.S. 12 will be today, one day later than usual. Due to the New Year’s holiday, Borden Waste-Away, the city’s recycling contractor, is off a day from its normal schedule. The regular schedule of Thursday pickup will resume starting next week, when curbside recycling …

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 …

Members of three city boards in Three Rivers will be expected to take training shortly after their appointment, Mayor Tom Lowry and city commissioners decided Tuesday. The training will be required of new members who join the city’s Historic Preservation Commission, the Planning Commission and the Board of Appeals. Lowry indicated recommendations made by the three panels are important and …

The duties of St. Joseph County treasurer will be assumed by chief deputy Vicky Anders, a three-member committee has decided. After an agreement with its first choice failed to materialize over salary, the St. Joseph County Statutory Appointment Committee decided Wednesday to leave the post vacant for the time being. Current treasurer Phyllis Bainbridge is retiring at the end of …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department has identified two men responsible for the theft of about $4,000 worth of electronic items and other merchandise at the Sturgis Walmart. Police said Sturgis resident Samuel Stidams, 31, and Matthew Stidams, 30, of Bronson, were arrested following a joint investigation between the Sturgis Department of Public Safety, and sheriff’s departments in St. Joseph …