News

Here’s a reminder from St. Joseph County United Way regarding an event it is hosting next month. The Centreville-based agency is reaching its allocation of tickets for the 13th Mega Raffle. Event organizers said tickets are $100 each, and 26 of the 330 tickets will pay out at least $100. Top prize is $5,000. Meanwhile, additional prizes of $1,000, $2,000, …

Michigan Department of Transportation officials said a sinkhole on a state route between Colon and Coldwater has forced agency officials to close a stretch of the roadway. M-86 is closed between Batavia Road and U.S. 12 until further notice, the Branch County Sheriff’s Department said. The highway remained closed Wednesday as road officials worked to replace and repair the section …

Organizers behind the twice-a-year household hazardous waste collection and electronics recycling are urging the public to start setting aside items for next month’s event. Staged at the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds, the fall collection takes place 2 to 6 p.m. Oct. 2. Organizers wish to note this falls on a Wednesday, not a weekend. The collection will allow residents to …

The third of three annual roadside cleanup events in Michigan begins later this month. Between Sept. 21 and 29, volunteers will fan out across lower Michigan to give state highway roadsides their final cleaning of 2024. The Adopt-A-Highway program began in Michigan in 1990. Today, around 2,900 groups have adopted more than 6,000 miles of state highway. In a typical …

After announcing it was temporarily discontinuing its non-stop service between Kalamazoo and Orlando, Avelo Airlines has decided to discontinue its presence at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport. Airport director Craig Williams said the airline’s last flight between Kalamazoo and the Orlando area was April 8. He said no flights were canceled, as Avelo simply made tickets available through April 8 and …

Here’s a look at September’s Fresh Food Distributions in St. Joseph County. Seventh-Day Adventist Church, east of Centreville on M-86, hosts the first distribution. It starts at 4 p.m. Sept. 10. Meanwhile, First Presbyterian Church on Lakeview Avenue in Sturgis will oversee the following distribution. It is scheduled for 4 p.m. Sept. 12. Railroad Park in Burr Oak hosts the …

A deer infected by Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease was recently found dead in St. Joseph County. Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Chad Fedewa said EHD has been in Michigan for about a decade and has now been detected in the Three Rivers area. The EHD virus is passed to deer through a fly bite. Fedewa said the virus this year showed …

Electric, water and sewer rates in Sturgis are set to increase starting next month. City Controller Holly Keyser told Sturgis City Commission members she recommends an electricity rate increase of 4.9 percent. Meanwhile, Keyser suggested water and wastewater rates increase 6.9 percent. The increases are equal to rate hikes approved last year. Keyser says the rate increase for the electric …

The Old Popcorn Stand, a Three Rivers icon, is expected to be phased out but revitalized with a more modern replacement. During discussion last month, Three Rivers City Commission members agreed to the development of a new popcorn stand in Scidmore Park. The task is to be overseen by Centreville-based Pivotal, formerly Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services of …

A 38-year-old Cass County man was arrested last week on drug- and weapons-related charges. Sheriff Richard Behnke said the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team executed a search warrant Friday in the 19000 block of State Line Road in Mason Township. While searching the residence, detectives found meth, meth paraphernalia and a firearm. The suspect faces charges of possession of meth …