News

An effort to lock certain voting rights in the Michigan Constitution has taken a major step toward the fall ballot, eclipsing a rival campaign led by Republicans to limit absentee voting and add other restrictions. Promote The Vote, a coalition of 27 groups, submitted nearly 670,000 signatures Monday. While the signatures still must be validated by election officials, the petitions …

Michigan reported more than 13,000 new cases of coronavirus in the week ending Sunday, down 8.7 percent from the previous week. The previous week had more than 14,300 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19. St. Joseph County reported 37 cases and no deaths in the latest weekly period. A week earlier, it had reported 59 cases and zero …

Production of baby formula has resumed at the Sturgis Abbott Nutrition factory, whose February shutdown over contamination contributed to a national shortage. Damage from severe thunderstorms, including flooding, had forced the North Centerville Road plant to halt operations in mid-June, just two weeks after restarting production that included additional sanitizing and safety protocols. Production of EleCare, a specialty formula for …

A Three Rivers man was injured in an accident that occurred last week in Park Township. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said deputies were called around 6 a.m. Friday to Moorepark Road, near Stevens Lane. Investigators said the vehicle was being driven east on Moorepark Road, where the Nissan SUV went off the right edge of the roadway, its driver overcorrected and …

Dan’s Fish Fry will host an all-you-can-eat fish and chicken tenders meal, with proceeds benefiting the Three Rivers Promise. The event will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 19 at the Three Rivers Lions Club, 420 6th Ave. Tickets purchased in advance are $12 for adults and $6 for kids. Cost is $1 more the day of at the …

Abortion rights are poised to come before Michigan voters in November after an abortion rights campaign turned in a record-breaking number of signatures Monday for a ballot initiative to the secretary of state’s office. The effort will further increase attention on Michigan’s elections, where the battleground state’s Democratic governor and attorney general have made abortion rights a centerpiece of their reelection …

A Three Rivers-based company provided a notable boost to the Three Rivers Promise last week. Kadant Johnson pledged $50,000 to the scholarship program. In addition, company officials said Kadant Johnson will match all corporate donations, up to an additional $50,000. Meanwhile, the company is inviting its employees to donate to the Promise with the guarantee of a matching donation. Company …

The Constantine Village Council last week approved a contract with the Southcentral Michigan Planning Council to serve as consultants to update the village’s Master Plan. A Master Plan is a document and policy guide designed to help communities create a vision of what they want to look like in the future. The update is expected to take around five months …

A police pursuit earlier this month ended with the arrest of two people on a number of drug-related charges. The Sturgis Department of Public Safety said officers shortly before 8 p.m. July 1 saw a stolen vehicle being driving north on North Nottawa Street near Memorial Drive. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle but its driver continued north on M-66 …

State police troopers are investigating the theft of several travel trailers from storage yards around White Pigeon. The new trailers were taken from three storage yards in White Pigeon Township. One was located in the 69000 block of Sevison Road, another in the 69000 block of U.S. 131 and the other in the 68000 block of Bellows Road. In all, …