News

April’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by one-tenth of a percent from March. According to the monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, St. Joseph County’s unemployment rate fell from 3.5 percent in March to 3.4 percent in April. The rate was 5.2 percent 12 months earlier. Meanwhile, Cass County also experienced a …

St. Joseph County District Court Judge Jeff Middleton ordered safety-related improvements of a White Pigeon commercial building by the end of August. If such improvements are not completed by then, Middleton said there’s a chance he will order the demolition of the Tasty Nut Shop. The latest hearing on the fate of the historic building took place last week. A …

Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies are investigating a case of animal cruelty at a location in Calvin Township. Behnke said deputies responded to the 6000 block of Kessington Road, where several horses and dogs were found shot to death. A number of separate incidents have occurred over the past six weeks, he said. The agency is being assisted …

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency is now offering booster doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines for children ages 5-11 years who have completed their primary series at least 5 months ago. Pfizer-BioNTech is the only COVID-19 vaccine currently authorized for those ages. COVID-19 booster doses may be given at the same time as other vaccines. Health officer Rebecca Burns said vaccination …

Nottawa Community School Superintendent Jerome Wolff announced the district received the 2022 Michigan State Police School Safety Grant. Across the state, 336 schools applied for the competitive grant, he said. Nottawa was among the 150 schools to be selected. The district conducted a thorough needs assessment, an in-depth revision of its emergency-operation plan, and submitted a project proposal. Nottawa was …

A ceremonial ribbon cutting Wednesday celebrated the opening of a full-service medical clinic in Colon. Revolution Health, located at 121 E. Franklin St., opened a month ago. Wednesday’s fanfare was organized by the Colon Chamber of Commerce and its president, Mike Smoker. The clinic was started by Jade Klingler, a Sturgis High School alumna and doctor of general practice. She …

Constantine Public Schools has named Joseph Holloway as its new superintendent. The announcement was made Tuesday by the board of education. Holloway has served as the district’s curriculum director and M.T.S.S coordinator for two years. He was tasked with aligning the district curriculum, providing professional development for the staff and creating and overseeing the district’s COVID-19 return-to-school plan. Holloway replaces …

Michigan State Police troopers were dispatched to an area in Branch County to investigate a report of suspicious activity. Deputies responded at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday to the area of Copeland Road and Cades Cove Lane in Kinderhook Township. Troopers discovered an abandoned, 2000 Chevy Silverado pick-up that had been reported stolen from Steuben County, Indiana. They also located a utility …

Nikki Prichard was honored last week by the Sturgis Exchange Club with the 2022 Swihart Scholarship. The $1,000 allied health scholarship is geared toward Glen Oaks Community College students, and honors Stu and Lillian Swihart. Club members said Prichard, a Centreville resident, was an applicant with a lot of enthusiasm and passion. During last week’s presentation, guest speaker Bill Lederman, …

New coronavirus cases increased 5.6 percent in Michigan in the week ending May 22, as the state added nearly 30,000 cases. The previous week had more than 27,000 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19. St. Joseph County reported 52 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 55 cases and zero deaths. …