News

Michigan’s minimum wage will rise by 22 cents to $9.87 an hour on January 1st. State law requires annual increases in the wage until it reaches $12.05 in a decade. The 22-cent raise was supposed to occur in 2021 but was automatically delayed because of high unemployment early in the coronavirus pandemic. The state announced this past week that the …

Three Rivers Health CEO Dave Shannon issued a message Thursday detailing the hospital and COVID-19. Shannon said nearly every hospital in the region is at or has exceeded patient capacity. The majority of the patients have not been vaccinated against COVID-19. He said the situation has the potential to result in longer-than-usual waits for emergency care, prolonged stays in the …

Two Constantine Township residents were arrested after sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at their residence. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said deputies responded Nov. 24 to the 65000 block of Maple Road after receiving a tip about items stolen from a Bristol, Ind., business. During their search, deputies also located and seized several firearms, two of which had been reported stolen, …

Glen Oaks Community College announced it has adjusted the hours of its weekly COVID-19 clinics. School officials said the Tuesday clinic times are now 9 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m. The college is able to conduct both rapid and PCR covid testing. The service is free of charge.

A third 22-member medical team from the U.S. military is being deployed to Michigan, where hospitals are grappling with record-high COVID-19 patients amid the state’s fourth surge of infections. The nurses, doctors and respiratory therapists will assist Covenant Healthcare in Saginaw starting Dec. 12, the state health department said Thursday. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called it “much-needed relief.” Two other 22-member …

Democrats vowed Wednesday to push new gun-control legislation and to try to revive stalled bills in Michigan’s Republican-led Legislature following a mass shooting that left four high school students dead and others with serious injuries. But GOP leaders, who have long opposed such measures and have favored looser restrictions, did not immediately commit to policy changes. “We can’t do nothing,” Sen. Rosemary …

Michigan reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Nov. 28, while St. Joseph County reported 265 cases and four deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, St. Joseph County had reported 408 cases and six deaths. Throughout the pandemic St. Joseph County has reported 9,687 cases and 132 deaths. Within Michigan, the highest number of cases on …

A structural engineer said one of the oldest buildings in St. Joseph County is beyond repair and, out of safety-related concerns, should be razed. Members of the White Pigeon Village Council assembled Wednesday during a special meeting to hear a report from Mark Wilson, representing Elkhart-based engineering firm Jones Petrie Rafinski. His 45-minute presentation centered on the buildings at 100 …

State Rep. Steve Carra announced he is drafting legislation to allow schools to maintain lockboxes for teachers to secure personal weapons in case of an attack. Carra said his plan would allow faculty and staff – for the purpose of protecting students and others from imminent and malicious harm – to store lawfully owned firearms or tasers in a secure …

A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder and terrorism for a shooting that killed four fellow students and injured others at a Michigan high school. Authorities on Wednesday revealed that his parents were summoned just a few hours before the bloodshed. No motive was offered by Oakland County authorities, a day after violence at Oxford High School. But sheriff’s …