News

Schoolcraft municipal officials have decided to pull the plug on this year’s Fourth of July parade. The decision was made last week, as village officials conceded not enough law-enforcement officials are available to assist with overseeing the procession. Schoolcraft leaders said about two dozen police representatives are needed to safely conduct the parade, but those numbers simply weren’t materializing. In …

May’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County increased by more than half a percent from April. Figures from the monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget show St. Joseph County’s unemployment rate rose from 5 percent in April to 5.7 percent in May. The county’s May rate from a year earlier was 4.7 percent. Meanwhile, …

Michigan Department of Transportation is set to resume work on U.S. 12 in Sturgis. After a pause last week for Sturgisfest, MDOT and Lakeland Asphalt plans to continue paving at the east end of the project area. Single-lane closures will continue through the duration of the $1.8 million project. MDOT officials said the project is expected to wrap up by …

St. Joseph County United Way is starting to focus on its Silent Auction, a popular attraction at the St. Joseph County Grange Fair. Event organizers said popular items typically include bikes, tents, gift cards, home décor, kids toys, and patio and home furniture. Financial donations are also welcome. Any individual, business or organization wishing to contribute items to the auction …

Sturgis Department of Public Safety responded to two different fires within the past week. According to a department media release, fire officials were called at 8:30 p.m. June 21 to the 700 block of Friar Tuck Drive to a residence on fire. Heavy smoke was coming from the garage extending into the single-story home when firefighters arrived. Damage was kept …

St. Joseph County United Way is seeking the public’s help for donations to fill back-to-school backpacks. Backpacks will include school supplies and be distributed July 25th at Sturgis Walmart. Donations will be accepted up through the day of distribution. Items can be dropped off in advance at the Centreville-based agency. Financial donations will go toward the purchase of backpacks and …

Vicksburg Village Council members plan to look at the feasibility of a municipal-wide, single waste-service provider. Village President Tim Frisbie said he likes the idea of choosing his own waste hauler, though he conceded village streets take a beating with several garbage trucks operated by different companies making their rounds weekly. Council member Ryan Wagner offered to spearhead the issue. …

More than a hundred people took part in a rally bringing awareness to an impasse in contract negotiations between nurses from Three Rivers Beacon Health and Beacon executives. For more than an hour Tuesday afternoon, members of Michigan Nurses Association, and their family members and supporters, staged an informational picket outside the West Broadway Street facility. About 75 nurses at …

Few additional details have been provided regarding a one-car crash that left a 13-year-old Centreville girl dead last weekend in Nottawa Township Michigan State Police investigators are still working on the case. Per agency policy, however, names of the people involved will not be released. The suspect is a 19-year-old Three Rivers woman who was behind the wheel of a …

Part of the U.S. 131 business route near Kalamazoo will be closed to traffic this weekend. According to the Kalamazoo Gazette, the ramp connecting southbound U.S. 131 to the business route will close from 7 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon Saturday, said Michigan Department of Transportation spokesperson Nick Schirripa. Crews will be installing beams for a new …