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Mike Rasmussen has been named athletic director at Glen Oaks Community College. Rasmussen comes from Colon Jr./Sr. High School, where he served as its principal. He previously was employed by White Pigeon Community Schools. Rasmussen graduated with an associate’s degree in 2001 from Glen Oaks and was selected as the President’s Award recipient.

Sheriff Mark A. Lillywhite and deputies are requesting the public’s assistance in identifying the driver of a blue sport bike. The agency’s interest stems from a pursuit on Fawn River Road around 10 a.m. Friday, Lillywhite said.

St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners last week agreed to exemptions to the county’s hiring freeze for one position at district court, and five spots with the sheriff’s department. Tabitha Wedge, District Court administrator/magistrate, was given approval to fill the position of deputy clerk for the court’s civil division. Meanwhile, undersheriff Jason Bingaman was authorized to fill five positions within …

Rebecca Burns, health officer for the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, spoke about COVID-19 and immunizations during her annual presentation to St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday. She said the agency administered about 40 COVID-19 immunizations at Project Connect, which took place earlier the same day. She said 40 may sound like a small number but in her …

Michigan State Police troopers are investigating a hit-and-run collision involving a pickup and Mitsubishi passenger car Tuesday in Calhoun County’s Athens Township. Troopers said the incident occurred shortly after 10:30 p.m. on M-66, near 3 1/2 Mile Road. Both vehicles were travelling northbound when the driver of the car aggressively braked, causing the pickup to rear-end the passenger car, authorities …

The former Burger King property in Sturgis will soon be cleared of its overgrowth. Great Lakes Landscaping has been retained by the property’s new ownership for cleanup, Sturgis Township officials said Wednesday. Within the past few weeks, residents and township officials had expressed concern about the appearance of the lot. A noxious-weed notice had been placed on the front door …

A key figure with the local health department said it will recommend, but probably not mandate, that school districts adopt universal masking in grades K-12 when classes resume for the 2021-22 academic year. Rebecca Burns, health officer for the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, appeared Tuesday before St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. Burns provided her annual report for 2020, …

The YMCA of Greater Michiana Board of Directors has announced a partnership with Benton Harbor-based Abonmarche Consultants to develop a facility master plan for the Y’s Camp Eberhart in Fabius Township. Mark Weber, CEO of YMCA of Greater Michiana, said many old and historic buildings on Camp Eberhart’s property need to be preserved and renovated. Weber said there is a …

Michigan’s weekly number of people getting an initial COVID-19 shot rose for the third straight week after having consistently dropped for two months. The increase coincided with the spread of the delta variant — the most contagious coronavirus mutant yet — and a $5 million state sweepstakes designed to incentivize vaccinations. There were about 41,000 first-dose immunizations last week, the most since …

A Sturgis woman was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution for embezzling more than $180,000 from a Three Rivers real estate company. Jill Schmidt, 46, will be on probation two years for embezzling more than $183,000 from her former employer, REMAX Elite Group, where she had worked for 14 years. She was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Paul …