News

A notable increase in vandalism has prompted St. Joseph County Parks and Recreation officials to beef up security at many of its parks. Agency director Jaymes MacDonald said the situation has been ongoing for more than a year but spiked in recent months. So much so, in fact, MacDonald has had to pull money from his budget to secure high-resolution …

A Three Rivers-area resident has been recommended to serve on a county board. During their executive committee meeting Wednesday, county commissioners appeared to support the appointment of Elizabeth Roberts to the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Board of St. Joseph County. Roberts, a South Fisher Lake Road resident in Lockport Township, was tapped to replace a board member …

Stephen Todd was nominated by the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency and Area Agency on Aging for the “Michigan Aging & Adult Services Agency’s 2021 Senior Citizen of the Year” award. The award is given to an older adult whose community has been enhanced through their active engagement, volunteerism and selfless acts of service to others. They are often the …

Zac Weckel has been named information and referral specialist for Disability Network of Southwest Michigan. Weckel said he has the important goal of reaching as many people as possible in order to serve individuals with disabilities and their families. He said the agency’s services include information and referral, independent living, transitions, peer support, and education and advocacy. It serves people with …

Justin Wickey, second ward commissioner for the city of Sturgis, plans to step down from his seat in October. Wickey, a local pastor, is increasingly dedicating his time to a church project in Coldwater, he said. At the conclusion of a recent Sturgis City Commission meeting, Wickey said he has loved serving as a city commission member and will miss …

A Sturgis woman was injured after she was involved in a two-vehicle collision last week in Sturgis Township. Sheriff’s deputies were called shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday to the intersection of M-66 and Bogen Road. Investigators said an SUV driven by 53-year-old Nannette Schroeder struck the rear of a truck driven by Daniel Haney, 26, of LaGrange. Authorities said Haney’s …

Last weekend’s Art on the Green at Island Hills Golf Club was postponed due to inclement weather Saturday. Event organizer Shireen Cline said a forecast calling for strong storms warranted the delay. Cline said she had more than a dozen vendors lined up for what would have been the 9th Art on the Green and hopes all will return. A …

May’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County increased by one percent from April. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget was released last week. It showed St. Joseph County’s unemployment rate rose from 4.6 percent in April to 5.6 percent in May. The rate was 18.8 percent a year earlier, as May 2020 marked …

The Sturgis fireworks presentation originally scheduled to take place over the weekend has been moved to August. Sturgis City Commission members made the decision a few days before what would have been the city’s fireworks display Saturday. What proved to be a correct prediction of extreme weather Saturday prompted municipal officials to postpone the presentation. The fireworks display will now …

Eight cases of the COVID-19 Delta variant, four in Branch County and four in St. Joseph County, have been confirmed to the community health agency. Rebecca Burns, health officer for Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Health Agency, told the board last week there is some tie-in. The four cases in St. Joseph County live in the same household, Burns said, explaining the original …