News

State Rep. Steve Carra recently introduced a plan to strengthen the rights of Michigan election challengers, and expand training for election officials and inspectors. Election challengers are appointed by political parties and other organizations interested in observing Michigan election processes. They ensure election laws are properly followed at polling places and absentee counting boards. House Bill 4963 would specify that …

Elena Breiter, the new director at Three Rivers Area Mentoring, said the agency is working on rebooting and updating programs in 2021. She said she is looking for volunteers interested in mentoring, or helping with a youth club or workshop. Breiter said TRAM is attempting to set up partnerships with other local organizations and small businesses to provide valuable resources …

Rebecca Burns, health officer for the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, passed along a reminder from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services regarding foam collecting along shorelines and at the edge of bodies of water such as rivers and streams. The foam should be left alone as it could contain unknown chemicals or bacteria. Shoreline foam often has …

A man accused of killing two neighbors in southwestern Michigan told police that he shot them because they were too loud, according to a court document. William Wolfe knocked at the apartment door and shot Virgil Walker, 49, and his wife, Kailey Walker, 30, “without warning,” a Kalamazoo County sheriff’s investigator said in an affidavit supporting murder charges last week. …

A three-month-long road project in Branch County’s largest community began on Monday. Michigan Department of Transportation officials said a 2.2-mile stretch of U.S.12 in the city of Coldwater will be resurfaced. The construction zone will stretch from Western Avenue to Michigan Avenue. According to MDOT, the $1.4 million investment includes sanitary sewer repairs, sidewalk ramp upgrades and pavement markings. There …

A number of items were stolen during a breaking-and-entering incident last week in Constantine Township. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said deputies were called Thursday to the 66000 block of Constantine Road in response to a breaking and entering. Deputies said suspects gained entry to a building on the property by breaking the door handle and prying open the door. Once inside, …

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency has issued a reminder that weekly curbside COVID-19 testing will continue through June. The screenings are free and the only requirement is a photo ID. They take place 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursdays at the Coldwater branch, 570 Marshall Road, and 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Fridays at the Three Rivers office, 1110 …

A northern Indiana man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty for his role in the 2019 torture-slaying of a woman whose body was dumped in southern Michigan. An Elkhart County judge who sentenced Matthew Murzynski on Thursday ordered that the Elkhart man be incarcerated, for his own safety, in a different prison from two other …

Michigan State Police troopers are investigating a larceny from a motor vehicle that occurred around 5 p.m. Wednesday in Nottawa Township. The victim was mowing a field adjacent to Nottawa Road, near Wasepi Road. Authorities said the victim had parked her car at the edge of the field while her 13- and 11-year-old sons remained inside the vehicle. The suspect …

Three Rivers Community Schools Superintendent Ron Moag recently discussed progress of work related to renovations at some of the district’s schools. In the wake of a voter-approved bond request in November 2019, work has started at Hoppin Elementary School and Three Rivers High School, and will eventually include Park, Andrews and Norton elementary schools. The request will generate $61.2 million …