News

February’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County, and its neighboring counties, was lower than the rate in January. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, which showed the county’s drop in unemployment, was released last week. St. Joseph County’s 5.2 percent unemployment rate for February was down from 5.8 percent the previous month. Meanwhile, …

Here’s the latest COVID-19 update from the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department. Agency officials said they are now administering Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson to all residents 18 years of age and older. Through last week, the department had administered in Cass County nearly 8,700 shots, which represents about one-fifth of the county’s population. Cumulative COVID-19 cases in Cass County …

The St. Joseph County Council for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect wishes to remind the public that April is Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect month. Typically, CA/N Council members plant pinwheel gardens throughout St. Joseph County. Due to COVID-related precautions, however, council members will provide buckets of pinwheels to anyone who would like to display them. In addition, …

A Three Rivers man was charged with receiving stolen firearms and accessory after-the-fact to a home invasion. State police officials said 39-year-old Alexander Zuchnik was arrested in March. He was arraigned March 25 and a preliminary court date of April 6 has been set. Authorities said four rifles were taken June last year from a residence on Shaffmaster Road in …

A Branch County residence was destroyed by fire this week. Bronson Fire officials said the department was called shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday to the 300 block of West Barnhart Road in Batavia Township. Chief Scott Wilber said a ranch house was ablaze when fire personnel arrived to the scene. He said windy conditions made battling the blaze difficult and, …

Concealed Pistol License applications to the county clerk’s office were at an eight-year high in 2020. St. Joseph County Clerk Lindsay Oswald shared various information with county commissioners during their executive committee meeting Wednesday, when she presented her annual report for the period covering 2019 and 2020. The number of CPL applications was one figure that stood out. In 2020, …

St. Joseph County commissioners appear to be in favor of honoring county clerk Lindsay Oswald’s request for an exemption to the county’s hiring freeze. Oswald told commissioners during their executive committee meeting Wednesday she is in need of a deputy clerk due to being short staffed. Furthermore, she said there’s a strong chance she’ll be down a staff member for …

The COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 has been identified in a Hillsdale County COVID-positive resident. The individual has been in isolation since initial diagnosis, according to health officer Rebecca Burns. Variant identification is learned after further testing of the initial specimen called sequencing. The COVID-19 virus, as expected with a coronavirus, has changed over the past year. The variant originated in the …

Permanently returning to in-person board meetings spurred a lengthy discussion during Wednesday’s St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners executive committee meeting. The board plans to meet in person Tuesday next week for the first time since last fall. In order to maintain the option of meeting electronically, however, commissioners must approve a state of emergency resolution. Such a measure gives …

Pfizer is expected to start building a new pharmaceutical production facility in Kalamazoo County. The drugmaker broke ground Wednesday on the multi-story, 420,000-square-foot building on Pfizer’s global manufacturing campus in Portage, MLive.com reported. It is expected to bring 450 new jobs to the area. The $465 million facility is expected to be in operation in 2025, according to Pfizer. The …