News

Here’s a reminder that COVID-19 vaccine appointments are posted to the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency at 9 a.m. every Monday. Agency officials said the public is also welcome to check the website’s appointment schedule throughout the week in case any appointments are posted due to cancellation. People currently eligible for immunizations include healthcare workers, long-term care workers and residents …

A Cassopolis man was pulled from a Marcellus Township lake after he fell through ice over the weekend. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday to Saddlebag Lake, where 58-year-old Ronald First was submerged in the water and unable to lift himself onto the ice. Rescue personnel were successful in pulling First from the water …

Members of the Three Rivers Library Board turned down a Park Township offer regarding library services. Unless an agreement between the two entities is reached, the current contract will expire next week. Library officials met Wednesday and its members opted to not accept a $15,000-a-year counteroffer they received from township officials. If an agreement is not reached before March 19, …

The force of a house explosion in Three Rivers over the weekend was felt throughout the area, according to fire officials. Three Rivers fire chief Jeff Bloomfield said the incident occurred around 8 p.m. Saturday at 521 N. Douglas Ave.  Following the explosion, the residence was on fire, and the fire spread to a neighboring residence. Fire personnel managed to …

A Michigan woman who was 114 years old has died. Ellen Goodwill was considered to be Michigan’s oldest resident, the Battle Creek Enquirer reported, citing the Gerontology Research Group, which keeps track of supercentenarians who reach 110. Goodwill, who lived at Advantage Living Center in Battle Creek, died Tuesday, according to a friend, Sharon Miller. She celebrated a birthday on Feb. …

Frank J. Kelley, affectionately called the “eternal general” for his 37 years as Michigan’s longest-serving attorney general, has died at age 96, his family said Saturday. Kelley, a Democrat, served from 1961 to 1999, winning statewide election 10 times. He moved to Naples, Florida, in 2020 and died Friday night, spokesman Chris De Witt said. Kelley was state government’s top …

St. Joseph County E-911 Central Dispatch has announced the monthly weather siren tests for 2021 will begin Saturday. Director Dennis Brandenburg said the emergency sirens will be activated simultaneously countywide at 12:05 p.m. Brandenburg explained after the test, every fire department in the county will be surveyed to confirm its members heard the sirens and if the sirens rotated properly. …

The city of Sturgis is offering a Styrofoam recycling collection this weekend. Co-sponsored by Dart Container Corporation, the collection starts at 9 a.m. and concludes at noon Saturday. It will take place at Sturgis Department of Public Services, located on North Centerville Road. Any form of polystyrene foam will be accepted. This includes take-out containers, egg cartons, cups, foam ice …

State police troopers are investigating a motor-vehicle theft that occurred earlier this week in Sturgis Township. According to a department media release, troopers were called Thursday to a trailer park in the 25000 block of U.S. 12 in response to a stolen vehicle. The victim told authorities the theft occurred between 6:20 and 6:40 a.m. The vehicle in question is …

St. Joseph County commissioners approved reappointing three people to the county’s Agriculture Preservation Board. During their board meeting Tuesday, commissioners agreed to reappoint Carolyn Grace, Henry Miller and commissioner Dan Czajkowski. The terms for Grace, who represents the county’s conservation district, and Miller, representing the field of agriculture, are three years each. Czajkowski’s is for one year.