News

A partnership involving Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Arbor Day Foundation has declared a St. Joseph County community a “Tree City USA” honoree for 2020. The city of Sturgis was announced as one of 124 Michigan communities to receive the honor. The certification is for work accomplished during 2020. All recipients will receive their reward by the end …

The staff at Eickhoff Funeral Home want the citizens of St. Joseph County to be aware, that beginning in April, families that experienced the death of a loved one due to COVID-19 may be eligible for up to $9,000 in funeral assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Two pieces of legislation recently passed by Congress – the Coronavirus …

The third of a three-phase construction process began last week at Centreville Public Schools. Superintendent Stephanie Lemmer said the work started Friday and the scope of work will be broad and impact both of the district’s two buildings. By a 3-to-2 margin, voters in the 750-student district approved a November 2013, $12.8 million request to finance a variety of improvements …

Spring leaf and brush pickup in the city of Sturgis starts this week. Municipal officials said leaves and brush should be piled in the terrace area and not in the street. The city’s compost site opened last week and is open limited hours to the public Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency has announced the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 has been identified in a Branch County COVID-positive resident. The individual has been in isolation since initial COVID-19 diagnosis. Variant identification was learned after further testing of the initial specimen called “sequencing,” according to agency health officer Rebecca Burns. All three counties in the tri-county area have now …

The Farm Bureau Family of Companies has announced a $100,000 pledge to benefit Michigan State University’s Project RAISE (Raise for Agriculture Industries, Shows and Education), an initiative to expand the university’s Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education. MSU has proposed a $4 million, 40,000-square-foot expansion through Project RAISE to increase capacity and meet the future needs of Michigan’s agricultural community. The expansion will provide a second indoor arena allowing concurrent events, increased animal housing, …

All people ages 16 and older in Michigan became eligible for COVID-19 vaccines on Monday, as the state passed the halfway point in its goal of inoculating 70% of that population by year’s end. More than 36% of roughly 8.1 million residents had received at least one shot as of Sunday, a share that has tripled in two months. Federal …

A Kalamazoo man was arrested last week after he led authorities on a pursuit that ended in the city of Three Rivers. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said deputies became involved in the pursuit shortly after 6 a.m. Friday. The vehicle, a Ford passenger car, was observed speeding as it was traveling north on Lutz Road, near Fairchild Road. Deputies attempted to …

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 …