News

Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy has announced it met and exceeded its 2020 year-end fundraising goal. Donations surpassed the $40,000 goal, which triggered a matching challenge issued by former SWMLC board chair Dave Coleman. The goal, in fact, was exceeded by 44 percent. SWMLC’s Miko Dargitz said the agency last year was unable to hold regular events or workdays, but volunteers …

An arrest has been made for a Jackson resident who was charged with assault with intent to commit murder and felony firearm. State police said the investigation is the result of a shooting incident that occurred Jan. 5 in Calhoun County’s Albion Township. The investigation started when a witness discovered an unresponsive subject lying on the shoulder of D Drive …

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, Tuesday night issued the following statement on impeachment: “Today the President characterized his inflammatory rhetoric at last Wednesday’s rally as “totally appropriate,” and he expressed no regrets for last week’s violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. This sends exactly the wrong signal to those of us who support the very core of our democratic …

Michigan has banned the open carry of guns in the state Capitol a week after an armed mob rioted in the U.S. Capitol and following a protest in the statehouse last year. Moves to ban weapons at the statehouse have been pushed since April, when protesters opposed to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s COVID-19 restrictions, some armed with long rifles and other …

The city of Three Rivers recently received $6,000 to create outdoor weather strategies to help small businesses operate safely and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Tricia Meyer, executive director of Three Rivers Downtown Development Authority, said the items are to offer comfort and service to business patrons in Three Rivers. All items purchased through the grant have been received, including …

Members of the Constantine Village Council agreed to amend a medical-marijuana ordinance on the advice of attorney Catherine Kaufman. A list of changes to consider include expanding the definition of an enclosed locked facility to include outside grows; eliminating the requirement for a special-land-use permit for a primary caregiver in an industrial zone; eliminating details that include 1,000- square-foot separation …

In order to give third-grade students the opportunity to experience a taste of what they would have seen and heard at the 2020 St. Joseph County Grange Fair, MSU Extension staff and volunteers have produced a virtual version of the “Ag-Citing” tour. Although references are made to a few crops grown primarily in southwest Michigan, the majority of the content …

Glen Oaks Community College recently wrapped up its five-year, $2.25 million Strengthening Institutions Program using Title III grant money funded by the U. S. Department of Education. The grant’s objectives focused on three areas: improving student retention and completion; improving teaching and learning through faculty professional development; and improving institutional effectiveness. Significant investments made to modernize processes related to document …

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has announced the state will be moving to Phase 1B starting today. As a result, people 65 years of age and older, as well as frontline essential workers, are scheduled for the next round of vaccination. The latter group includes police officers, first responders, state and federal frontline workers, jail/prison staff, and …

A portion of a White Pigeon business was saved from a fire last week. Crews managed to protect the first floor of Jerry Kash Inc., 660 W. Chicago Road. Firefighters were called to the location at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday after a passerby saw smoke coming from a barn behind Kash’s front office building. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered heavy smoke and …