News

Area police agencies and their personnel were saluted during a special ceremony Saturday. Nearly 200 people attended “Back the Blue,” a first-of-its-kind event in St. Joseph County organized by a member of the White Pigeon Police Department. It took place outside Riverside Church in Three Rivers. Ashley Zimmer, a sergeant with the White Pigeon agency, said the idea for “Back …

A new service offered through Three Rivers Health begins operation today. “New Vision,” which provides drug and alcohol medical-stabilization service, is a process to manage withdrawal through the use of medication under the care of nurses and doctors. It is available to anyone 18 years of age and older who is misusing certain substances, including opiates, alcohol, illegal drugs and …

A situation Thursday involving an armed person in the 500 block of South Clay Street in Sturgis was resolved peacefully. Police were dispatched shortly after 2 p.m. following a report of an armed person who was barricaded inside a home. According to a department media release, officers were able to make contact by phone and convince the person to leave …

Three people were arrested last week in Sherman Township as part of a drug-conspiracy case. A handgun, a large amount of money and more than five pounds of methamphetamine were confiscated, authorities said. Michigan State Police located and arrested the three people while the suspects were in a suspected drug transaction. The suspects are a Sturgis man in his 50s, …

Centreville Public Schools Superintendent Stephanie Lemmer said the district on Friday was informed a junior/senior high student was confirmed positive for COVID-19. According to the district’s Facebook page, Lemmer said the student will be isolated and those within close contact will be quarantined for 14 days. Close contact is defined as someone who has been within six feet for 15 …

Sheriff’s deputies responded to a three-vehicle collision last week in Lockport Township. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said deputies were called at 2:20 p.m. Thursday to Buckhorn Road, near Arizona Boulevard, in response to a multi-vehicle crash. Authorities said a GMC pickup, driven by a 25-year-old Three Rivers man, was southbound on Buckhorn Road and the driver apparently did not see a …

State Rep. Aaron Miller joined the Michigan House of Representatives in approving its plan for the state’s Fiscal Year 2021 K-12 budget. Miller, who chairs the House committee overseeing the state’s K-12 budget, said despite the tight budget year the state faces in the wake of COVID-19’s economic impact, there will be no cuts to the education budget. Every program …

The city of Sturgis and Beckett & Raeder will be honored with the 2020 “Planning Excellence Award for Public Outreach” for the Sturgis community master plan. When updating the city’s master plan, Sturgis officials embarked on what was called an ambitious and many-pronged public outreach program. The city’s demographics had changed considerably over the past decade and there was consensus …

A Kalamazoo pastor who has criticized police over their handling of protests has lost his seat on a community police review board. Members of the Citizens Public Safety Review and Appeal Board must be “impartial and perform their duties without bias,” City Manager Jim Ritsema said. The Rev. Nathan Dannison’s service won’t be extended when his term ends next week. …

The village of Constantine is one of nearly a dozen Michigan communities to receive a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to modernize rural drinking water and wastewater infrastructure across 28 states. Constantine plans to use a $13.3 million loan to recommission its water treatment facility. Michigan communities are receiving a combined $32 million in loans and about $3.7 …