News

Hundreds of people spent the holiday in swimsuits but no masks at a lake in southwestern Michigan, a turnout that disappointed authorities who warn that the coronavirus remains a threat. The virus “doesn’t discriminate,” said Danielle Persky of the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department. “The goal right now is to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and when we’re not doing …

A man was fatally struck by a boat while swimming in a western Michigan lake over the weekend, police said. The man was hit Sunday afternoon on Gull Lake near Kalamazoo. The man was brought to shore for lifesaving measures but was pronounced dead from his injuries at the scene, according to the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office. The boat operator …

A three-month road-surfacing project in the village of Centreville gets underway this week. According to Michigan Department of Transportation, eight-tenths of a mile of Main Street will be resurfaced. The work begins Tuesday at Nottawa Street intersection and continues west to the village limits. The $385,000 project involves asphalt resurfacing, sidewalk ramp upgrades, new signs and pavement markings. MDOT says …

Officials from the Branch County Fair have announced the 2020 fair has been canceled. Jan Murphy, fair manager, said cancellation was done in the best interest of the health and safety of everyone. The Coldwater-based event had been set for Aug. 9-15. Waiting any longer to make the decision would be potentially more damaging to youth summer projects and fair …

A storage shed was recently donated to St. Joseph County Animal Control. Through the fundraising efforts of the county’s Animal Control Advisory Board, a 20-by-30-foot shed was recently presented to the agency. It will be used to store food and supplies necessary for daily operations. It will also store overflow of additional transport kennels for neglect and hoarding cases. Sheriff …

After considerable debate, the village of Constantine is going forward with its Fourth of July fireworks display. Municipal officials said the annual parade, however, will not take place. Village attorney Howard Bush rendered an opinion, concluding that a fireworks event can be accomplished without violating any of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s orders. The fireworks display will take place at the usual …

The villages of Colon and Schoolcraft have canceled their fireworks and Fourth of July festivities this year. In Colon, however, a longstanding tradition will continue this weekend. The 14th annual “Palmer Lake Flotilla” is set to take place at 6 p.m. Saturday. Rain date is 1 p.m. Sunday. Seasonal resident Tim Taylor has served as coordinator and commodore of the …

St. Joseph County Road Commission assistant manager/engineer Garrett Myland said the Nottawa Road bridge superstructure replacement has been selected for Michigan Department of Transportation’s bridge-bundling project. Under that arrangement, through which MDOT awards all work on the selected bridges to one contractor, construction and design portions of the Nottawa Road bridge project will be completed at no cost to the …

Sturgis Township treasurer Zeta Metzger said according to Michigan Department of Treasury estimates, constitutional revenue-sharing payments from the state will decrease in the near future. For the remainder of the fiscal year, the bimonthly payments likely will dip from the mid-$30,000s to $24,000 in August and the next year’s payments between $28,000 and $31,000. Supervisor George Morse said that in …

A toll road maintenance worker has died after being struck by an SUV in northern Indiana. Ronald Smith, age 61, was in front of his truck about 1:50 p.m. Thursday sweeping debris from the right shoulder of the toll road in St. Joseph County when the SUV sideswiped the truck and hit him, according to state police. The SUV then …