News

Two area health centers have received Michigan CARES supplemental funding awards. CARES, an acronym for Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Securities, is a federally funded source. Nearly $40 million in total was delegated to 39 health centers in Michigan. Locally, nearly $540,000 was bestowed to Covered Bridge Healthcare of St. Joseph County. Meanwhile, Lakeland Immediate Care Center in Cassopolis was …

Connie Pagels, a longtime 4-H leader who died in January, recently received an “Outstanding Community Service” award from Sturgis City Commission members. Daughters Diana Yeager and Pamela Keeslar accepted the award. Pagels became a 4- H leader in 1969 and in 1983 was asked to be the first superintendent for the dog care and training program, a role she held …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday said the state is working with major retailers to open more drive-thru sites to test as many as 1,000 people a day for the coronavirus, especially people who don’t have symptoms but still are required to work outside their home. “Robust testing is essential to have confidence about our strategies for safely reducing risk and …

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday compared the fight against the cornonavirus to the sacrifice needed during World War II, criticizing protesters who flocked to the Michigan Capitol last week to denounce her weeks long restrictions against work and gatherings. “President Trump called this a war and it is exactly that. So let’s act like it,” Whitmer, a Democrat, said. …

Six candidates will be interviewed later this month for the position of Constantine Public Schools superintendent. Interim Superintendent John Jarpe said the six were chosen from a pool of about 20 applicants during closed session of the district’s board of education meeting Thursday. The meeting was conducted via remote teleconference. Candidates being interviewed April 29 are: Scott Bojanich, director of …

A dozen small businesses and nonprofits around Michigan, including a Sturgis-based company, have been awarded a total of $1 million through the Pure Michigan Business Connect COVID-19 Emergency Access and Retooling Grants program. Recipients were announced last week by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which is providing funds to small manufacturers looking to retool and produce critical health and human …

After a two-week shutdown on the U.S. 131 redevelopment project in Three Rivers, crews will return to the construction site today to continue the job, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. Concerns related to the coronavirus prompted the two-week hiatus, though state officials said weather delays would have resulted in a few lost days over the period. With the …

An armed robbery was reported Saturday night at about 9:30 at Northside Beverage, located at 135 North Main Street in Three Rivers. Police say the suspect entered the store while the clerk was in the back office. The suspect went behind the counter and grabbed alcohol and cigarettes, and emptied the cash register. As the clerk came from the back, …

Michigan’s governor said Sunday she was eager to loosen businesses restrictions while also avoiding new flareups of the coronavirus illness that has killed more than 2,300 people in the state. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said a lack of virus testing supplies is delaying such steps but maintains most residents support her actions despite a protest drawing thousands of people to the Michigan Capitol this past …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Friday that she hopes to begin gradually reopening Michigan’s economy on May 1 after weeks of a strict stay-at-home order during the coronavirus crisis that has crippled businesses and caused more than 1 million unemployed people to seek aid. Meanwhile, the number of new virus cases statewide rose 2%, a much slower pace. In Detroit, where nearly 600 …