News

Michigan would become the fifth state to require that egg-laying hens be housed in cage-free areas under legislation approved by the state House and backed as aligning farms with where the industry is headed. The main bill is part of a broader update of the state’s animal industry law. The measure would change and delay confinement standards for hens. Each …

St. Joseph County Sheriff Brad Balk announced Tuesday he will retire at the end of January. Balk, 65, said his last day will be Jan. 31, 11 months before the end of his four-year elected term. Sheriff since 2009, Balk appeared before county commission members and read a one-page letter in which he stated his plans to step down. He …

Voters in the Three Rivers Community Schools district OK’d a request for a zero-mill tax-rate increase bond proposal. By a margin of nearly 2-to-1, the vote allows the district to continue the millage rate it already levies, 4.9 mills for 10 years. As a result, it will provide more than $61 million to address identified and ongoing facility needs. The …

A countywide millage request sought by the St. Joseph County Intermediate School District was approved overwhelmingly Tuesday. With a vote count of 3,889 in favor and 2,651 opposed, the ISD was given approval to establish an area career and technical-education program. The 1-mill, 10-year request will generate about $2.3 million annually and benefit the county’s nine school districts.

Mendon Township voters on Tuesday approved a ballot question asking whether they support an ordinance to allow solar panel development. By a margin of just 12 votes, 331 in favor to 319 opposed, residents sided with the township board and the language of an ordinance it approved back in April. In essence, the language would allow Geronimo Energy of Minnesota …

Three Rivers Mayor Tom Lowry and three incumbent city commission members will return for an additional two years. Based on results from Tuesday’s election, Lowry, at-large commissioner Janell Hart, Third District commissioner Chris Abel and First District commissioner Pat Dane all were re-elected. Dane, who earned 622 votes, easily fended off a challenge from write-in candidate Geoffrey Clark. Clark drew …

Nottawa Township officials wish to thank its residents for approving a request in support of a three-quarters-of-a-mill increase. The six-year millage will generate about $95,000 in its first year and be used specifically for fire and emergency services. The money will be earmarked for administration, operations, equipment and provision of ambulance services. The request passed, 302 in favor to 174 …

Legislation advancing in Michigan would lift the state’s ban on baiting and feeding deer in the Lower Peninsula and parts of the Upper Peninsula. The state House approved the bill 56-49 Tuesday. It goes to the Senate for future consideration. The ban was initially instituted by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission in 2018. The bill sponsor, Republican Rep. Michelle Hoitenga …

Police have rescued a man from a trash truck in Kalamazoo after he fell asleep in a dumpster. The man screamed for help after the dumpster was emptied into the truck Monday. Fortunately the trash inside the truck hadn’t been compressed when the driver heard pleas for help before dawn. The man could have been killed. Capt. Matt Huber says …

The Three Rivers Wastewater Treatment Plant later this week will be dye-testing portions of its Wastewater Treatment Plant with a non-toxic tracer dye. The plan is to be in effect Wednesday. The tracer dye to be used in the process has been approved by the Michigan Department of Environmental, Great Lakes and Energy. The dye is safe for human health …