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Cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse and other animals will be in hunters’ sights as Michigan’s small game season gets underway Sunday. The Department of Natural Resources says a Michigan base license is required for small game hunters. The cost for residents is $11. The base license allows hunting of rabbit, hare, squirrel, pheasant, ruffed grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, woodchuck, woodcock, …

A pair of Cass County officials joined State Rep. Aaron Miller for 9/11-related remembrances earlier this week. Miller welcomed Sheriff Richard Behnke and Capt. Tom Jacobs of the Cass County Sheriff’s Department as his guests for the Michigan House’s annual Sept. 11 Memorial Service at the Capitol. The ceremony remembers first responders and members of the military from Michigan who …

A month after saying no to recreational marijuana, members of the Colon Village Council showed a greater tolerance for cannabis as a medicinal drug. By a 5-2 vote Tuesday, the council passed a resolution in support of creating an ordinance related to the establishment of marijuana production and distribution for medical purposes within the village. More than a dozen people …

The St. Joseph County United Way is bringing back a popular fundraiser next month. The Centreville-based agency will stage its second “Team Trivia Night,” starting at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at the county fairgrounds. Cost is $150 per team with a maximum of six players per team. The fee includes dinner; there will be a cash bar and silent auction …

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency is joining the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in kicking off its seventh annual “Septic Smart Week” beginning Monday. The purpose is to encourage homeowners and communities to properly maintain their septic systems. Paul Andriacchi, director of environmental health at the Community Health Agency, said people often forget about their septic systems, as systems typically …

Michigan Department of Transportation officials wish to remind motorists that Hoffman Street west of U.S. 131 in the Three Rivers area is closed for construction. The closure took effect Tuesday and will be in place for an indefinite period of time. Suggested detour routes for both northbound and southbound traffic are posted. Also, as a reminder, MDOT said left turns …

Three Rivers Community Schools Superintendent Ron Moag said the middle school and high school were under lockdown for less than half an hour Tuesday. Moag said the situation unfolded at 11:40 a.m. after an adult male was spotted by a district facilities staff member. The man spotted was walking south on 6th Avenue toward M-60 and carrying what looked like …

The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced that Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and private nonprofit organizations in Michigan as a result of the excessive rain and flooding that began on March 1. The loans are available in Berrien, Branch, Cass, Hillsdale and St. Joseph counties. The SBA’s …

Four Civil War veterans buried in unmarked graves in the Burr Oak Township Cemetery were properly honored last month at a gravestone dedication service. Bev Greshaw, deputy clerk of Burr Oak Township found two of the graves while doing her job of noting each plot. Meanwhile, Anne Davis of Sturgis, Defender of Yesterday’s Heroes, found the other two in her …

Officials in Kalamazoo County say a person who contracted a mosquito-borne virus called Eastern Equine Encephalitis has died. Mlive reports that the Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services said in a statement on Friday that the person was one of two in the county to contract the virus. Another confirmed case has been reported in Berrien County and health officials are …