News

A group of volunteers has begun piecing together the 2024 Three Rivers Water Festival. The annual event, St. Joseph County’s first community festival of the year, begins its three-day run June 13. After considering several options, Water Festival Committee members selected the theme “TR Goes for the Gold” for this year’s event. The theme coincides with the 2024 Summer Olympic …

A 24-year-old Wayne County woman has been charged with a number of offenses after an inmate at Lakeland Correctional Facility died of a drug overdose. State police said troopers on Oct. 29 were called to the Coldwater penitentiary in response to a 57-year-old man who died with no obvious cause. Department of Corrections officials began retracing the victim’s movements and …

The state is suing an Allegan County farm for allegedly dumping wastewater into a river that leads into Lake Michigan. According to WOOD-TV, attorney general Dana Nessel filed the lawsuit last week against the owner and operator of an alleged unpermitted, concentrated animal feeding operation, J&D Brenner Farms. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great …

Investigators in Branch County have labeled a fire in the Bronson area last weekend as an act of arson. Bronson Fire Chief Scott Wilber said the agency was notified at 1:30 p.m. Saturday about a grass fire near the intersection of U.S. 12 and Wheeler Road. The blaze eventually charred five acres of land before it was extinguished. Wilber said …

“Voices of Hope and Recovery,” an annual program featuring speakers who have overcome drug addition, returns later this month. The Substance Abuse Task Force of St. Joseph County and Riverside Church are teaming up again to present the 2024 event. Program organizers said Voices of Hope and Recovery showcases speakers who prove it is possible to recover from substance abuse, …

Sturgis City Commission members last week approved two purchases for the municipality’s department of public safety. The department requested a new records-management system after its recent network suffered a series of critical failures. The commission approved $30,000 for Core Technology for 18 months of service of the Talon Incident Management System. Commission members also approved a $57,000 firearms purchase from …

A 16-year-old boy was injured in a one vehicle crash last week in Cass County’s Marcellus Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called to the intersection of Miller Road and Cranberry Street at 9:45 p.m. Feb. 26. Investigators found an unoccupied pick-up that had crashed into a grove of trees. Deputies said a teen from Marcellus was driving the …

Firm Foundation Ministries in Centreville invites anyone wishing to learn more about an immersive poverty simulation to attend a free event next week. “The Cost of Poverty” experience is designed to offer a glimpse into the lives of low-income individuals and families living in St. Joseph County communities. An overview of the program starts at noon March 13 at the …

Winter 2024 enrollment at Glen Oaks Community College is up more than 10 percent compared to the same semester in 2023. School officials said winter semester enrollment is 11 percent more than a year ago. College officials said the current student count of 1,252 is part of the largest enrollment in more than a decade. Dual enrollment for high school …

More than $87 million in funding through the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act is being distributed to counties and municipalities across the state. The cumulative amount distributed in St. Joseph County is more than $1 million, part of a payment setup from the Marijuana Regulation Fund given out to 99 cities, 30 villages, 69 townships and 71 counties. …