News

January’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County was six-tenths of a percent higher than the previous month. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed the county’s 4.3 percent January unemployment rate marked an increase from December’s 3.7 percent. St. Joseph County was below the state unemployment average, which was 5.3 percent in January. …

Authorities said the death of an 11-year-old Lockport Township boy does not appear to be suspicious.The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said central dispatch was notified at 7:10 p.m. Thursday that the boy was in cardiac arrest in the 58000 block of Carman Drive. Emergency personnel from Three Rivers transported him to Bronson Methodist Hospital, where he later passed away. The young man …

A four-way intersection at what could fairly be considered the most dangerous intersection in St. Joseph County will replace the current configuration, Michigan Department of Transportation officials confirmed Tuesday. View Zoomable U.S. 131 Concept Map Here During an open-house format event at the St. Joseph County Commission on Aging facility in Three Rivers, MDOT officials said the south leg of the …

Three Rivers City Commission members have rejected a pair of ordinances related to medical marijuana facilities. During Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Tom Lowry and commissioner Janell Hart were outvoted by Carolyn McNary, Daryl Griffith, Alison Haigh, Norm Stutesman and Pat Dane on the two ordinances. The proposed ordinances centered on zoning and the operation of medical marijuana facilities within the city …

With the support of state Rep. Aaron Miller, road-repair crews in Cass and St. Joseph counties will have more money to fix potholes. Legislation signed into law this week provides an additional $175 million in transportation funding statewide beyond what was previously planned. The money was unspent by various state departments during a previous budget cycle, meaning no budget cuts, …

A White Pigeon woman and her children were injured in a two-vehicle accident this week in Cass County’s Porter Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies responded at 2:20 p.m. Tuesday to U.S. 12, east of South River Road, regarding an accident. It was determined that a vehicle driven by Brandi Bambrick, 35, of White Pigeon, was westbound on U.S. 12 …

The Sturgis Electric Department is considering replacing a 12-kilovolt hydro transmission line with a 69-kilovolt rural transmission line. The proposed line would run about six miles from a potential rural substation on Balk Road, south to Featherstone Road, east to North Centerville Road and parallel to the current system south of Schrader Road until approximately West Lafayette Street, where it …

A southwestern Michigan man whom authorities say fled police and crashed into a car, killing two people, faces five charges including two counts each of operating while intoxicated causing death and fleeing an officer. A judge set bond at $500,000 for Thomas William Vyverman of Kalamazoo during his arraignment Thursday. Vyverman also is charged with resisting and obstructing. Kalamazoo police …

The case of a lawsuit against St. Joseph County, its board of commissioners, and the panel that oversees mental-health and drug-abuse services locally will be heard in a nearby jurisdiction. Attorney Ross Chapman, representing Liz O’Dell, said St. Joseph County Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman recused himself from the case. As a result, the matter was assigned by the state …

The St. Joseph County Commission on Aging is sponsoring two Easter Egg Hunts for area school children. The agency’s seniors donated candy and helped stuff more than 1,500 eggs between the senior centers in Three Rivers and Sturgis. In Sturgis, the hunt will take place at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday next week at the Sturgis Enrichment Center. More than 100 students from …