News

St. Joseph County Treasurer Judie Ratering has filed for re-election for a second four-year term. Ratering recently submitted to the county clerk’s office paperwork with enough signatures to be on the ballot in the August primary. Sturgis resident Gwen Donmeyer has also declared her candidacy. The 56-year-old Ratering was appointed by a statutory committee in February 2012 from a pool …

Members of the Sherman Township Planning Commission have agreed to issue a special land-use permit to two brothers for a 25-site camp facility. Proposed by Ben and Jamey Rouch of Three Rivers, the campground could potentially include cabins up to 400 square feet. It also may feature tent and RV camping. The Rouchs said they would like to include an …

Officials from the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency are urging parents to have their children vaccinated against the chickenpox virus, as new cases of chickenpox continue to be reported in St. Joseph County as recently as last week. According to Kim Wilhelm, prevention services director for the tri-county health department, two additional cases of chickenpox were reported by the parents …

Sturgis city commissioners have vetoed a staff plan that would have revived a seven-member citizens committee to prioritize sidewalk projects and advise the commission on sidewalk policy issues. The vote was 5-4. The commissioner’s majority said they do not believe a citizens committee is necessary to prioritize sidewalk needs, instead leaving the recommendations to city staff with commissioners approving final …

THREE RIVERS, MI – Three Rivers Health is pleased to announce Jonathan Sanner, Physical Therapist – Outpatient Physical Therapy; Lisa Cooper, Physical Therapist – Inpatient Rehabilitation; Abby Bogucki, Front Desk Attendant – HealthTRAC; Vanessa Schwartz, Physical Therapy Technician – Outpatient Physical Therapy; and Erin Bozell, Practice Management Coordinator, for being selected as our Employees of the Quarter for the first …

If you’re looking for good places to find tasty morel mushrooms this spring, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is offering some hints. The DNR has an online interactive map that shows where wildfires and prescribed burns took place in 2015. Each location on the map consists of at least 10 acres. Resource protection manager Jim Fisher says morels often …

A 14-year-old girl shot in the head during a deadly rampage in southwestern Michigan says one of her goals is to eventually do cartwheels again. Abigail Kopf told ABC’s “Good Morning America” in a segment broadcast Monday that she’s a “warrior princess.” Vicki Kopf says her daughter can walk, negotiate stairs and move well on her own. Mary Free Bed …

Saturday’s household-hazardous-waste collection and electronics recycling was a record-setting event, according to its organizers. Pat Kulikowski, secretary of the St. Joseph County Solid Waste Committee, said the four-hour event at the county fairgrounds resulted in the collection of 11,000 pounds of household hazardous waste, up from about 8,500 pounds a year ago; 1,200 tires, double the amount from spring 2015; …

A member of the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office has announced her candidacy for the Three Rivers Community Schools Board of Education. Erin Harrington, 37, filed paperwork last week for the four-year term. The post will be decided in November A Portage native, Harrington is the chief assistant prosecutor and president of the county’s bar association. Harrington said she is …

The March unemployment rate in St. Joseph County increased by one-tenth of a percent compared to a month earlier. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed St. Joseph County’s 3.8 percent March unemployment rate was greater than February’s 3.7 percent. March’s unemployment rate was 1 percent less than the same month one year …