News

A Michigan city has won a dispute over a homeowner’s tall grass in a case that went to the second-highest court in the U.S. A federal appeals court says Howell didn’t violate the rights of a man who was charged $600 for failing to mow grass on a strip near his curb. In a 2-1 decision Wednesday, the court says …

  United Methodist clergy and churchgoers have held a press conference outside the bishop’s office in Lansing in support of an openly gay pastor who says he was forced to resign. More than 50 supporters of the Rev. Benjamin Hutchison were at the demonstration on Tuesday. Advocates taped a pledge to the office door asking for LGBT inclusiveness in the …

Deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department investigated a larceny from a motor vehicle at a residence in the 56300 block of Buckhorn Road in Park Township. The theft is suspected to have taken place between 9 p.m. Tuesday and 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. It was reported at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Six people were recently reappointed to serve on the St. Joseph County Commission on Aging Board. County commissioners agreed to reappoint Allen Balog, Barbara Fisher, Charles Thompson, Dawn Everett, Jim MacTavish and Joseph Heivilin. Their terms will expire June 30, 2017. In an unrelated matter, county commissioners approved permission to fill the position of probation officer following the resignation of …

A Three Rivers-area man is at the Branch County jail following a police pursuit involving a stolen vehicle. Around 6:45 p.m. Sunday, Michigan State Police attempted to stop a vehicle with improper plates in the area of U.S. 12 and St. Joseph Road. The driver fled south on St. Joseph Road, but eventually pulled over and gave himself up. Christopher …

St. Joseph County’s board of commissioners last week approved a pair of out-of-state travel requests. Clerk Lindsay Oswald requested permission for deputy county clerk Catherine Rigby to attend OnBase computer training in Cleveland on two separate occasions. The first session is Aug. 17-21 and the second is Sept. 21-25. The other request was made by E-911 Central Dispatch Director Dennis …

The Three Rivers Area Community Foundation is appealing to the public in hopes of securing matching funds to develop a revitalization plan for the old Three Rivers Hospital. Foundation officials said a drive is on to raise $15,000 by Tuesday next week in order to qualify for a $50,000 grant from the organization America’s Best Communities. Foundation members further noted …

Three Rivers Community Schools has announced a pair of administrative changes for the 2015-16 academic year. Andrews Elementary Principal Nikki Nash will serve on an interim basis as principal at Three Rivers Middle School. Meanwhile, Hoppin fourth-grade teacher Ben McIntyre will replace Nash and serve as interim principal at Andrews Elementary. The moves were created as the result of the …

Members of the group TR Cares plan to set up a site at North Main Street and Enterprise Drive 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today in an effort to collect a minimum of 1,165 valid signatures for a recall of three members of the Three Rivers Board of Education. Sherrie Nowicki, who established and heads TR Cares, said a two-day …

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency has been recognized by the National Association of County and City Health Officials for its ability to plan for, respond to and recover from public health emergencies. The local health department demonstrated these capabilities by meeting the comprehensive preparedness benchmarks required by Project Public Health Ready, a unique partnership between NACCHO and the Centers …