News

Michigan Milk Producers Association has closed on the purchase of two houses in the 400 block of East Second Street in Constantine, village officials were informed this week. The council discussed abandoning the 400 block of East Second Street to facilitate use by MMPA and a public hearing was subsequently set for 7 p.m. March 16. Meanwhile, Trustee Cathy Piper …

All St. Joseph County Commission on Aging senior centers are closed today, activities are cancelled, there will be no Meals on Wheels Delivery. Administrative offices are open.

Bolstered by a growing economy, Michigan retailers are projecting strong sales in the months ahead, based on a new monthly survey from the Michigan Retailers Association. The M-R-A’S Michigan Retail Index survey in January found 79-percent of retailers expect sales growth in 2015, with the increases averaging two-point-four percent. The results compare with 58-percent of retailers projecting 2014 sales growth averaging …

For the first time, Michigan recorded no fatalities during all hunting seasons in 2014, according to reports compiled by the Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division. Ten incidents involving injuries were recorded in the state – nine in the Lower Peninsula and one in the Upper Peninsula. Sgt. Tom Wanless of the DNR’s Recreational Safety, Education and Enforcement Section says that …

Students at Blandford Middle School were hard at work last week taking care of 125 baby chickens for their egg business. The high-achieving Grand Rapids Public Schools’ theme school offers 60 sixth-graders a unique hands-on learning experience, according to The Grand Rapids Press. The classroom is as much the surrounding ponds and woods as it is the school building. Cheri …

Gray wolves in the western Great Lakes region are protected by federal law once more. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is publishing a rule Friday designating wolves in Michigan and Wisconsin as “endangered” and those in Minnesota as “threatened.” The rule complies with a federal judge’s order in December that overruled the agency’s earlier decision to revoke wolves’ protected …

University of Michigan officials say they’ll take action against six fraternities and sororities involved in the vandalism of two ski reports in Gaylord and Harbor Springs. Members of the campus community are condemning the events that took place Jan. 16 to 18 at Treetops and Boyne resorts, where students collectively caused nearly $125,000 in damage. They say the students’ poor …

A suspect is in custody after an adult bookstore was burned down in Kalamazoo. The Hollywood Nights store caught on fire late Wednesday afternoon and was largely destroyed. After the fire was deemed suspicious police began looking for leads and tracked a vehicle from the scene to Comstock  where a chase began at around 8:30 Wednesday night. The 41-year-old male suspect crashed …

A gathering of municipal and county leaders concluded that St. Joseph County’s economic growth is being hampered by a lack of workers willing to take on entry-level manufacturing. The four leaders were a part of Tuesday’s State of the Area event, sponsored by the Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce. The forum featured St. Joseph County Administrator Pat Yoder, Three …

An amended contract between St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners and the county’s E-911 Telecommunicators’ Association was approved Tuesday by commissioners. According to terms of the amendment, new hires will be required to undergo telecommunications training and be paid $12.88 an hour during training; upon completion of training, full-time employees will be placed on the current wage scale; and benefits …