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Each September, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sponsors NationalPreparedness Month (http://www.ready.gov) to highlight the importance ofbeing prepared for the unexpected. This is good advice for everyone; butfor business owners, being prepared to respond to the aftermath of naturalor man-made disasters can literally mean the difference between staying inbusiness and closing the doors forever. According to FEMA*, up to 40percent of …

It’s difficult to watch a newscast without feeling depressed. Hardly a day goes by when you don’t hear of someone being murdered, someone getting killed in a terrible accident, or someone losing their home in a fire. I could go on and on about the bad news that is thrown at us by the media. The truth is that bad …

  City of Sturgis officials are reminding motorists about the detours in place as a result of the reconstruction of North Centerville Road. Detour signs were placed last week at West Chicago Road and Progress Street diverting traffic to Broadus Street. Construction will span from West Chicago Road to the railroad track just south of Progress Street. A complete rebuild …

  The Constantine Village Council has endorsed the concept of a proposed employee handbook for the community’s fire department. Fire Chief Mike Haydon said he learned its insurance company’s Risk Management Department required a handbook after several part-time employees were hired. Haydon said he would put an adopted date on the handbook once he got approval from the three municipalities …

  The July unemployment rate in St. Joseph County increased by eight-tenths 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 6.9 percent July unemployment rate was more than June’s 6.1 percent. Its July unemployment rate, however, was 2.8 percent less than the same …

  The Three Rivers Department of Public Services wishes to give advance notice about its upcoming hydrant-flushing process. Hydrants citywide will start being flushed Sept. 3. The activity is expected to continue through the end of the month, weeknights from 11 until 5 o’clock the following morning. The department asks residents to please be aware that some rusty water may …

  A crowd of more than 150 people attended Friday’s second annual Local Food Festival, hosted by the St. Joseph County Conservation District. Staged at the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds, the event featured a four-course meal of food grown locally from 23 different sources. John Farrand, from the Sturgis Boundary Waters Café, and Janelle Baranic, food service director at the …

  The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners last week gave approval to the Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce for a special event to be staged next year. As a part of the chamber’s “Discover the Treasures of St. Joseph County” program, the courthouse will provide the setting for a murder-mystery dinner. In response to the request from chamber …

Michigan’s apple growers will harvest nearly 29 million bushels of apples this year, according to the official crop estimate announced Friday at the USApple Outlook meeting in Chicago. Officials say the 28.74 million bushels estimate is in line with the 2013 crop, which was a record size crop of 30 million bushels. Diane Smith, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee, says …

 St. Joseph County is looking for a new engineer/manager, as Christopher Bolt turned in his resignation Wednesday. The action came after the five-member road commission board met in executive session to discuss personnel matters. Bolt, 44, joined the road commission in January 2012. He said the board is choosing to go in a different direction and he has the utmost …