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St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners will be chaired for the second consecutive year by Three Rivers-area resident Jared Hoffmaster. During a special meeting Tuesday and in a split-vote decision, Hoffmaster was voted leader of the seven-member panel for 2026. As part of their annual, first-meeting-of-the-year process, board members nominated and then voted on a peer to serve as chairman. …

St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners agreed to change the start time of their monthly meeting. During a special meeting Tuesday, commissioners handled their usual first-of-the-year business, which includes establishing start time and dates for their monthly executive committee meeting – essentially a committee of the whole – and their once-a-month board meeting. Commissioners agreed to continue holding executive committee …

Twenty-nine people turned over their keys Wednesday night and left the driving to St. Joseph County Transportation Authority as part of its “New Year’s Eve Free Ride Home” offer. Agency director Marci Goodman said the service started at 7 p.m. Wednesday and concluded at 2 a.m. Thursday. With a driver and vehicle positioned in Three Rivers, and another in Sturgis, …

Three Rivers municipal officials have issued a media release regarding a rule change employed by Michigan Department of Transportation. Due to MDOT’s revisions of its policies, the downtown snow-plowing-and-removal process will change effective immediately. Instead of piling snow to the center of the roadway on Main Street, snow will now be plowed from the center to on-street parking spots. Once a …

A 62-year-old Illinois man was injured following a two-vehicle crash last week in Cass County’s Howard Township. Sheriff Clint Roach said deputies were dispatched shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday to an area on Detroit Road, near Dodge Court, in response to a personal-injury crash. Investigators said Chicago resident Dallas Dunn was driving north on Detroit Road when his vehicle crossed …

Welcome 2026. May this year bring us all more together and more understanding of our fellow man than we did in 2025. I’m thinking that if we all work really hard, a cure for Cancer will be found, the homeless will all find a home, we’ll need more warehouses for all the extra food we have, the politicians will be …

The minimum-wage rate in Michigan increased by more than $1 an hour with the start of the new year. According to state officials, the standard minimum wage rose from $12.48 per hour to $13.73 an hour. The adjustment is a move to increase Michigan’s standard minimum wage to $15 an hour by next year. Any non-exempt employees must still be …

Fabius Township has renewed a contract for law-enforcement services with St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department. According to Three Rivers Commercial-News, township officials agreed last month to continue the partnership for another three years. The new contract went into effect Thursday. Cost for one full-time, contracted deputy and vehicle is about $100,000 annually. That rate will increase by 5 percent next …

Sturgis municipal officials recently issued a media release detailing winter-weather procedures regarding snow removal. Following snowfall of up to three inches, crews will de-ice streets and plow as circumstances warrant. Snowfall in excess of four inches results in the declaration of a snow-removal emergency. On-street parking is prohibited citywide during a snow-removal emergency. The stipulation remains in place until a …

Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency officials are reporting an increase in respiratory illnesses. Respiratory illnesses include flu and COVID-19. As a result of this recent jump in cases, CHA Medical Director Karen Luparello is advising anyone six months and older to get a flu shot. She said vaccines for flu, COVID, whooping cough and pneumonia are available at CHA offices, …