Recent Posts

County courts closed

St. Joseph County courts are closed indefinitely following the governor’s declaration of a state of emergency and Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget McCormack’s recommendation. With the exception of emergency court matters, 45th Circuit Court, 3B District Court and Probate/Family Court are closed. All criminal and civil jury trials, civil infractions and traffic hearings, criminal pre-trials and Family Court matters are …

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Constantine battles 2 fires

Members of the Constantine Fire Department responded to two structure fires over the past two days. The first was at 3:10 p.m. Monday on Klett Road in Constantine Township. The owners returned home to find smoke coming from the first floor of the residence. They evacuated the house and called 911. The fire appears to have started near a couch …

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ECHL cancels remainder of season

The ECHL and Kalamazoo Wings announced on Saturday that the remainder of the 2019-20 season has been canceled.  Earlier in the week, the league and team announced that the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The K-Wings had eleven games remaining on the season, including six home games.  At the time of the cancellation, the K-Wings were battling …

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White Pigeon library closed

White Pigeon Township Library is closed indefinitely. Library director Perri Saunders said the measure went into effect Saturday. However, curbside service will be available to patrons during regular library hours, which are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Saunders suggested that patrons should call the library, at 483-7409, before they visit …

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Frost laws not imposed

St. Joseph County Road Commission Manager John Lindsey said the department is not imposing “frost laws” on county roads this year. He said forecasts the agency has followed show the need for frost laws and subsequent weight restrictions on local roads will not be necessary. In addition to St. Joseph County, Lindsey said Cass, Branch, Lenawee and most other counties …

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Sturgis City Hall closed to public

In response to unified efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019, Sturgis City Hall and other municipal buildings are closed to the public. The measure went into effect Monday afternoon. In addition to city hall, the Doyle Community Center and Sturges-Young Center for the Arts also are closed to the public until April 5. Furthermore, Sturgis officials said …

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Michigan governor bans dining out, extends jobless benefits

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has issued a sweeping order banning dine-in customers at restaurants and closing all bars, movie theaters, gyms and other sports facilities to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The order will last through March. She also prohibited large gatherings of more than 50 people and ordered that more people qualify for unemployment benefits during the global …

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SJC Courthouse – Closed to public

St. Joseph County government is temporarily closing to the public its offices in the historic courthouse as well as in its Annex 2, located east of the courthouse complex. County administrator Teresa Doehring announced Friday that the measure is in response to limiting potential exposure to the coronavirus. Departments affected by this move are county administration, county clerk and register …

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Cass County crash

A Three Rivers woman was involved in a two-vehicle crash last week in Cass County’s Porter Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called at 3:25 p.m. Friday to an area of U.S. 12 near Vera Drive. Investigators said a pick-up driven by 26-year-old Alexander Earl of Goshen was stopped to turn left into a driveway. It was struck from …

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Secretary of State – Reduced office hours

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced Friday that all 131 Michigan Secretary of State branch offices will be changing operations to slow the spread of the coronavirus. During a three-week period starting today, branches will only offer services for critical transactions that must be conducted in-person and only by appointment. Walk-ins will be asked to make an appointment, for the …

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