There will be contests for two of the four City of Three Rivers offices to be filled in the November 5th general election. Here’s the candidate lineup following passage of the 4 p.m. Tuesday (May 14th) deadline for filling nominating petitions: Mayor: Thomas Lowry, 53 1/2 N. Main St, Three Rivers, MI 49093 Larry Nichols, [...]

Kalamazoo, MI – It is a question that has been getting a lot of attention recently–with so many Michiganders unemployed, why are there so many businesses looking for workers? Educators, economic developers, and workforce development professionals will come together Friday (May 17) to grapple with that question and others at a regional talent summit. The [...]

Local employers Zoetis, Perrigo, and MPI Research benefit from efficient federal review process WASHINGTON, DC – The House Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, Wednesday (May 15) advanced bipartisan legislation to renew the successful federal approval programs for new and generic animal drugs as well as legislation to secure the [...]

LANSING – State Superintendent Mike Flanagan opened his Education Technology Work Group to the public Tuesday (May 14).  Flanagan was invited by Governor Rick Snyder to lead a transparent and inclusive discussion to integrate technology into Michigan’s system of education for today and into the future.The Michigan Department of Education has developed a new Facebook [...]

Lansing – Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged down in April by one-tenth of a percentage point to 8.4 percent, according to data released Wednesday (May 15) by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB). Total employment rose by 19,000 over the month while the number of unemployed declined by 5,000. The net [...]

Editors Note:  The Firehouse 4 Golf Outing scheduled for June 1st has been POSTPONED. A new date will be announced shortly. The Constantine Fire Department Association will be hosting the Firehouse 4 Open on June 1, 2013 at St. Joe Valley Golf Club on M-86 near Nottawa. The Association is asking fellow community organizations and [...]

Free health screenings, information on local resources offered More than 1,000 senior citizens and veterans joined three state lawmakers and many local groups and businesses at Monday’s eighth annual Senior and Veterans Expo at the Antwerp Township Activity Center. The focus of the expo was to provide those who attended with access to the more [...]

Asian carp threaten Great Lakes, which support millions of U.S. jobs and billions of dollars of economic activity each year WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, joined a bipartisan group of Members of Congress from Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin in requesting that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee prioritize the protection of the [...]

WHITE PIGEON, MI – White Pigeon Community Schools will be hosting a public groundbreaking on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, at 5:30 PM at Central Elementary.  The purpose of the groundbreaking event is to celebrate the community support for the 5-year sinking fund improvement projects.  Staff, parents, community members and students are encouraged to attend. “The [...]

COVERT TOWNSHIP, MI – Following a tour of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant with Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Kristine Svinicki, Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, issued the following statement: “We believe the source of the May 5 leak has been found,” said Upton, who serves as Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “A thorough [...]

The Lockport Township Board is looking to the City of Three Rivers Fire Department (TRFD) for fire protection in that portion of the township now served by the Fabius-Park Fire Department (FPFD). In action during their May meeting Monday evening (May 13), board members voted unanimously to accept a proposal for a 15-year service contract [...]

Upton joined by U.S. Senators Levin and Stabenow in letter to federal agency KALAMAZOO, MI – Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, with U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow sent a letter last week strongly urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to complete the “total removal of all PCB contaminated materials from the Allied [...]

Flower planting is on the agenda for Wednesday afternoon (May 15) as a follow-up to the very successful ‘Community Pride Day’ activities in Three Rivers on Saturday (May 11). Christy Trammell, executive director of the Three Rivers Downtown Development Authority (DDA), said, “We were not able to plant flowers Saturday because, with the frost advisory, [...]

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) reports there will be moving lane closures for pothole repairs on southbound M-40 from Gobles to Paw Paw in Van Buren County from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday (May 15). Source:  News release from Michigan Department of Transportation

The Three Rivers City Commission will meet in special session at 6 p.m. Tuesday (May 14). The commission is slated to consider accepting a User Fee Ordinance update for first reading and setting a public hearing on the ordinance for June 4. The commission will also review the proposed budget for the new fiscal year [...]

The Michigan Historical Center in Lansing is accepting nominations for the 2013 Odyssey Award for teaching excellence in Michigan history. The award is sponsored by the Michigan History Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the work of the Michigan Historical Center.  The foundation underwrites the center’s education programs that inspire more than 60,000 Michigan students [...]

Detroit’s emergency has issued a dire report on the city, called for a complete restructuring of the city’s finances, and described long-term obligations of at least $15 billion. For more on the story from The New York Times, click here.

[St. Joseph County, MI] Throughout the month of April, the Substance Abuse Task Force of St. Joseph County, in cooperation with the Sheriff’s Department and the Three Rivers Police Department, conducted alcohol compliance checks at 28 randomly chosen stores/businesses that sell alcohol products. In these inspections, an underage youth enters the store and attempts to [...]

The Fabius Township Board has appointed Carol Donnelly to the Fabius Township Environmental and Wetlands Protection Committee. The action came during the board’s May meeting last week (May 8) in response to a unanimous recommendation from the committee for her appointment to fill an open seat on the body. In reporting the committee’s recommendation, Committee [...]

LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation that gives local units of government an additional financing tool to fund dredging needs in Michigan’s waterways. “Communities that have been struggling to provide water access because of record-low lake levels now have another tool to help them keep our ports, harbors and waterways accessible,” Snyder [...]