The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners honored County Treasurer Judie Ratering, who is retiring on Dec. 31, and adopted their 2021-22 FY budget following a public hearing Tuesday.
Category Archive: Local
Three Rivers Community Schools (TRCS) announced this afternoon that all school buildings will remain closed to in-person instruction into January. In response to a pandemic health order issued earlier this month by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), TRCS began fully conducting instruction for all in-person and hybrid students through online streaming. That closure was scheduled to last through the expiration of the HHS order, which occurs on December 8.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is hoping lawmakers returning from their hunting break this week will focus on COVID-19 relief, unemployment benefits, a mask mandate and preparations for vaccine distribution.
The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners and the Three Rivers City Commission will both hold regular meetings as planned this evening, Tuesday, December 1, 2020.
Christmas Around Town, the annual holiday celebration in downtown Three Rivers, took place this past Friday and Saturday with a lighter schedule than normal. Pandemic restrictions issued earlier this month meant curtailing a variety of things, and organizers further trimmed back an already curtailed event. However, there were still activities, and perhaps 200 people came out on Friday evening and Saturday to partake in them.
The Three Rivers Library Board discussed the prospect of renting a room to the Three Rivers Women’s Club (TRWC) for the purpose of archival storage during its meeting on Tuesday, November 24. The board didn’t make a formal decision Tuesday, opting instead to weigh the particulars of a rental agreement and any liability the library might incur if it grants the club keyed access to a room in its basement.
During its executive committee meeting Tuesday, the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners scheduled a public hearing to discuss and adopt the county’s budget for FY 2021-22.
A number of Michigan’s Democratic members of Congress penned a letter Monday to U.S. Census Bureau Director Steve Dillingham asking for details about the accuracy of the 2020 Census count in Michigan.
If you’re seeking a calm reprieve from the turbulence of this year, Tom Springer’s The Star in the Sycamore is a balm. If you’re looking for wry, thoughtful nature writing in the spirit of Wendell Berry or Mary Oliver, nestle into these pages. If you’re feeling a bit adrift, the writings will deeply ground you in the forests and rivers of southwest Michigan.
Three Rivers native Andrew George, who recently ran for First District St. Joseph County Commissioner and occupies leadership positions with the Three Rivers Downtown Development Authority and the Democratic Party of St. Joseph County, Michigan, will debut a new online talk show called “The Michigan Left” Wednesday.
The following poem was submitted by a Weekly Witness for Peace participant at the conclusion of the *culture is not optional event series held at The Huss Project in Three Rivers.
Following more than three hours of conversation Thursday, the Park Township Planning Commission still had questions to ask about a rezoning application for a possible propane distributor on Highway M-60 Thursday. Commission members heard comments from the township zoning official, three attorneys, the property’s applicants, and 14 members of the public. Commissioners reviewed, adjusted, and approved a comprehensive list of statements called a “Finding of Facts.” With more of the review process still ahead of them, the commissioners voted to put the meeting into recess until 7 p.m. on December 3.
During a special meeting Thursday, the Board of Education (BOE) said it found Three Rivers Community Schools (TRCS) Superintendent Ron Moag to be “effective.” The statement came at the end of a closed session that lasted well beyond two hours. Thursday’s meeting concluded a two-meeting process wherein BOE members conducted Moag’s annual performance evaluation, facilitated by Rod Green of the Michigan Association of School Boards. During closing comments, BOE members also discussed the status and future of online instruction in the district.
The annual Christmas Around Town event in downtown Three Rivers will see some further modifications to its program in light of pandemic health orders from the state earlier this week. Some features will continue as planned previously, while others will be postponed or cancelled pending further developments from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
A special meeting of the Park Township Planning Commission scheduled for this evening will now take place entirely online. On the township’s website, an announcement states that due to a pandemic-related health order issued last Sunday by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the meeting will take place using the Zoom online meeting platform. The announcement includes information on how to participate.
Deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department (SJCSD) are investigating a vehicle-pedestrian incident that occurred early Wednesday morning in Nottawa Township. According to a press release by Sheriff Mark A. Lillywhite, the incident occurred on Shimmel Road near Timm Road at approximately 5:50 a.m., when a pedestrian walking southbound on Shimmel Road was struck by a northbound pickup truck. The truck continued on after the collision without stopping.
With additional closure orders in place and pandemic case numbers continuing to spread, Three Rivers Community Schools (TRCS) announced on Wednesday evening that it plans to close additional school buildings later this week. On Sunday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new order that required high schools around the state to close. TRCS subsequently closed the middle and high schools to in-person instruction on Monday, taking all classes to a virtual setting. Elementary schools will now also be subject to closure.
A short stretch of Lutz Road heading south from Three Rivers may be up for reconstruction soon. Garrett Myland, Assistant Manager and Engineer for the St. Joseph County Road Commission (SJCRC), said in a report Wednesday he is pursuing a longer-term project to have Lutz Road rebuilt in its entirety from Highway M-86 all the way to U.S.-12. Working toward that larger goal, Myland is seeking a handful of grants to help rebuild the road’s first two miles from M-86 south to Fairchild Road in 2021.