Local meeting primer: Sturgis City Commission
A quarterly finance report, compost site rule changes, and a letter of intent on three electric generators round out the Sturgis City Commission’s agenda for its meeting on Wednesday, March 25.
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Whitmer appoints new judge to Michigan Court of Appeals serving Southwest Michigan
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has appointed Andrew Lievense to the Michigan Court of Appeals, First District, a court that hears appeals affecting residents in Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties.
Lievense, of Northville, currently serves as an assistant U.S. attorney. He previously worked as a litigation associate at Honigman LLP in Detroit and clerked for U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn.
Community input reshapes path for Winchell-Howard school safety plan
Kalamazoo City Commissioner Chris Praedel said the process reflected strong community engagement.
“It’s refreshing to see these outcomes when it happens this way. It does not always turn out this way, and I am grateful that it has — but it only happens this way when everybody is willing to lean in and try something a little bit different,” Praedel said.
The project combines improvements along two corridors — Winchell Avenue and Howard Street — under a single MDOT contract, meaning the elements cannot easily be separated for approval.
Useless Creatures to donate all of today’s sales to tornado relief
Useless Creatures Brewing Company plans to donate all sales today, Thursday, March 12 to tornado recovery efforts. All of the money will go to The Huss Project who has been organizing volunteers, collecting donations, and providing resources for those in need in the wake of the tornado.
Three Rivers residents recount moments before and after Friday’s EF-2 tornado
The storm was among the fiercest to strike Three Rivers in recent memory. Despite the destruction, residents across the city rushed to support one another before, during, and after.
‘We heard our neighbors needed help’: Local electricians union aids cleanup effort following Three Rivers tornado
On Sunday, March 10, around 30 IBEW workers, including representatives of KEI electrical construction and Perkins Electric, gathered in Three Rivers to provide free, professional support to those in need.
“We heard our neighbors needed help cleaning up after the storm, so I decided to ask my union brothers and sisters to come lend a hand,” IBEW 131 President Eddie Leboeuf said.
NYT bestselling author Shelby Van Pelt to keynote inaugural literary arts festival in Vicksburg
Kimm Mayer, planning committee lead, said establishing the festival is important because “it makes reading and literacy accessible to everybody by introducing people to authors and activities in a fun and relaxed environment.” She added that the festival complements the arts community in Southwest Michigan and could impact literacy in the region while promoting tourism.
Kalamazoo city manager removes $1.25M federal police hiring grant from agenda
The item, if approved, would have accepted a 2025 COPS Hiring Program award from the U.S. Department of Justice, authorized the city manager to sign grant documents, approved 10 new officer positions and amended the city’s general fund budget by $1.52 million. Of that amount, $1.25 million would have come from the federal grant, while $270,000 would have been covered by the city to pay a portion of salary and fringe benefits for the new officers, according to the agenda packet. The COPS Hiring Program is a federal initiative that provides funding to local law enforcement agencies to hire additional sworn officers, typically covering part of salary and benefits for a set period.
City Manager Malcolm Hankins did not provide an explanation for removing the item, and commissioners did not discuss it during the meeting.
Local residents to “Stand Up for Science” at Main Street Bridge in Niles
“Science isn’t abstract — it affects our families, our hospitals, our water, our weather forecasts and our jobs,” organizers said in a statement. “We chose this location intentionally. Every day, people cross this bridge seeking medical care made possible by decades of scientific research. This rally is about recognizing that connection and standing up for the science that keeps our community healthy and strong.”
Huss Project offering paid summer internship for WMU students in Three Rivers
The 10-week internship generally runs through the organization’s Back to School Celebration at the August Second Saturday Farmers Market. Interns are paid $17.50 per hour and are expected to work about 20 hours per week. Every other week, they attend professional development training at Western Michigan University as part of the Broncos LEAD program.
For Co-founder Rob Vander-Giessen Reitsma, the internship is about more than seasonal help — it’s about formation.
“We hope students learn about small-scale food production, community development in a small town, and how our work is rooted in the core values of our organization,” he said.
Whitmer appoints new judge to Michigan Court of Appeals serving Southwest Michigan
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has appointed Andrew Lievense to the Michigan Court of Appeals, First District, a court that hears appeals affecting residents in Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties. Lievense, of Northville, currently serves as an assistant U.S. attorney. He previously worked as a litigation associate at Honigman LLP in Detroit and clerked for U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn.
Community input reshapes path for Winchell-Howard school safety plan
Kalamazoo City Commissioner Chris Praedel said the process reflected strong community engagement. “It’s refreshing to see these outcomes when it happens this way. It does not always turn out this way, and I am grateful that it has — but it only happens this way when everybody is willing to lean in and try something a little bit different,” Praedel said. The project combines improvements along two corridors — Winchell Avenue and Howard Street — under a single MDOT contract, meaning the elements cannot easily be separated for approval.
Useless Creatures to donate all of today’s sales to tornado relief
Useless Creatures Brewing Company plans to donate all sales today, Thursday, March 12 to tornado recovery efforts. All of the money will go to The Huss Project who has been organizing volunteers, collecting donations, and providing resources for those in need in the wake of the tornado.
Three Rivers residents recount moments before and after Friday’s EF-2 tornado
The storm was among the fiercest to strike Three Rivers in recent memory. Despite the destruction, residents across the city rushed to support one another before, during, and after.
‘We heard our neighbors needed help’: Local electricians union aids cleanup effort following Three Rivers tornado
On Sunday, March 10, around 30 IBEW workers, including representatives of KEI electrical construction and Perkins Electric, gathered in Three Rivers to provide free, professional support to those in need. “We heard our neighbors needed help cleaning up after the storm, so I decided to ask my union brothers and sisters to come lend a hand,” IBEW 131 President Eddie Leboeuf said.
NYT bestselling author Shelby Van Pelt to keynote inaugural literary arts festival in Vicksburg
Kimm Mayer, planning committee lead, said establishing the festival is important because “it makes reading and literacy accessible to everybody by introducing people to authors and activities in a fun and relaxed environment.” She added that the festival complements the arts community in Southwest Michigan and could impact literacy in the region while promoting tourism.
Kalamazoo city manager removes $1.25M federal police hiring grant from agenda
The item, if approved, would have accepted a 2025 COPS Hiring Program award from the U.S. Department of Justice, authorized the city manager to sign grant documents, approved 10 new officer positions and amended the city’s general fund budget by $1.52 million. Of that amount, $1.25 million would have come from the federal grant, while $270,000 would have been covered by the city to pay a portion of salary and fringe benefits for the new officers, according to the agenda packet. The COPS Hiring Program is a federal initiative that provides funding to local law enforcement agencies to hire additional sworn officers, typically covering part of salary and benefits for a set period. City Manager Malcolm Hankins did not provide an explanation for removing the item, and commissioners did not discuss it during the meeting.
Local residents to “Stand Up for Science” at Main Street Bridge in Niles
“Science isn’t abstract — it affects our families, our hospitals, our water, our weather forecasts and our jobs,” organizers said in a statement. “We chose this location intentionally. Every day, people cross this bridge seeking medical care made possible by decades of scientific research. This rally is about recognizing that connection and standing up for the science that keeps our community healthy and strong.”
Huss Project offering paid summer internship for WMU students in Three Rivers
The 10-week internship generally runs through the organization’s Back to School Celebration at the August Second Saturday Farmers Market. Interns are paid $17.50 per hour and are expected to work about 20 hours per week. Every other week, they attend professional development training at Western Michigan University as part of the Broncos LEAD program. For Co-founder Rob Vander-Giessen Reitsma, the internship is about more than seasonal help — it’s about formation. “We hope students learn about small-scale food production, community development in a small town, and how our work is rooted in the core values of our organization,” he said.
