As of 10:59 p.m. Tuesday night, with just under 72 percent of St. Joseph County precincts reporting, Republican Steve Carra led Democrat Amy East for the seat of 59th District Representative in the Michigan Legislature by a margin of approximately two to one. At that time, Carra carried 12,200 votes in the county to East’s 6,775. He also held a significant lead in Cass County. Speaking from St. Joseph County Republican Party Headquarters in Three Rivers around 11 p.m., Carra said his campaign was declaring victory. Results are also in for several other contested, local races.
Three Rivers
Three Rivers Health (TRH) has signed a letter of intent to join northern Indiana-based Beacon Health System. Pending final approvals, the agreement would take effect in the spring of 2021. In a press release Tuesday, TRH said the new partnership “will provide expanded access to care across our region.” TRH operates a 60-bed hospital in Three Rivers serving St. Joseph County, Kalamazoo County, and surrounding areas.
Area polling stations have reported busy, steady traffic this morning for General Election Day. In the city of Three Rivers as well as in Lockport, Park, and Fabius Townships, officials said absent voter ballot returns have been high, and in-person voters waited in lines that stretched out of buildings.
On behalf of American Axle and Manufacturing (AAM), the City of Three Rivers will be applying for a grant to help fund an expansion project at the company’s Three Rivers plant. At a regular meeting of the Three Rivers City Commission Monday, commissioners approved the measure after a public hearing. In cooperation with Southwest Michigan First (SWMF), which is helping coordinate the project, the city will be applying for a Federally-funded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). Commissioners also improved changes to zoning language that will permit multiple single-family homes per parcel of land in R4 residential districts.
A “Trunk-or-Treat” event at YMCA Camp Eberhart took place this weekend, drawing several hundred carloads of trick-or-treaters. Families came in vehicles of all kinds from St. Joseph County, surrounding counties, and northern Indiana to take part in the socially distanced Halloween event. Roughly 40 organizations and private individuals hosted “trunks,” wherein they passed out candy to the families that came from the trunks of their vehicles. Some set up elaborate Halloween displays.
Larry Miller, a popular former Three Rivers art teacher who later became a school administrator, passed away at his home in Illinois earlier this month. He began teaching in Three Rivers in 1959. Miller was an educator for thirty years, and after retirement in 1989, he returned to Palestine, Illinois, his hometown. There, he opened a downtown art gallery and studio called Coon Hollow Studios in honor of the St. Joseph County throughfare where he once lived.
For those who have not yet turned in absent voter ballots or who are planning to cast their vote in person on Election day, Watershed Voice has compiled the following guide to races that will appear on area ballots to provide readers with information about who is running and where to go for voting.
In a light regular meeting of the Three Rivers Public Library (TRPL) board Tuesday, Board Chair Julie Keefer and Acting Director Bobbi Schoon said public response to the former bank building at Main and Moore Streets has been good so far. TRPL staff moved into the new building in August as contractors were finishing up renovations on the building, which the board acquired in 2017. Curbside lending service resumed in September, and the building opened to limited visitation earlier in October. Board members also approved a snow removal contract, authorized Schoon to negotiate with Park Township over an ongoing issue, and discussed a possible archival tenant in the basement.
YMCA Camp Eberhart, located on the shore of Corey Lake west of Three Rivers, will be hosting a Halloween “Trunk-or-Treat” event this Saturday, October 31. Families will be able to tour slowly through the camp in their cars, and more than 40 individuals, groups, and organizations will be on hand to pass out treats. Event organizers say children and adults are welcome and encouraged to arrive in costume. The event is free and open to anyone.
Nicholas Mastos, one of three codefendants in a home invasion that took place on South Constantine Street in Three Rivers in the early hours of July 19, has received his sentence. Last month, Mastos pled guilty to one count of first-degree home invasion as well as one count of attempted breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny, Mastos’ fourth such habitual offense.
The St. Joseph County Democratic Party is hosting an event at Memory Isle Park in downtown Three Rivers this Sunday. Called “Dems on Mem,” organizers characterize the event as a pre-election rally. It will feature a number of candidates for Federal, state, and local offices, and the schedule will also include live music, speeches, and an informal candidate meet-and-greet.
Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Three Rivers is hosting a food truck event in its parking lot this Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event is a fundraiser for the “IC Boosters,” which is the school’s parent-teacher organization. Four trucks will be featured in what Principal Sharon Voege says is an opportunity to be social and socially distanced at the same time.
Thomas Stambaugh pled guilty Monday in the St. Joseph County 45th Circuit Court Monday for the hit-and-run killing of Laura Jacobs on June 18, 2020, in the Three Rivers Meijer parking lot.
Matthew Mosher believes it is important for elected officials to be responsive and accountable to all of their constituents, no matter who those constituents are. At a campaign meet and greet event at Meyer Broadway County Park this past Sunday, Mosher discussed with Watershed Voice the measures he would take to bring about that responsiveness and accountability, as well as what, exactly, those things mean to him.
In a statement Friday, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the open carry of firearms at polling places on Election Day is prohibited around the state. Three Rivers Police Chief Tom Bringman gives details on how the TRPD plans to protect against voter intimidation on Election Day.
Jared Hoffmaster announced this week that his campaign has received the endorsement of Sheriff Mark Lillywhite. Hoffmaster is running for the First District seat on the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners.
Matthew Mosher, a candidate for the First District seat on the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners, will hold a campaign event this Sunday near Three Rivers. The Candidate Meet and Greet event will take place in the morning at the Pavilion at Meyer Broadway County Park.
The GQT Three Rivers 6, the first-run multiplex movie theater at the north end of Three Rivers, is reopening for business today after a long closure. The theater has been closed since March 16 when it responded to the first pandemic-related shutdown order.