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Farrand Hall owners James Gray and Jacob Hagan have been ordered to repay a customer more than $2,100 after failing to appear for a small claims court hearing. According to St. Joseph County court records, a default judgment of $2,145.65 was ordered June 1 in favor of Michael G. Timmers. The judgment includes $2,043.65 sought by Timmers and additional court costs.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) notified the city May 5 that the drawdown must be completed by July 15. The action follows the agency’s latest evaluation of the dam’s left embankment, an area that has been monitored for several years through the city’s regular dam safety reporting process. City officials said the required drawdown is being implemented as an Interim Risk Reduction Measure while plans continue to move forward for long-term repairs and improvements to the embankment.

The restaurant opens in a location that has seen several businesses come and go in recent years, most recently the Farrand Hall Diner before the company announced its closure and sale. But Chef Ken Miller says he viewed the building’s restaurant-ready setup as an opportunity rather than a warning sign. At the heart of the restaurant, Miller said, is a focus on approachable food made with local ingredients from Southwest Michigan and the broader Great Lakes region. “Our goal is to create an experience that’s equal parts delicious, familiar, exciting and welcoming,” the restaurant states in its opening materials.

“With inflation, cost of living, you know, my members want a living wage, and my members want benefits that are affordable and that they have access to, and I think they have every right to have every one of those benefits,” UAW Local 2093 Vice President Joe Taylor told Watershed Voice. “They want job security, they want to retire with dignity, and they’re some of the hardest working people that I know.” Members of UAW Local 2093 work at American Axle & Manufacturing, also known locally as Dauch Corporation, which supplies axles for General Motors pickup trucks. The strike follows months of contract negotiations between union representatives and the company. Earlier in May, workers voted 98% in favor of authorizing a strike if an agreement could not be reached before the contract deadline.

The Three Rivers City Commission will meet for a regular business meeting this evening at 6 p.m. at City Hall. Commissioners will consider Rural Heritage Partnership grant applications, the transfer of 124 Middle St., hold the second and final hearing on the city’s user fee schedule, and make appointments to various city boards. City documents currently list 23 board vacancies.

The investigation follows multiple failed attempts by Vice Mayor Jeff Mullins and Commissioner Aaron Miller to censure Mayor Frank Perez or remove him from his mayoral duties during previous meetings. Those efforts stem from allegations by some commissioners that Perez and others violated Michigan law, commission procedures, and the city charter — accusations that have largely remained shielded from public discussion because they were raised during closed session meetings. Tuesday’s vote represented a significant shift after two previous investigation resolutions failed on 4-3 votes. Mayor Perez was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.