The first debate between Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers will be this Thursday, October 8 at 7 p.m. The debate will air live on WOOD TV8, WOOD TV+, WOODTV.com, and their partner stations across the state. Thursday’s debate is part of WOOD TV8’s “Debate Week in Michigan.” On Tuesday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson and Republican candidate John James faced off in their first debate.
The first batch of local funding is being disbursed to cities and counties across Michigan as part of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Neighborhood Roads Fund (NRF), which aims to rebuild state and local roads and bridges. Locally, residents in Three Rivers and Sturgis have complained to local officials about the condition of their roads, asking for plans to fix them. Those officials have said some of the most problematic roads are owned and maintained by the state, meaning responsibility for those repairs rests with the state.
The ballot proposal would amend the Michigan Campaign Finance Act to prohibit regulated electric and gas utilities from making certain direct or indirect political contributions. It would also restrict government contractors with more than $250,000 annually in qualifying contracts, along with certain people and organizations affiliated with those companies, from contributing to candidates in jurisdictions that awarded the contracts.
Berrien County leaders recently established a new nonprofit that works to keep housing affordable. It’s an example of cooperation that policymakers wish happened more often among the state’s 1,856 counties, cities, townships and villages. Collectively, those local governments spend more than $30 billion a year, according to US Census data, including $1.7 billion in state revenue sharing.
This Thursday, July 16, Watershed Voice sent out candidate questionnaires to candidates in the following August primary elections: State Senate District 17, State House District 36, and Three Rivers City Commission 2nd District. Candidates in those elections will have exactly one week, until Thursday, July 23 to complete the questionnaires. Once completed, Watershed Voice will publish the responses in the order they are received the week before the August 4 election.
The investment is expected to generate at least $16,850,000 in capital investment while creating 32 new jobs in the region. To support the project, the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) approved a $200,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant.
St. Joseph County voters will decide a number of competitive federal, state, and local races when they head to the polls for Michigan’s August 4 primary election. Three Rivers voters in the city’s 2nd District will also have a competitive local race. Josh Hoeppner, Maurice D. Kelly, and incumbent Steven Haigh are seeking the seat. Because the office is nonpartisan, the top vote-getter in the primary will advance according to the city’s election rules.
In March, commissioners were asked to approve use of $249,192 from the Bombardie bequest to help close a funding gap in the park improvement project, which was initially denied in a 4-4 vote. In a 5-3 vote on April 9, commissioners reversed course and approved the request. The Bombardie bequest stems from a donation made more than two decades ago by Charles Bombardie, who left 10% of his estate to Cass County Parks. County documents say $249,192 remained in the fund before Thursday’s vote, with the money restricted for park purposes. During Thursday’s discussion, Commissioner Samuel Barrera read from the last will and testament of Charles Bombardie, dated 2001, and argued the county should honor the donor’s intent by using the money for park improvements.
Municipalities pay newspapers to publish these notices, with costs varying based on the number and length of postings. According to recent Three Rivers City Commission agenda packets, the city paid $740 to the Three Rivers Commercial-News for fiscal year 2026 public notices. A separate payment of $290 for the same category was recorded February 13. If lawmakers pursue changes, they could alter where and how notices are published, potentially shifting some requirements away from newspapers. However, state Rep. Sarah Lightner (R-Springport) has said she is not seeking to eliminate public notice requirements altogether.
Commissioners voted unanimously to table the item and revisit it at a future meeting. City staff said they plan to prepare additional information, including visuals, and hold a meeting to gather resident feedback before returning to the commission. “If we postpone it to one more meeting, it’s not going to have a delay on receiving the funds,” Commissioner Jae Slaby said. “It will not jeopardize these funds. It will not jeopardize the contract. So why not just have the due diligence done and send the message to the community that we are hearing their concerns?”
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