A 12-year-old Western Michigan boy has been charged with careless discharge of a firearm causing death in the accidental shooting of a 28-year-old family friend. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports  that the misdemeanor charge was authorized by a court referee. The boy is charged in juvenile court and currently lives with his grandfather. An Oct. 9 pretrial hearing is scheduled. Kalamazoo …

The July retirement of chief prosecuting attorney Chuck Herman has led to a series of promotions within the department. St. Joseph County commissioners Tuesday approved the promotion of Erin Harrington from assistant prosecuting attorney level II to chief assistant prosecuting attorney. The position pays an annual salary of about $68,500. Josh Robare was tapped to take Harrington’s previous position. Robare …

Organizers of a circus coming to Constantine Sunday are issuing a reminder that the cost of tickets is less if purchased in advance rather than the day of. Show times for the Kelly Miller Circus are 2 and 5 p.m.at Eastside Elementary. Advance tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children. They are available at the village office, Constantine …

The contracts of two administrators were approved during Monday’s Three Rivers Board of Education meeting. Nikki Nash will serve as interim principal at Three Rivers Middle School, while Ben McIntyre will be the interim principal at Andrews Elementary. Nash, 40, spent nine years as a third-grade teacher at Andrews and the past four as its principal. Her salary as interim …

Two weeks after county commissioners voted to begin the process of removing three members from the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Authority Board of St. Joseph County, the matter came to a head during Tuesday’s meeting. Despite strongly worded opinions from attorney John Gretzinger, representing CMHSAS board members Gaylene Adams, Larry Walton and Barb Parker, county commissioners voted …

The city of Three Rivers staged a celebration Monday to recognize its standing as a quarterfinalist – one of 50 municipalities from an original field of 400 – in a competition called America’s Best Communities. The achievement was acknowledged during a gathering at Belle Époque, where a major sponsor of the contest, Frontier Communications, provided the meal and the city …

A Sturgis woman suffered minor injuries after she was involved in a one-vehicle accident in Mottville Township earlier this week. Sheriff’s officials said Ciarra Meese, 19, was driving east on U.S. 12 around 1:30 p.m. Monday when she quickly came upon a vehicle stopped to turn left onto Vistula Road. Meese told investigators she attempted to pass the car on …

Three members of the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department were granted permission to travel out of state for training. The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners agreed Tuesday to allow TJ Baker, Mark Lillywhite and Kitty Buchner to attend for five days a conference in New Orleans. The trio will be gone in early November to participate in a conference …

Public restrooms are everywhere, except when you really need one. The best example that I can think of are those rest areas that appear on the major highways. The sign says, “Rest Area ahead one mile.” If you are traveling with your family, this is when you ask if there’s anyone who needs to use the bathroom. The answer, of …

The leader of a group supporting a recall of three board of education members in Three Rivers alleged that a board member has been making threats and creating a “hit list” against staff. Sherrie Nowicki addressed the board during its Monday meeting. She said employee morale is low and the district’s credibility is suffering as the result of a board …