The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners last week approved appointments to the agricultural preservation board and the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Board. Constantine-area resident Henry Miller was renamed to the Ag. Preservation Board for a three-year term. County Commissioner Don Eaton, meanwhile, was reappointed for a one-year term. In addition, five people were appointed to the …

The St. Joseph County Conservation District has announced the dates of its 2015 river cleanup events. The seven cleanups mark the fifth consecutive year of what is expected to be a six-year effort to clean all 150 miles of rivers in the county. Scheduled cleanups and dates are: the Rocky River June 6 in Flowerfield Township; the Prairie River June …

The Saginaw man accused of stabbing four people on an Amtrak train in Niles in December is not going to face trial on four charges of assault with intent to murder. 44-year-old Michael Williams was found incompetent to stand trial on Monday by Berrien County Trial Court Judge Dennis Wiley. When he was arrested, Williams told police he started stabbing …

State lawmakers are again considering a measure to legalize ticket scalping in Michigan. The measure, before a state House committee Tuesday, would repeal a 1931 state law that prohibits a person from selling sports or entertainment tickets for a profit without approval from a venue operator. Bill sponsor, House Republican Tim Kelly of Saginaw, says it’s a commonsense measure that …

Mary Ruth Homan, age 69, of Mendon died Sunday, March 8, 2015 at I.U. Health in Goshen. She was born in Vicksburg, MI on Aug. 29, 1945 the daughter of Ray Eldon and Rachel (Shook) Culp. She attended Fulton Elementary and graduated from Vicksburg High School with the class of 1963. Mary was married to Roger “Bill” Homan on Feb. …

A Sturgis resident was seriously injured in a single vehicle crash Friday night on McKale Road. According to State Police, 20-year-old Paige Baker lost control of her pickup and struck a tree. The crash happened just south of Findley Road.

Three personnel matters were approved last Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. Tim Barnes was promoted from road patrol officer to road patrol sergeant at $26.81 an hour retroactive to Jan. 27. A salary for Kitty Buchner was also approved. Starting April 1, Buchner will serve as jail administrator as the successor to the retiring Tim Schuler. …

State Rep. Aaron Miller was a visible figure in the community last week. Miller spent the day Friday making public appearances at locations in Centreville and Colon. The 27-year-old freshman representative spent a portion of the morning at the St. Joseph County Health Center in Centreville. Miller was given a tour of the facility and later met with representatives to …

The St. Joseph County Conservation District is accepting advance orders for its annual spring tree sale. Though quantities are limited, the advance sale is on through April 1. Nine different conifers – ranging from blue spruce and red pine to balsam fir – and a variety of eight deciduous trees – including black cherry, red maple and hazelnut – are …

A Sherman Township residence on Lake Templene was destroyed by fire last week. The Lakewood Circle home was vacant when the blaze was reported around 5 p.m. A pair of ice fishermen noticed smoke coming from the residence and alerted central dispatch, according to the Centreville Fire Department. Investigators from the Michigan State Police are looking into the situation, but …