Constantine Public Schools Superintendent Joe Holloway said the district was forced to cancel school earlier this week due to a shortage of bus drivers. Holloway said the decision affected classes Tuesday. He said the district has nearly a dozen routes. It has had to turn to drivers outside the district to aid Constantine under worst-case-scenario situations but even those options …

Three St. Joseph County school districts and two in Cass County are included in a pool that will share nearly $25 million to support the hiring of 195 school resource officers for the next three years. According to officials, the program will improve safety and security for more than 334,000 students in the state. Officials say a panel consisting of …

A malfunctioning furnace appears to be the cause of a house fire last weekend at a residence in Branch County’s Batavia Township. Bronson Fire chief Scott Wilber said the fire was discovered by a passerby, who noticed flames coming from a basement window shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday in the 100 block of Butcher Road. No one was home at …

A circuit court judge ruled last week that a forensic pathologist can testify in the murder trial of Michael Lafler. Judge Paul Stutesman qualified forensic pathologist Amanda Fisher-Hubbard as an expert witness after the defense attempted to stop her from testifying. Lafler, 36, is charged with open murder in the 2021 death of his girlfriend, 33-year-old Chelsea Wallen. The judge …

A 29-year-old Sturgis woman was arrested last week after allegedly confessing to setting a house on fire in Pennfield Township, according to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department. The incident happened at a home Jan. 3, deputies said. There were no injuries as a result of the fire, deputies said. Calhoun County detectives learned from Michigan State Police in St. Joseph …

An unspecified number of juveniles were taken into custody by Sturgis authorities after the youths caused damage to a number of residential buildings. According to Sturgis Department of Public Safety, officers responded at 10:15 p.m. Sunday to the 400 block of South Fourth Street. Officers quickly located a group of juveniles who were found to be in possession of BB …

The Branch-St. Joseph Area Agency on Aging, in collaboration with the Branch County Elder Abuse Prevention Coalition, will sign the revised and enhanced “Branch County Vulnerable Adult Protocol” Wednesday morning. The special event will occur at the Branch County Sheriff’s Office. The new protocol uses an inter-disciplinary team approach to address the growing number of cases of vulnerable-adult abuse, neglect and …

Outgoing Sturgis City Manager Mike Hughes was recognized last week for his 17 years of service as he prepares to leave the city government position for a new career outside municipal service. Mayor Jeff Mullins presented Hughes with a proclamation, highlighting the economic and infrastructure growth seen under Hughes’ tenure. An open house honoring Hughes will take place 4 to …

St. Joseph County’s 2023 fiscal year budget is down a little more than 1 percent from the previous year. The general fund budget for 2023 – $19.6 million – was approved last month by county commissioners. The county’s 2022 amended budget was $19.8 million. Finance director Angie Steinman said looking at other counties similar in size to St. Joseph County …

A residential development in Three Rivers is included in an announcement made last week by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Whitmer announced funding to help build or improve nearly 700 affordable-housing units across 17 projects from Cheboygan to Detroit. Overall, the total development costs of projects funded is anticipated to be around $176.6 million, will create more than 60 permanent jobs and more than 1,100 temporary jobs. Funding is through the bipartisan “Building Michigan Together” plan, which included …