Two Constantine Township men, ages 26 and 24, were charged with drug-related offenses, as well as illegal possession of a deer, following arrests made Monday. Based on observations made last week, the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit went to a residence in the 62000 block of Brick Chapel Road in Constantine Township to investigate suspected methamphetamine production. SCAN unit …

A tentative trial date for the man accused of killing a Sturgis accountant has been scheduled for June 24. The date for suspect Andy Brown was set during a status conference Monday by St. Joseph County 45th Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman. Pre-trial motions are scheduled for May 16. Brown, of Portage, is charged with the 2013 murder of Sturgis …

St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners has renewed its contract with Fabius Township for law-enforcement services. During Tuesday’s meeting, the commission agreed to the one-year contract. The measure, which has been in place more than 13 years, calls for the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department to dedicate a car and deputy to patrol Fabius Township exclusively. Undersheriff Mark Lillywhite said …

Sharon Irene (Sowles) Kline, age 54, of Sturgis, passed away Sunday morning, March 30, 2014, at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. She was born Feb. 7, 1960, in Gary, Ind., a daughter of the late Ray and Dorothy (Crowe) Sowles. Sharon spent the past 20 years in Sturgis, where she was a friendly and familiar face in the community and …

A trio of finalists for the superintendent’s job at Colon Community Schools will be interviewed this evening. Victor Bungi, Drew Bordner and Mike Corey were selected last week from a field of seven prospects to undergo second interviews and site visits. The first of the three interviews will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Colon High School’s media center. Site visits …

St. Joseph County was in the bottom third in the state in two health-related categories, according to results from a study released last week. The fifth annual County Health Rankings from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute were released showed St. Joseph County was 60th overall in health outcomes and 59th overall in health factors. …

Mr. William “Bill” Hugh Mitchell Jr., age 88, of Three Rivers, passed away suddenly on Sunday, March 30, 2014, at his home. He was born in Burgoon, OH., on May 2, 1925 the son of the late William Hugh and Minnie E. (Voorhies) Mitchell. Bill graduated from Jackson Burgoon High School in 1943. Upon graduation Bill joined the U.S. Navy …

Louis Lee White, Sr., age 71 of Three Rivers died Sunday March 30, 2014 at his home. He was born in Sturgis on July 29, 1942 the son of Walter E. and Geraldine (Hendricks) White and was a lifetime resident of the area. Louis was employed at Weyerhauser in Three Rivers for over thirty one years. He enjoyed camping and …

Betty A. VanDeKeere, 81, of LaGrange, Ind., died Saturday, March 29, 2014 at Miller’s Merry Manor in LaGrange. She worked at Transagram and as a cook at Miller’s Merry Manor. She lived her lifetime in LaGrange and was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Betty was born on April 19, 1932, in LaGrange, to Raymond and Anna (Brown) Keplinger. …

A collection of trash in Constantine Township’s Mill Creek turned out to be a methamphetamine dump site. Members of the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit were called Friday to Brick Chapel Road and spent several hours picking debris from the water. Sheriff’s department officials had received a tip about suspicious items found in the creek. Police determined several items …