Two Coldwater-area girls are being sought by state police, as they are considered runaways. According to a department media release, 15-year-old Nikkie Lee-Ann Fields, who stands 5-foot-6 and of slender build, was reported missing Tuesday morning from Branch County’s Girard Township. Her last known location was from where she was dropped off at her bus stop Monday afternoon following classes …

I am Cullen, a neutered male, about one year old, Heeler Aussie mix.  I am on the small side probably under 40 lbs.  I have a medium length coat, I am housebroken and I get along with other dogs.  I came in to this place as a stray.  I am a little slow to make up to people, but the …

Cass County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded last week to the scene of a two-vehicle accident in Porter Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said the incident occurred shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of U.S. 12 and Baldwin Prairie Road. Investigators found that 22-year-old Kyle Kauffman, of Vandalia, was driving south on Baldwin Prairie and came to a stop at …

A Dowagiac man who fell asleep at the wheel was injured in a single-vehicle accident earlier this week in Cass County’s Jefferson Township. Cass County Sheriff’s officials said 31-year-old Matthew Bixby was driving west on Brownsville Street at 2:20 p.m. Monday when his vehicle went off the roadway and struck a dead tree. After the impact, the top of the …

St. Joseph County road commissioners have announced that construction on Constantine Road, between Fairchild and Roys roads, is scheduled to begin next week, weather permitting. The work, slated to start Oct. 4, will not be affected by the defensive lockout of Operating Engineers, Local 324 employees that was initiated by several Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association contractors. One of the …

Three grants were renewed for another year following approval last week by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. The first was a state grant for $173,000 to Community Corrections for a variety of programs and administration-related expenses. Next, commissioners OK’d an agreement making Emergency Management eligible for any number of grants in the 2019 fiscal year. The action is …

It won’t go down in history as the hottest ever, but the 2018 St. Joseph County Grange Fair can safely be called a success. Estimates show about 141,000 people attended the fair over the course of its seven-day run, concluding Saturday. Fair manager Bill Johnson said that reflects an 8 percent increase from 2017, considered the hottest in the fair’s …

A Decatur man died in a two-vehicle accident last week in Cass County’s Wayne Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said Cody Jenkins, 35, was driving a vehicle south on M-51 when it collided head-on with a northbound van shortly before 2 a.m. Friday in the 54000 block. Deputies observed both vehicles with heavy front-end damage. The van was driven by Marie …

Authorities say a police officer shot and wounded a young man who allegedly pointed a gun at another officer in northern Indiana. Lt. Alex Arendt, assistant commander of the St. Joseph (Indiana) County Metro Homicide Unit, says two plain-clothes South Bend Police Department officers spotted a vehicle driving erratically Monday and followed it into the parking lot of a lounge. …

Three Rivers Middle School Principal Andy Mains retained his title as pie-eating champion, as a result of a competition Saturday at the St. Joseph County Grange Fair. In addition to Three Rivers, the fifth annual county school districts pie-eating event featured representatives from Constantine, Sturgis, White Pigeon, Burr Oak, Nottawa and the St. Joseph County Intermediate School District. Mains downed …