Joan Peck, of Portage, went to be with the Lord on Friday, Aug. 4, 2017 at the age of 92. Joan was born July 22, 1925 in South Bend, to the late Robert and Fern (Dowell) McCombs. She was married to William H. Peck of Kalamazoo in 1950. After graduating, Joan worked for Indiana Bell. She then moved to Kalamazoo. …

A psychiatric evaluation has been ordered for Portage resident Zachary Patten. The 32-year-old Patten is accused of killing two people, one near Constantine and the other in Kalamazoo, on July 20. The evaluation is to be conducted at Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Grand Rapids. It was ordered by District Court Judge Jeff Middleton Tuesday at a preliminary conference. According …

St. Joseph County Clerk Lindsay Oswald said a long-awaited solution to improving the efficiency of election night is less than two months from reality. Oswald said the state of Michigan this week placed its order for St. Joseph County’s new election equipment. She said the new tabulators were ordered from Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems Inc. The state covered the $262,000 …

A Cass County man attempting to exterminate an underground beehive suffered extensive burns earlier this week in Silver Creek Township. Sheriff’s officials said deputies were called to the 28000 block of Middle Crossing Road in response to a person on fire. Deputies said 46-year-old Leslie Cross II of Dowagiac was found to no longer be on fire, which had been …

A fundraiser to benefit Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services will be staged this weekend in Three Rivers. “Walk A Mile In Her Shoes,” a one-mile walk to raise awareness and funds for the Three Rivers-based agency, takes place Saturday at Lafayette Park in Three Rivers. The walk starts at 11 a.m. and will include a kids’ walk, a dog walk …

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St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough has announced a key member of the department’s team has accepted a job working for the state. Chief assistant prosecutor Erin Harrington, 38, this week issued her resignation effective Aug. 21, according to McDonough. He said Harrington has taken a job working for the Michigan Attorney General’s office in Lansing. McDonough said Harrington’s nine …

The Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce wishes to remind the public that its annual golf outing is Aug. 22 at St. Joe Valley Golf Club. Check-in is at 10:30 a.m. and shotgun start is at 11. The $60 per-person event includes 18 holes of golf, a cart, lunch, on-course contests and prizes. Event organizers said hole sponsorships are available …

Officials with the Tri-County Health Department have given the OK for Camp Eberhart to re-open following an outbreak of a suspected norovirus. Community Health Officer Rebecca Burns said the Fabius Township site was cleared to re-open Wednesday. Nearly 50 people, including a few staff members were stricken with a case of vomiting and diarrhea. Laboratory testing by the agency remains …

A man charged in connection with two slayings in Michigan will undergo a competency examination. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that a St. Joseph County judge on Tuesday ordered the psychiatric evaluation to determine whether 32-year-old Zachary Patten is competent to stand trial. His preliminary examination scheduled for next week has been postponed. Patten was charged last month in the July …