The first person to publicly announce his candidacy for the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners is a longtime Centreville resident and public official. Dennis Allen said he will seek the Third District seat currently held by 20-year board member and Fishers Lake resident Rick Shaffer. Shaffer has already stated he will not seek re-election for an additional two-year term. …

A courthouse addition for the county courts departments was identified as the No. 1 priority based on an informal poll during this week’s county commissioner workshop. The five-member panel over the course of an hour Tuesday revisited a number of projects either in progress or on the drawing board. Among the projects in either the planning or discussion stages, however, …

The Black Pine Animal Sanctuary, where a pair of exotic animals removed last month from a Mottville Township residence is receiving medical treatment, has provided an update on the condition of the animals it took in. A monkey is in quarantine. At the time of its removal, it weighed less than 10 pounds, was emaciated and dehydrated, and deprived of …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department has fielded a number of reports from residents complaining of telephone calls claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service. Sheriff Balk said the IRS does not conduct business by telephone. He encourages people to do the following if they receive such phone calls: Record the employee’s name, return-call number and caller ID if …

A Battle Creek man has been charged after police found his dog badly beaten on his back porch. The husky mix had been beaten with an aluminum baseball bat and shot at least once with a pellet rifle when officers arrived. A Battle Creek police officer shot and killed the dog Tuesday night because of the severity of its wounds. Police …

Cathy Lee Sussdorf, age 58, of Three Rivers, died Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. She was born in Three Rivers on April 13, 1957 the daughter of Charles and Cathryn (Mikosz) Cooper and was a lifetime resident of Three Rivers. She graduated from Three Rivers High School with the class of 1975. Kathy was a …

Billie Eugene Eicholtz, age 75, died Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 at his adult foster care home in Portage. He was born in Sherman Township on Jan. 28, 1941 the son of Clyde D. and Caroline M. (Schaffer) Eicholtz. He had worked at the ARCH Workshop in Centreville. Bill loved attending the St. Joseph County Fair each year, and especially enjoyed …

Duane “Skip” H. Baldwin, Jr., age 67, of Constantine, passed away Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at his home. He was born on August 26, 1948 in Three Rivers, a son of Duane and Margaret (Bender) Baldwin, Sr. Duane graduated from Constantine High School in 1968 and went on to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps for 22 years. On September …

County commissioners appear deadlocked on whether to move forward with a marketing plan to encourage Chicago and its suburban residents to consider making St. Joseph County a vacation and, potentially, a permanent destination. The issue was discussed during Tuesday’s work session involving the five-member commission. As part of its goal to promote its 150 miles of rivers, the county has …

Representatives from Glen Oaks Community College and the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department conducted an emergency-preparedness drill Tuesday. School officials said the drill was staged to provide college employees, and local and state police agencies a chance to practice responding to an active shooter incident on campus. Participants from public-safety and medical-response agencies in the county also had a role …