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St. Joseph County is one of 26 counties in Michigan to receive funding for enhanced law-enforcement patrol specifically targeting drunken drivers. The additional enforcement has been in place since last weekend and will continue through Sunday. The Michigan Office of Highway Planning has provided the funding to cover the cost of additional state police patrols.

A vehicle was stolen between midnight and 7 a.m. Friday from a residence in the 56000 block of Buffalo Drive in Lockport Township. The vehicle – its year, make and model were not included in a department news release – was found abandoned at an undisclosed location in Three Rivers.

A 33- year-old Sturgis man escaped serious injury last week, when he crashed a motorcycle. Deputies said Michael Ritter was eastbound on Banker Street, near Zabel Shores about 11: 30 p.m. Wednesday, when he tried to avoid a deer, lost control of the motorcycle and crashed. Police said Ritter and the bike slid about 70 feet along the pavement. Ritter …

A 3 year-old child suffered minor cuts from shattered glass after the passenger’s side of a van was hit by a train engine in White Pigeon Township Friday afternoon. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said the crash, which occurred around 2:45 p.m. on Elkhart Street, just outside the village limits, took place when the driver of the van, Dominic …

One person was airlifted to Borgess Medical Center after a crash around 7 p.m. last Wednesday in Nottawa Township. St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department deputies said Centreville resident Carol Ann Walls was driving north on Nottawa Road when she failed to stop at the intersection of M-86. Walls’ vehicle struck a car headed east on M-86. Occupants of the second vehicle, Brian …

May unemployment in St. Joseph County increased by four-tenths of a percent from April, according to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget Analysis. The county’s May unemployment rate was 8.1 percent. Despite the increase from April, the May figure is still less than the county’s 9.9 percent unemployment rate in May 2011. One other positive note: St. Joseph …

The St. Joseph County Road Commission spent more than $5 million on road maintenance last year, down from $6.5 million in 2010, according to the agency’s manager, Louis Csokasy. During his annual report to the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners last month, Csokasy said the agency did manage to complete 90 miles of road upgrades through chip-and-seal work in …

A community forum regarding a 210-mile, two-state pipeline drew nearly 70 people to Three Rivers Wednesday. Officials from Calgary-based Enbridge put on the three-hour informational session to answer questions and provide information about the so-called 6B Replacement Project. About 14 miles of the pipeline  starting near Gary, Ind., and ending near Port Huron  will traverse St. Joseph County. According to …

Three Rivers city officials said they expect Scidmore Park playground to reopen this weekend after a five-day undertaking to improve the playground surface. Assistant Engineer Merritt Brown said the task involved removing the entire covering of wood chips and replacing the surface area with crumb rubber. Work started Monday and has involved a number of volunteers. Brown said Jamie Clark, …

Officials from Indiana Michigan Power said they expect to conclude annual maintenance at its Constantine hydroelectric facility at some point today. The reservoir level was lowered by one foot earlier this week but is expected to be fully restored by the end of the day. Its normal operating level is 783 feet above sea level.