County Information

State Rep. Aaron Miller voted Wednesday in favor of a budget that provides additional funding for veterans courts. The House judiciary budget bill includes an additional $436,000 for specialty courts aimed at treating military veterans and active-duty personnel, bringing total funding to $936,000. Miller said the men and women who serve in the military make enormous sacrifices and often struggle …

Centreville Public Schools made official this week the employment of its next superintendent. Board members Monday offered and officially accepted a contract with Stephanie Lemmer. A Portage native, Lemmer will replace Rob Kuhlman after he concludes a seven-year tenure as superintendent in June. Lemmer, 34, has served as director of Head Start at Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency since 2013. …

Employees at DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto seed corn companies in Constantine recently held a friendly competition to see whose employees could collect the most items for the food pantry at Messiah Lutheran Church in Constantine. Pioneer won the contest with 1,480 pounds of items versus 1,220 pounds of items collected by Monsanto. Employees delivered what they had collected to the …

St. Joseph County commissioners are prepared to take the unprecedented step of offering funds toward the restoration of what is generally considered the worst road in the county. During Wednesday’s executive committee meeting, commissioners agreed to consider a $50,000 allocation toward improving a six-mile stretch of Constantine Road. Commission chairman Allen Balog said the county board has never provided general-fund …

A sanitary-sewer overflow occurred this week in Constantine. The incident took place at 10:50 a.m. Monday in the 300 block of Water Street as a result of critical repairs being conducted on the infrastructure. Village officials said 3,340 gallons of wastewater overflowed from a manhole over the course of the 25-minute event. A contractor was brought in to vacuum and …

State Rep. Aaron Miller this week approved recommendations for the Michigan State Police agency’s 2017-18 budget. The state House endorsed a bill approved by the Michigan State Police Budget Subcommittee, which is chaired by Miller. Included in the plan is the addition of 100 new state police troopers across the state. Miller said there is a need for increased public …

The St. Joseph County Solid Waste Committee wishes to advise residents that the annual spring collection of household hazardous waste, electronics, paper, latex and paint takes place in three weeks. Committee officials said they like to give a few weeks’ advance notice so people with items to drop off can begin the process. A few notes about the April 22 …

The St. Joseph County Conservation District is hosting a three-hour, bug-collection opportunity at 10 a.m. Saturday at nine separate locations in three different rivers. Conservation District executive director Carolyn Grace said volunteers are needed to collect the aquatic inhabitants as a means of gauging the health of the Portage, Prairie and Rocky rivers. Grace and a team of volunteers – …

State Rep. Aaron Miller on Tuesday voted to increase the state’s allocation for each individual student by $100 as part of a $14.3 billion education budget. Miller, who said Michigan’s future is based on its students and classrooms, is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on School Aid. Miller said his endorsement will hopefully lead to kids being proficient …

A Park Township man whose expertise centers on bees is offering a one-day beekeeping course this coming weekend. Bee School will be led 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday by Jonathan Showalter, owner of Beeline Apiaries & Woodenware. The business is located at the one-time bowling alley at the northwest corner of M-60 and Parkville Road in Park Township. A …