County Information

Officials from the Three Rivers Police Department have released the name of the man involved in a situation that resulted in lockdown status at Hoppin Elementary School last week. The suspect is 30-year-old Kyle Longacre of Three Rivers. He was taken to the county jail and arraigned on charges of one count of carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent …

Centreville Public Schools has announced its new elementary principal. During a special meeting Monday, the district’s board of education acted on the recommendation of superintendent Stephanie Lemmer and an interview committee, and made official the hiring of Mark VenderKlok. His employment takes effect July 1. Terms of his contract are being negotiated. VanderKlok has spent the past eight years with …

The recall of Constantine Public Schools Board President John Shuler has been suspended. St. Joseph County Clerk Lindsay Oswald issued a media release Monday, in which she stated at advice of legal counsel, the recall petition for Shuler is being rejected as to form. Consequently, there will not be a hearing Monday next week, as originally scheduled. The petition to …

On the heels of last month’s voter-approved request, St. Joseph County Central Dispatch is ready to proceed with its equipment upgrade. During last week’s county commission meeting, agency director Dennis Brandenburg was granted approval to enter into a contract with Motorola for nearly $3.5 million. The lease-to-own plan will allow central dispatch to replace all communication equipment at its Centreville …

Three days after a recall effort against her was dismissed, Ina Taulbee has resigned from the Sturgis City Commission. The 2nd precinct commissioner announced her resignation Thursday. A key factor in her decision centers on controversy related to medical marijuana in the city. Taulbee said the topic has brought with it a great deal of negative interaction that has become …

Officials from the Three Rivers Police Department have provided an update regarding a situation that resulted in lockdown status at Hoppin Elementary School last week. The Three Rivers school was in lockdown mode twice Thursday following reports of a suspicious man possibly in possession of a gun. Shortly after noon, the department received a number of reports of a subject …

St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested a man in connection with a breaking-and-entering incident last week at a residence in Sturgis Township. Deputies were called Thursday to the 25000 block of U.S. 12 in response to a home invasion that had been just discovered. Upon further investigation, deputies made contact with a suspect at another residence in the same …

Hoppin Elementary School was in lockdown mode twice Thursday following reports of a suspicious man possibly in possession of a gun. The first lockdown took place following a call from Central Dispatch, which reported the situation to Hoppin personnel at 10:45. The school went into lockdown for nearly a half hour until the Three Rivers Police Department confirmed the situation was …

Three Rivers Mayor Tom Lowry said he stands behind the claim that the majority of the city’s residents support the idea of a multi-field sports complex. Lowry on Thursday also lamented the proposal’s latest potential setback, as a group of opponents submitted a petition Wednesday to county clerk Lindsay Oswald. The petition seeks to have voters in the two municipalities …

A citizen-led initiative could see voters in Three Rivers and Lockport Township deciding the fate of a 77-acre property contested by the two entities. A petition was filed Wednesday with St. Joseph County Clerk Lindsay Oswald. Thirty-five pages in all, the petition seeks to have voters in the two municipalities decide whether the land should remain in Three Rivers or …