County Information

Indiana Michigan Power plans to invest about $5 million to improve the electric transmission system in St. Joseph County. The Sturgis Area Improvements project is essential to ensure continued reliable energy service is available to customers, according to I& M spokesperson Tracy Warner. Plans include upgrading about three miles of 69-kilovolt transmission line. Warner said existing wood poles will be …

Michigan Department of Transportation in 2018 is planning a $7 million overhaul of a busy stretch of U.S. 131 in Three Rivers. But the focus during a two-hour open house Wednesday in Three Rivers was on a roundabout proposed for the south intersection of U.S. 131 and M-60. Funding for the circular obstacle, however, remains an issue and its inclusion …

St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough said there will be no charges filed in a case last week in which a 4-year-old Sherman Township girl died as the result of a dog attack. McDonough stated in a media release issued Wednesday that he had the opportunity to review all information regarding the death and concluded there is not sufficient evidence …

Members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners agreed this week to table a matter related to an infrastructure project at one of its parks. Commissioners voted Tuesday to delay approving a contract for sanitary sewer and water extension at Cade Lake in Fawn River Township. County administrator Pat Yoder said the matter was premature in appearing on the …

The 60th Mendon Kiwanis Showboat is underway, and organizers, including Dale Eickhoff, took a unique approach to establish the Showboat’s 2016 theme. Eickhoff said Showboat officials have gone back and picked out songs and jokes used in the previous 59 shows. This year’s Showboat theme, he said, is “Still Crazy After All These Years.” The oldest song dates to 1958, when …

The St. Joseph County United Way has started focusing on food donations for Thanksgiving baskets, and it is hoping local companies will consider staging food drives to help with the 2016 holiday. Last year, 150 local families received Thanksgiving food baskets thanks to donations from local companies and individuals, United Way Executive Director Kelly Hostetler said. For the past few …

A Constantine resident urged county commissioners to consider an allocation in their 2017 fiscal year to making the promotion of tourism, business and industry a county function. Rebecca Shank, at Tuesday’s meeting, suggested commissioners during their budget process in coming weeks put the duties of promotion and tourism under some aspect of the county. She proposed its parks and recreation …

A section of St. Joseph County lost power Tuesday morning as a result of two transformers malfunctioning. Erica Putt, communications consultant with Indiana Michigan Power, said the outage primarily affected residents in the Constantine and Three Rivers areas. She said the problems originated from the State Street transmission station in Three Rivers and a station in the Florence Industrial Park, …

Authorities are citing alcohol and excessive speed as factors in a single-vehicle crash early Sunday morning in White Pigeon Township. State police said 26-year-old White Pigeon resident Larry Krotzer was driving west on Fawn River Road at 12:10 a.m., when the SUV he was driving went off the roadway and struck a utility pole near the intersection of Lima Road. …

Sheriff’s department investigators were called last week to a Park Township residence in response to a breaking-and-entering situation. According to a department media release, deputies were called shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday to the 17000 block of Marcellus Road, where a residence and several outbuildings were broken into. The victim speculated the incident occurred between Oct. 21 and Oct. 24. …