County Information

The Cass County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a missing-person report in the village of Vandalia. Ramona Huffman, 48, was last seen shortly after 9 o’clock Tuesday night, when she left her home to walk to a nearby gas station. Her family attempted for several hours to find her before calling police. Huffman is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs …

A step toward a resolution in Three Rivers’ attempt to annex an 80-acre parcel from Lockport Township was taken Wednesday during a proceeding before members of a state panel. A recommending body comprised of State Boundary Commission staff and the office of the state’s Attorney General, concurred that the annexation petition filed by the city is legally sufficient. Its recommendation …

A vehicle and an assortment of tools were stolen earlier this week from a Constantine residence. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said the victim reported that a 2000 Dodge Ram was stolen from the driveway. In addition, three chainsaws and two nail guns were taken from inside the homeowner’s garage. The incident occurred between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 4:45 …

A former Constantine girls’ basketball coach has been charged with embezzling more than $11,000 from a non-profit organization. Joseph Stacey was arrested Oct. 4 and arraigned. He was freed on a $15,000 personal recognizance bond. Stacey allegedly embezzled $11,060 between May 2012 and November 2015. According to an affidavit of probable cause, Stacey opened a checking account in May 2012 …

The St. Joseph County Transportation Authority saw a decrease of more than 3 percent in its ridership last fiscal year compared to the previous 12-month period. The Three Rivers-based agency closed the books on its 2015-16 fiscal year Sept. 30. It provided 94,435 rides during its 12-month fiscal year. That figure was down from 97,502 rides provided in the 2014-15 …

A 36-year-old Three Rivers woman suffered serious injuries in a one-vehicle accident this week in Burr Oak Township. State police said Kristy Strowzewski was driving north on Carpenterson Road shortly after 3 p.m. Monday when the 2005 Ford Taurus left the roadway and struck a tree near Leverence Road. Strowzewski was airlifted to Bronson Methodist Hospital; details of her injuries …

A Schoolcraft teenager was arrested last weekend after he implied an act of violence would occur at a school. Schoolcraft Police Department Chief Bryan Campbell said the department received a report around 5 p.m. Saturday from administrative staff with Schoolcraft Community Schools. The School had been contacted about an Instagram posting that inferred violence was going to occur at a …

Nicole Airgood, principal at Eastwood Elementary School in Sturgis, is among 58 elementary and middle school principals named as 2016 National Distinguished Principals by the National Association of Elementary School Principals. The recipients were honored last week at a banquet at Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. The program recognizes public- and private-school principals who make superior contributions to their …

A boil-water advisory in the village of White Pigeon has been lifted. Municipal officials said the cancellation of the boil-water advisory was issued around 4:30 p.m. Monday after a series of tests reported negative for the presence of coliform bacteria. The advisory went into effect around 4 p.m. Wednesday after four of eight samples being tested as a routine procedure …

State police are conducting an investigation into allegations of financial irregularities at sister churches in Colon and Bronson. According to the Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo, an audit of finances at St. Barbara in Colon and St. Mary Assumption in Bronson was conducted at the request of the diocese. Diocese officials said the audit yielded questionable financial practices and transactions over …