County Information

A cold-case investigation led by Cass County officials resulted in the arrest of an Indiana man related to a case dating to 1977. Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz said Raymond Richmond, a 56-year-old South Bend resident, was arrested Thursday in connection with the November 1977 homicide of Robert Stasiak. The 25-year-old Stasiak was found shot at his parents’ Edwardsburg-area house …

A survey of the sanitary sewer system in the city of Sturgis is expected to conclude today. The survey has involved opening manholes in the streets and easements. Then, a nontoxic smoke is blown into the sewer mains to locate breaks and defects in the system. Smoke possibly seen coming from vent stacks on buildings or holes in the ground …

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency last month received the 2016 Jean Chabut Health Policy Champions Award. The award, along with a special legislative tribute, was presented by State Representatives Aaron Miller and Eric Leutheuser during the Michigan Public Health Week Ceremonies at the Capitol Rotunda. The tri-county health department was acknowledged for its emergency preparedness capabilities as demonstrated by …

Members of the St. Joseph County Road Commission have two weeks before they’ll regroup and take a deeper look at the lopsided defeat the agency suffered this week. By a margin of nearly 5-to-1, a request for an additional 2.5 mills over a 10-year period was turned down Tuesday. Agency officials said they hope to get a better understanding of …

Registration for a first-of-its-kind competition in St. Joseph County opened this week. Bill Johnson, manager of the St. Joseph County Grange Fair, said the “River Country Has Talent” competition will involve eight local community celebrations after a kickoff weekend June 3-4 at the Centreville-based fairgrounds. At stake is $1,500 to the winner and $500 each to the two runners-up. Johnson …

St. Joseph County’s longtime medical examiner was recognized by members of the county commission during their meeting this week. A proclamation honoring John Robertson was approved by commissioners Tuesday. Commissioner Rick Shaffer read the proclamation. It commended Robertson for his personal commitment of time and energy required to responsibly perform a public duty, and for the unselfish sacrifices he demonstrated …

A request for 2.5 additional mills sought by the St. Joseph Road Commission was turned down by a margin of nearly 5-to-1 Tuesday. The unofficial tally shows 4,544 votes against the request and 961 in favor. The request for what would have amounted to about $5.4 million a year for a 10-year period was a fair question to let the …

Teresa Doehring, St. Joseph County’s human resources director, was named assistant county administrator under Pat Yoder following a vote by county commissioners Tuesday. The 41-year-old Mendon resident was hired in January 2015 to replace Elishia Arver, who also served during a portion of her employment as assistant county administrator. The assignment does not come with a pay increase, Yoder said. …

Two public hearings and four matters of new business will be fielded by the Three Rivers City Commission this evening. An IFT application for a 10,000-square-foot expansion by Metal Technologies and a zoning amendment to a B-2 Zoning District for light industry will be staged during the public-hearing process. New business to be discussed by the commission features a boundary …

Organizers of Sunday’s Mendon Dust-Off said more than 300 cars were on display at the 53rd annual event. Heidi Alexander, president of the Three Rivers Car and Antiques Restorers Club, said considering the cold weather and steady drizzle, she was happy that so many people decided to be a part of the show anyway. She said the event, which took …