County Information

St. Joseph County District Court Judge Rob Pattison has announced he will stage a “Court in the Schools” session next month in Three Rivers. Pattison on Monday said the session, will involve an actual sentencing from someone who pled guilty to a drug- or alcohol-related offense. The event will take place at 1 p.m. April 15 at Three Rivers High …

High school students interested in 2016-17 career and technical education are encouraged to apply soon. CTE director Tommy Cameron said the early application deadline is Thursday. Prospective participants can apply online at sjcisd.com. Classes include agri-science, automotive services, building trades, computer information technologies, CAD, graphics design, marketing, medical occupations and welding. Cameron said early deadline provides prospective participants the best …

Investigators from the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit worked in conjunction with parole agents from the Michigan Department of Corrections in performing compliance checks last week. Sheriff Brad Balk said investigators teamed with corrections agents to check on individuals on parole and probation in Three Rivers, Fabius Township, and Lockport Township. Seven different locations were targeted, resulting in five …

Dep. MaKenzie Kreiner of the Cass County Sheriff’s Office has been selected as the 2015 Child Passenger Safety Technician of the Year by the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. The annual recognition program, now in its second year, honors those who serve as an example to other technicians by educating families about the proper installation and use of car …

The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado touched down last week near Edwardsburg. The agency said the incident occurred around 3:15 p.m. Thursday a mile west of the community at the north end of Sundance Road, just south of U.S. 12. A video was taken that shows debris being lofted with notable rotation. The tornado tracked in an east-northeast direction. It heavily …

St. Joseph County’s E-911 Central Dispatch fell short of a goal in 2015 but the objective remains a work in progress, according to agency director Dennis Brandenburg. Presenting his department’s annual report to county commissioners last week, Brandenburg said his No. 1 goal in 2015 was to staff central dispatch fully. Regarding accomplishments last year, Brandenburg said the agency received …

Members of the St. Joseph County’s Solid Waste Committee are asking residents to be mindful of an approaching date as they begin their spring cleaning in coming weeks. The agency’s twice-a-year collection of household hazardous waste, and recycling of electronics, tires paper and latex paint takes place April 23rd at the county fairgrounds. The event will take place 8 a.m. …

The Michigan House Appropriations Subcommittee for State Police this week approved a $654 million budget that state Rep. Aaron Miller said improves public safety for all Michigan families. Miller, chair of the panel, said the budget includes funding for a state trooper school that will train 64 men and women to provide law enforcement across the state. The spending plan …

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency is reporting an uptick in flu-like illness and other viruses. Agency health officer Rebecca Burns said the tri-county health department during February saw an increase in respiratory illnesses and gastro-intestinal illnesses, as well as other communicable diseases. According to Kim Wilhelm, prevention services director, it is typical for flu to peak in February and …

Three Rivers Middle School teachers and administrators were on full alert Wednesday, the day after a threat of violence was posted on a social media site. Superintendent Jean Logan said middle school principal Nikki Nash was made aware Tuesday night of a social-media posting by a student who threatened to commit an act of violence Wednesday. Logan said police were …