County Information

Constantine School’s board of education has offered the district’s superintendent post to Steve Wilson. District officials made their decision last week, as eight-year incumbent Chuck Frisbie, is retiring in June. The 40-year-old Wilson has been employed by the 1,400-student district for 10 years, and currently serves as the assistant superintendent and principal at Riverside Elementary School. The board hired Michigan …

Two people were arrested on drug-related offenses last week following an investigation by the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team. Detectives last Friday executed a search warrant in the 100 block of North O’Keefe Street in the village of Cassopolis. Once inside the residence, investigators found four, one-pot methamphetamine labs, an undisclosed quantity of meth, meth paraphernalia, multiple components used in …

State Rep. Aaron Miller last week told a House committee that the age requirements to run for state office should be lowered so people already considered legal adults can become involved in state government. Miller testified before the House Committee on Elections regarding a resolution he introduced last fall. The resolution proposes an amendment to the Michigan Constitution, changing the …

A 48-year-old Kendallville, Ind., man is in the St. Joseph County jail after a stabbing incident last week in Sturgis. According to police, the victim, a loss-prevention team member at Walmart on South Centerville Road, was attempting to stop the man for shoplifting. The worker suffered a stab wound to the neck and was treated at Sturgis Hospital. Officers were …

Dense fog, icy roads and drivers going too fast for conditions led to a six-car, chain-reaction crash late last week in White Pigeon Township. The crash occurred around 7 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Lutz and Dickenson roads. Michigan State Police said a semi driven by Raphel Milo, 51, was headed north on Lutz Road and slowing to make …

Emergency crews were already stretched thin Friday morning last week after a six-vehicle collision on Lutz Road in White Pigeon Township. An unrelated crash scene not far from the Lutz Road incident added to the need for fire and rescue personnel. In an attempt to make Lutz Road safe for emergency personnel, it was closed at Stears Road in Constantine …

An Indiana woman died Friday after the vehicle she was driving was struck by a freight train in Pokagon Township. Sheriff Joe Underwood said the woman, Barbara Schult, of Middlebury, was driving east at 3:44 p.m. on Pokagon Highway when she passed stationary vehicles that had stopped when the crossing signal activated. Schult drove through the crossing, despite visual and …

St. Joseph County’s Friend of the Court had a successful year in 2015 in terms of child support it collected over the 12-month period. During Tuesday’s county commission meeting, director Bill Thistlethwaite gave the department’s annual report and said a good measure for the department’s success was based on a financial incentive given to well-performing agencies. He said the federal …

St. Joseph County’s E-911 Central Dispatch wishes to remind county residents that it will begin its monthly weather alert test of sirens this weekend. Agency director Dennis Brandenburg said the tests are discontinued over the winter months but typically resume in March. The sirens are scheduled to be activated at 12:05 p.m. Saturday and will continue at the same time …

Florence Township Supervisor Gordon Evilsizor criticized the St. Joseph County Road Commission for what he called a questionable effort clearing roads in the southwest quadrant of the county last week. During Tuesday’s county commission meeting, Evilsizor said the Feb. 24 storm left several inches of snowfall on the roads until it melted later in the week. Evilsizor said he called …