County Information

A residence in which nobody was home was heavily damaged by fire last week in Lockport Township. Three Rivers and Fabius-Park Township fire departments responded at 11:15 p.m. Friday to the 16000 block of Null Road after the blaze was reported by a passerby. First-arriving crews found the home engulfed in flames. Firefighters had the fire quickly under control and …

Here’s a reminder that St. Joseph County’s Parks and Recreation Department is staging a public-input session Thursday in Centreville. The agency is asking the public for input into the development of a master plan for a newly acquired piece of property on the St. Joseph River. Working in conjunction with the design firm Edgewater Resources of St. Joseph, the county …

State Rep. Aaron Miller hopes to encourage children to read as he makes several school visits to celebrate March is Reading Month. Miller, who taught school before becoming a lawmaker, will visit with classrooms at Eastside Elementary in Constantine; Andrews Elementary in Three Rivers; Centreville Elementary; Burr Oak Elementary; and Colon Elementary schools. Teachers or administrators who would like Miller …

Dowagiac resident Richard Behnke is announcing his intent to pursue the nomination for Cass County sheriff. A lifelong resident of Cass County, Behnke has been in law enforcement for 30 years, beginning in the village of Marcellus in 1986. He has served the past twenty-nine years at the Cass County Sheriff’s office. During his career, he served as a deputy …

Two men impersonating utility workers were able to gain access to a Sturgis Township residence last weekend. Michigan State Police said the suspects gained entry to the home around 7:30 p.m. Saturday on Fawn River Road, near South Centerville Road, by telling the victim they were there to make sure water and power were on after a weekend wind storm. …

Nearly eight full months after she was appointed St. Joseph County clerk, Lindsay Oswald filed paperwork Monday that makes official her candidacy for the August primary election. Her petition turned in Monday featured 159 signatures – 59 more than the required minimum. The move was considered no surprise, as Oswald indicated even before she was tapped to complete the 18 …

A 62-year-old Mendon woman will seek the District 2 St. Joseph County Commission seat in August. Kathy Pangle has declared her candidacy for the seat, which represents Burr Oak, Colon, Leonidas, Mendon and Park townships. Burr Oak Township resident Don Eaton is the incumbent. Pangle is serving her 14th year on the Mendon Village Council and the Mendon Township Fire …

Details related to the March 8 sinking-fund millage request being sought by the Three Rivers Board of Education were covered during a work session Monday. More than a dozen people attended the meeting, during which board vice president Susan Schmidtendorff led a PowerPoint presentation that covered the reasons for the request and potential uses of the money if the 1.95-mill …

Two men in separate incidents fell through ice on lakes in Cass County over the weekend. Cass County Sheriff Joe Underwood said the first incident was reported at 1:39 p.m. Saturday at Bogart Lake in Jones, where a man fell through the ice but managed to crawl out of the water and reach shore. He refused assistance and was taken …

The Three Rivers Wastewater Treatment Plant reports there was a foam-over incident at 5:35 p.m. Thursday as a result of electrical maintenance. Plant supervisor Doug Humbert said a passerby noticed foam in an area along the 400 block of Wolf Road. The event was believed to be caused by routine electrical maintenance that required all blowers to operate during part …