County Information

St. Joseph County’s animal control director position is being overseen by the sheriff’s department while a search for a successor to Tom Miller continues. Two matters related to animal control took place during Tuesday’s county commission meeting. First, commissioners endorsed a request to fill the position of animal control officer/facility supervisor. Later, it was announced that longtime employee Brooke Bingaman …

State Rep. Aaron Miller this week voted in favor of a $1.2 billion legislative package to fix Michigan’s transportation system, including a bill he introduced that increases the use of competitive bidding for local road and bridge projects. Miller said House Bill 4610 expands the use of competitive bidding to keep the costs of road and bridge repair more affordable …

An Elkhart-based company was selected Tuesday to lead a sewer infrastructure project at a county park in Fawn River Township. Commissioners accepted the lowest of three bids, which was submitted by C&E Excavating for almost $104,000. County administrator Pat Yoder said he will have a meeting next week with company officials to go over the full scope of the project. …

Police are releasing no new information about two murders that occurred late this summer in St. Joseph County, but officials continue to investigate the two separate homicides. St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough this week said police are awaiting results from the Michigan State Police crime lab regarding evidence collected at both scenes. About 4 a.m. Aug. 31, the body …

Colon Elementary School will be the location of a benefit magic show Saturday. Five acts over the course of an hour will take part in the fourth annual “Sharing the Magic” event, which will help address a critical need at the Colon Food Pantry. Event organizer Rick Fisher said admission to the show is a box or can of a …

Twenty-three people were recognized Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners for their milestone anniversaries as county employees. Leading the group was former clerk Pattie Bender, acknowledged for 45 years of employment before she retired June 30. Next was deputy county clerk Sandy Bowen for 40 years, followed by victim services coordinator Linda Baker for three decades of …

Constantine Police Chief Mark Honeysett said he will seek charges against students involved in a sexual-misconduct investigation. According to WWMT TV, the case involves at least three teenagers who are students at Constantine middle and high schools. Honeysett said the misconduct happened off-campus between students who were left unsupervised at a home, according to published reports. Honeysett did not indicate …

An off-duty firefighter driving past Fibre Converters in Constantine Monday afternoon saw smoke coming from the building, and alerted authorities and those at the business. Departments from Constantine, White Pigeon and Fabius-Park were able to contain the fire to a small area. The fire was reported about 2 p. m. and confined to a pump house on the northwest corner …

Glen Oaks Community College is the recipient of a Title III grant totaling $2.25 million over a five-year period from the U. S. Department of Education. The award, $450,000 per year through 2020, was effective beginning Oct. 1 and is part of a federal Strengthening Institutions Program grant under the Higher Education Act of 1965. The focus is to improve …

State police investigators are looking into the theft of two trailers from a residence last week in Sherman Township. A department media release indicated the incident occurred between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Thursday off Findley Road, near M-66. A black, utility trailer was loaded with barn wood, while a silver cargo trailer was filled with electronic equipment. Meanwhile, sheriff’s …