County Information

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency has been notified that four dead birds submitted to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Disease Laboratory have tested positive for West Nile Virus. The positive results mean residents of the three counties should be more vigilant in their personal-protective measures to prevent mosquito bites. While no human cases of West Nile Virus …

Two people suffered injuries following a two-car collision Tuesday on M-66 in Sherman Township. State police said 63-year-old John Parks of Sturgis was driving east on Wait Road at 4:45 p.m. when he failed to stop at the intersection of M-66. Parks’ vehicle struck a northbound car driven by Toni Swope, 57, also of Sturgis. Neither person suffered life-threatening injuries …

Personnel from the Three Rivers Waste Water Treatment Plant responded this week to a report of an illegal sewer connection by a homeowner. The issue was brought to light around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday following a report of a sanitary-sewage overflow incident. The illegal connection was given a temporary repair to stop the homeowner’s sewage from flowing into the Portage River …

Sheriff’s deputies investigated a two-vehicle collision Tuesday afternoon in Colon Township. Deputies said Stanley Futymoski, age 76 of Colon, was stopped on M-86 at the north junction of M-66, when he pulled his vehicle into the path of a car being driven northbound on M-66 by Dolores Hochradel, 87, of Sturgis. Hochradel sustained injuries to her legs and back, and was …

Constantine High School Athletic Director Mike Messner has announced the district’s 2015 Hall of fame inductees. John Bauman from the class of 1999, Ben Russell from the class of 1962, 1982 graduate Paul Preston and the 1964-65 boys basketball team – which finished No. 4 in the state rankings – will be recognized during Constantine’s Hall of Fame weekend, Oct. …

The Doyle Community Center is celebrating its 20-year anniversary in 2015, and the occasion is being marked with a public open house at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Sturgis site. Director Mike Liston said Thursday, incidentally, is an important date in the history of the facility, as it opened Sept. 24 twenty years ago. Liston said there will actually be …

A 31-year-old Kalamazoo woman was not injured in a single-vehicle accident over the weekend in Lockport Township. Sheriff’s officials said the incident occurred shortly before 6 a.m. Saturday on U.S. 131 at Wilbur Road, where the woman’s vehicle had rolled over. Alcohol was not a factor in the incident, authorities said. No other details were provided in a department media …

Cass County police and rescue personnel responded last week to a vehicle submerged in a body of water. Sheriff Joe Underwood said 20-year-old Dowagiac resident Caleb Jones was driving west on M-62 at 1 a.m. Saturday when he fell asleep at the wheel. Authorities said the car Jones was driving hit a guardrail, went down an embankment and became submerged …

A four-wheel, all-terrain vehicle was stolen from a Sherman Township residence last week. Sheriff’s deputies said a resident in the 66000 block of Grey Lake reported that the vehicle was taken from a trailer between the night of Sept. 16 and the morning of Sept. 17

Sunny weather and a large crowd on hand to see this year’s headline entertainment contributed to a successful opening day of the St. Joseph County Grange Fair Sunday. The 165th fair was busy from the start of the day and remained steady throughout the afternoon and evening, fair officials said. Thousands of people crowded into the grandstand to see and …