County Information

The Constantine Village Council has adopted a resolution to raise industry rates to be more in line with treatment-plant charges. Constantine Village Manager Mark Honeysett during last week’s meeting said the changes should be made in billing industrial water/sewer users, primarily because the village is being charged about $36,000 a year more than it is billing. Honeysett said changes to …

The June unemployment rate in St. Joseph County was unchanged compared to a month earlier. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed St. Joseph County’s 4.7 percent June unemployment rate was equal to the same figure in May. June’s unemployment rate was 1.2 percent less than the same month one year earlier, when …

A pair of Centreville residents were in fair condition after being involved in a single-vehicle accident last week in downtown Centreville. Centreville police said a pickup driven by 65-year-old Larry Back was heading west on West Main Street shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday, when the vehicle left the roadway, crashed into street signs and brought down a power pole near …

Windows at Flowerfield Township Hall were damaged sometime between July 14 and July 23, according to state police. Investigators said it appears the windows were damaged by a pellet or handgun.

A Three Rivers-area farm is being recognized by a state agency as a verified farm in the Livestock, Farmstead and Cropping Systems for implementing appropriate pollution-prevention practices. Floating Bridge Farm has been included in the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s “Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program.” The program assists farmers to comply with state and federal environmental regulations and …

St. Joseph County Intermediate School District Board of Education will continue to be led by a retired teacher from Three Rivers. Sally Boeschenstein, who spent many years as a teacher and curriculum official with Constantine Public Schools, was among four incumbents re-appointed last week to one-year executive positions. At the annual reorganization meeting, the board also unanimously reinstated Robert Trenary, …

Water tests conducted Wednesday and Thursday by White Pigeon Department of Public Works employees showed negative results for the presence of unsafe bacteria levels. Consequently, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has cleared the village and lifted its boil-water warning, a precaution in place since July 7 Earl Baldwin, DPW water operator, said employees will still be testing today and …

A 22-hour session to secure signatures for a Three Rivers Board of Education recall effort will continue through 8 o’clock tonight. Members of TR Cares, which formed in the wake of the April dismissal of three district administrators, said the drive started at 9 a.m. Thursday at the corner of M-60 and Eighth Avenue. Organizers have set a goal of …

A June 16 letter to St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Chairman John Dobberteen from the board chair of a county agency was a source of dispute during a special meeting Tuesday. Called by the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services of St. Joseph County, the 25-minute session featured heated discussions about several matters, but centered primarily on the …

A White Pigeon woman was found guilty of possession of marijuana following a trial in Cass County that concluded last week. Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz said Stephanie Lewis, 18, who attended Constantine High School, will be sentenced Aug. 13, when she faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Lewis was arrested in Dowagiac in August …