County Information

A Jones man was airlifted to a Kalamazoo hospital after he was involved in a one-vehicle accident last weekend in Newburg Township. Cass County Sheriff Joe Underwood said deputies were called at 2:07 a.m. Saturday to Born Street, near Patterson Hill Road. Deputies found 50-year-old Kenneth Duke trapped inside his vehicle after it had run off the road and struck …

Several hundred people gathered Saturday for a massive farewell party to honor a county icon. On her 65th birthday, Pattie Bender was recognized for her 45 years of service as a St. Joseph County employee. She served 24 of her final years as county clerk. Staged at the Henningsen Show Arena at the county fairgrounds, the event drew friends, family, …

Saturday’s alumni football game between Centreville and Colon has taken on new meaning. Earlier this week, both teams decided to donate a portion of the proceeds of the game to the family of Robert Roll. Roll, a 2003 Constantine High School graduate, suffered a severe neck injury in last weekend’s alumni game against White Pigeon. Doctors determined Roll suffered a …

Motorists along state routes are advised to use extra caution, as the second Adopt-A-Highway roadside cleanup event of the year begins Saturday and continues over an eight-day period. Thousands of Adopt-A-Highway volunteers will be back picking up litter along state roadways starting Saturday, as they’ve done each summer since 1990. Every year, Adopt-A-Highway volunteers collect about 70,000 bags of trash, …

A detour on a major north-south route in St. Joseph County will remain in effect at least through September while a bridge is replaced. Crews from Hudsonville-based Grand River Construction started work Tuesday on the Silver Street bridge at the Portage River. The job is a full rebuild to replace a bridge that job foreman Dean Stewart said was in …

A legislative update from State Rep. Aaron Miller was the highlight of Tuesday’s St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners meeting. Miller, a first-term legislature from Sherman Township, said the senate plan for road funding was the biggest bit of news he had to offer. He said $400 million in federal funds was allocated for the state’s transportation fund for the …

St. Joseph County’s Intermediate School District Board last week approved the 2015-16 operating calendar that officials said is in close alignment with the countywide shared-services calendar. Due to a late Labor Day date of Sept. 7, Michigan public schools will not open until Sept. 8, pushing back the end of the school year to June 9, 2016. ISD will not …

The St. Joseph County United Way is in the throes of preparing for its 2015 silent auction later this year at the county fair and its organizers are turning to the public for help. United Way executive director Kelly Hostetler said many great items have been donated so far, but more are being sought. Hostetler said some examples of popular …

A ceremony to acknowledge improvements made at the St. Joseph County veterans memorial took place last week. Located at the northwest corner of the St. Joseph County courthouse, the memorial now has eight flags flying overhead. The central focus of last Friday’s ceremony was the raising of each of the flags. The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and …

A 33-year-old Constantine man died in a motorcycle accident over the weekend in Constantine Township. Sheriff’s deputies said James Carlson was driving east on Featherstone Road at 3:05 a.m. Saturday when he failed to negotiate a curve a half mile west of Constantine Road. His 2014 Harley Davidson went off the roadway and crashed into two trees. Authorities said Carlson …