County Information

Residents of the Maple Crest Motel in Sturgis were displaced after a fire Tuesday night. Sturgis Fire officials said heavy smoke was coming from the roof of the building when they arrived on the scene around 6:45 p.m. Four units suffered severe damage from the fire, which appears to have started in an attic area. Residents in other units were …

A garage was damaged in a hit-and-run incident reported Monday in White Pigeon Township. State police were called to the 68000 block of Klinger Lake Road to investigate. The property owner said the incident occurred within the past week. The vehicle struck the garage then proceeded south on Klinger Lake Road, according to investigators.

A 29-year-old Cassopolis woman was injured after she was involved in a three-vehicle accident Wednesday morning in Cass County. Sheriff’s department officials said Ryan Rosalee Deckard, failed to slow down as she approached two vehicles that had stopped for a school bus shortly before 7:30 a.m. on M-60 in Newberg Township. Deckard drove into the back of a vehicle driven …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has agreed to provide additional funding to support a proposed trail project designed to run between Three Rivers and Fabius Township. At the request of Lindsay Oswald, a member of the River Country Recreational Authority, the commission committed $23,400. Coupled with $5,000 offered by the city of Three Rivers Tuesday, the proposed trail …

A Michigan State Police trooper was involved in a crash Friday on Youngs Prairie Road near Constantine. While on routine patrol, the trooper attempted to turn around to pursue a vehicle that matched the description of a car involved in armed robberies in Cass County, Lt. James Colman said in a media release. The officer lost control of the vehicle …

The employment of Teresa Doehring as human resources director was formalized Tuesday, when the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners agreed to terms of her contract. The 40-year-old Doehring, a Mendon resident, will be paid $65,000 annually and given four weeks of vacation time. She begins the job Jan. 6. Doehring replaces Elishia Arver, who stepped down from the post …

The first Culver’s restaurant in St. Joseph County opened this week. The Wisconsin-based chain opened its store Monday at 830 S. Centerville Road in Sturgis and attracted about 2,700 customers, according to owner Mike Miller. Miller, a Battle Creek resident, also owns Culver’s stores in Battle Creek and Coldwater.

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has set the date for its first meeting of 2015. During Tuesday’s proceedings, commissioners set the meeting for 5 p.m. Jan. 6. At that time, the five-member board will set the full meeting schedule for the balance of the year. The board currently meets at 5 p.m. the first and third Tuesday of …

The St. Joseph County Water Trail Master Plan will be open for public comment starting Friday, according to Suzanne Fromson, landscape architect with Edgewater Resources. Fromson, whose company has been retained by the county to work on the master plan, said a hard copy of the proposed plan will be at the county courthouse through Jan. 19. It will also …

Investigators from the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit executed a search warrant Monday at a residence in Sturgis Township. SCAN officers received information about a location in the 69000 block of Deer Road, where trafficking of marijuana and other controlled substances had been suspected. Officers obtained a search warrant for the residence and once inside, they found marijuana and …