County Information

A five-person team of volunteers gathered about 300 pounds of debris over the weekend from the Prairie River. The second of five river cleanups this summer involved a 2 1/2-mile stretch of the river Saturday from Burr Oak Road to Middle Colon Road in Burr Oak Township. The event was staged by the St. Joseph County Conservation District. Saturday’s haul …

A lightning strike is believed to have caused a fire at the Bentwater Apartments in Three Rivers Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters arrived shortly before 2 p.m. to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the roof of building 228. After Three Rivers police conducted an evacuation of the building, firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the blaze. Flames were contained to …

A grant awarded the past two decades to St. Joseph County through the Michigan Department of Corrections is being renewed for a three-year period. At the request of District Court Judge Jeff Middleton, the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Tuesday authorized Middleton submitting the Community Corrections Grant application. Programs and administrative costs covered by the grant equal $103,000. Middleton …

Three people were taken into custody on drug-related charges following an incident Wednesday in Sturgis. According to the Sturgis Department of Public Safety, a tip regarding possible drug activity in the 1500 block of South Centreville Road was received earlier in the day. Officers made contact with two of the parties involved and discovered a large amount of crystal methamphetamine …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has agreed to revise the date and time of its once-a-month executive committee meeting. During Tuesday’s board meeting, commissioners settled on 8 a.m. the Wednesday before the second commission meeting of the month. The executive committee, which acts as a committee of the whole and discusses in detail items to appear on the …

A Burr Oak village trustee has been arraigned on charges of possession of child sexually abusive material and use of a computer to commit a crime. Meadow Woodman, 33, was arraigned last week in District Court. The eight-year village council member was arrested following an investigation that started in February, according to state police investigators. Det. Sgt. Todd Petersen said …

Mendon High School volleyball coach Kathy Trenary has been selected as a member of the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association 2014 Hall of Fame class. Trenary, who has held the position in Mendon for 19 years, is one of three in the 2014 class. The ceremony will take place July 25 at McCamly Plaza Hotel in Battle Creek. According to …

A riding lawnmower was stolen from a yard at a residence earlier this month in Nottawa Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said the Yardmachine mower with a 42-inch deck was taken June 6 from a side yard in the 22000 block of Leland Road. Nobody was home at the time of the incident.

An extension cord is believed to have started a fire this week at a residence in Sturgis. According to the Sturgis Fire Department, the blaze was reported at 7:50 p.m. Monday in the 300 block of West Congress Street. Crews first to arrive noticed smoke from the upper level of the two-story residence. The fire was limited to a closet …

A Sturgis man suspected of being involved in a number of home invasions was arrested last week. Sturgis police said Warren Hammaker Jr., 29, was arrested and a number of firearms and other stolen property were recovered. Warrants for Hammaker’s arrest stemmed from a series of home invasions on the city’s south side.