County Information

The city of Sturgis has announced its ice rink is open for the season. Open-skating hours are noon to dusk Sunday through Thursday, and noon to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Open hockey is available 8 a.m. to noon seven days a week.

Three people were treated for injuries suffered in a one-vehicle accident earlier this week in Constantine Township. St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department officials said 30-year-old Kristina Steele told investigators she fell asleep Monday while driving north in the 10300 block of North River Road. The vehicle went off the roadway, injuring passengers Cory Hughey of Three Rivers and Bryan Cook …

A question of whether to remodel or build a new animal-control facility has been researched by county administrator Pat Yoder. Though Yoder has not yet reached a definitive answer, he said input from animal-control officer Tom Miller has helped him consider suggesting a remodel job. The issue was discussed during the county’s December committee-of-the-whole meeting. Yoder said there seems to …

The idea of St. Joseph County commissioners using iPads was a matter of discussion during the commission’s December committee-of-the-whole meeting. Commissioners agreed the proposal should be tabled until the full allocation of iPads approved for purchase in April. The nine iPads commissioners approved last spring were to be distributed to officials with the prosecutor’s office as well as members of …

St. Joseph County Commission Chairman John Dobberteen said the county might consider employees work a four-day, ten-hour-a-day work week as an option. Dobberteen raised the idea earlier this month, when he said the option would be on the table since the county can’t always afford to increase compensation. The concept is in place at the sheriff’s department as well as …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has approved a service agreement with Ann Arbor-based Merit Network Inc. During their Dec. 17 meeting, commissioners supported the service agreement that comes with the Internet line the county had previously approved and paid for. The service agreement covers a five-year period and will go into effect when the Internet line is installed …

The producer of the locally made film “The Current – Three Rivers” has announced three opportunities to see the feature-length presentation. It will be projected on a big screen at 7 p.m. Jan. 16, 17, and 18 at Riverside Church, 207 E. Michigan Ave. Presented in 12 diverse chapters, the movie was filmed in parts of 2012 and 2013, and …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff Department investigated a breaking-and-entering incident earlier this month in Colon Township. According to a department media release, a residence and pole barn in the 29000 block of Spring Creek Road were burglarized. The break-in occurred between 7 p.m. Dec. 19 and 1 p.m. Dec. 20. The victim told police numerous power tools were taken.

A committee of members from the St. Joseph County Conservation and Sportsman Club is expected to decide whether to sell or keep a portion of a large piece of land it recently purchased. Jeff Brazo, club president, said the club acquired a 120-acre piece of land that includes a 40-acre parcel it had long sought. The committee will decide what …

The organizer of the fourth White Pigeon snowman-building event wishes to remind the public that judging is underway. With weather conditions conducive to well-packing snow, the event is in its second week, according to event coordinator Shireen Cline. Though she would prefer to see snowmen lined along the U.S. 12 corridor in White Pigeon and Mottville townships, Cline said she …