County Information

With the March 31 deadline for mandatory health insurance approaching, the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency is offering answers to questions people may have about the matter. Steve Todd, health officer for the tri-county health department, said the agency has nine staff members who have met the Medicare/Medicaid training requirements. As certified application counselors, the nine staff members are available …

Some well-known names throughout St. Joseph County are preparing for a first-of-its-kind event in the name of a fundraiser for a child-welfare agency. Eight couples are expected to take part in the inaugural Dancing With the St. Joseph County Stars event March 7 at Glen Oaks Community College’s Nora Hagen Theatre. Organizers are trying to get word out early on, …

The St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit gathered 28 marijuana plants and made five arrests during a raid in Sturgis this week. SCAN members executed a search warrant Tuesday at a residence in the 600 block of Jefferson Street, where an additional quantity of marijuana was packaged and appeared to be ready for sale. Arrested were three women, ages 45, …

Electronics and jewelry were reported missing following a breaking-and-entering incident Wednesday in Sturgis. The victim told police the break-in occurred between 4 and 6 p.m. and access was gained by forced entry through a back door at a residence in the 400 block of Center Street.

A 39-year-old Sturgis man was charged with felony retail fraud and felon in possession of a firearm following his alleged role in a retail-theft incident earlier this month at the Three Rivers Walmart. The arrest was made in Sturgis Township in the 25000 block of U.S. 12. The St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit and the St. Joseph County Special …

A Three Rivers man was injured Monday after his vehicle struck the back of a county snow-plow truck in Mottville Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said 50-year-old Ronie Thurmand was southbound on M-103 when whiteout conditions caused him to not see the plow truck slow near State Line Road. The collision, which occurred at 3:20 p.m., caused severe …

Doug Humbert, director of the Three Rivers Clean Water Plant, said the 13 inches of snow on the ground Monday equaled the highest amount this month. Humbert provided a tabulation of January’s temperatures and snowfall totals, which showed through Tuesday, the average high temperature was 22 degrees, the average low was 5. The extremes showed a high of 46 Jan. …

The Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce has announced the second annual “Discover the Treasures of St. Joseph County” 2014 will be July 26 at Rawson’s King Mill Park in Leonidas Township. The event is a follow-up to the August 2013 event, when a dinner was served inside the Langley Covered Bridge and drew more than 130 people. This year’s …

One arrest has been made and more are likely following a breaking-and-entering incident earlier this month in Mottville Township. State police said the victims had recently purchased a house in the 11000 block of U.S. 12 and were storing their belongings in the garage. When they returned to the residence Jan. 12, power tools, a snow blower and fishing equipment …

St. Joseph County Sheriff Brad Balk offered his thanks to citizens adhering to the snow emergency Tuesday, as road commission members were able to clear key roads in the area. As a result, the travel advisory was lifted at noon Tuesday, four hours earlier than its original expiration. Balk said the emergency is declared in situations when road crews need …