County Information

The 26th Mendon Riverfest is in the books and organizers of the three-day community festival are calling it a success. The event-ending fireworks show Saturday night attracted several hundred people to Reed Riverside Park. Earlier in the day, a canoe race, kayak relay, canoe swamp, toy-boat and rubber-duck races and pontoon rides all took place on the St. Joseph River. …

Charges of violating a permit related to a concealed pistol license could be imposed on a member of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. Second District Commissioner Don Eaton could be charged with a misdemeanor related to an incident that originated July 29 at the Sturgis Applebee’s restaurant. Eaton, 53, said he retrieved from his vehicle a pistol as …

A Sturgis woman has died as the result of a motorcycle accident Wednesday night in Constantine Township. Carrie Gay, 30, died Thursday at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, where she was airlifted following the accident at Dickinson and Burke roads. She was a passenger on a motorcycle driven by 32-year-old Charles Barfell, of Sturgis. He remains in serious condition at …

Glen Oaks Community College is offering classes that will teach students how to develop applications for mobile phones. The newly created Mobile Phone Applications Development certificate program begins this fall at the Centreville-area school. Patricia Morgenstern, associate dean of extended learning and workforce development, said the program will teach students how to build, test and market their Android and iPhone …

Voters in the Constantine Public Schools district will have two ballot measures before them later this year. A request to renew 18 mills for general operations and a bond resolution for major improvements at Constantine Middle School will be decided in November, following action during the district’s board of education meeting this week. Superintendent Chuck Frisbie said he stressed to …

The Sturgis Public Schools Board of Education voted this week to endorse the district’s move to the Wolverine Conference. The decision means Sturgis High School will join Three Rivers and 10 other schools in the 12-member league starting in the 2014-15 academic year. With about 3,300 students, Sturgis Public Schools will be the largest in the all-Class-B conference.

Glen Oaks Community College officials have announced the school will expand its distance-learning offerings to include online programs as a result of approval received from the Higher Learning Commission. Patricia Morgenstern, associate dean of learning and workforce development, said the college has been offering distance learning classes for more than 15 years. The Higher Learning Commission’s approval, however, gives the …

A 55-gallon drum and a bail of fencing were among the items recovered from last weekend’s St. Joseph County Conservation District river cleanup. The fifth of seven cleanup events this season took place Saturday in a 2.7-mile stretch of the Rocky River, from Bent Road to Flatbush Road in Flowerfield Township. A group of seven volunteers also snagged three tires …

Two of three people involved in a breaking-and-entering incident in downtown Sturgis were arrested early Sunday after they attempted to flee from officers. According to the Sturgis Police Department, a 22-year-old Sturgis man and a 15-year-old male were arrested after officers were called at 2 a.m. Sunday to the 100 block of West Chicago Road in response to a sound …

Weapons and jewelry were stolen from a Fabius Township residence last week. According to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, someone broke into a residence in the 12300 block of Hillside Drive between Tuesday and Thursday. Access was gained through a garage door. Four firearms and three diamond rings were stolen during the break-in deputies said.