County Information

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department is looking for the suspect in a hit-and-run incident that occurred around 8:30 p.m. Monday in Constantine Township. Department officials said Centreville resident Steven Bontrager, 41, was driving south on U.S. 131, when an eastbound pickup on Stears Road failed to stop at the intersection and struck the driver’s side door of Bontrager’s vehicle. …

The congregation of the First Presbyterian Church of Three Rivers-Centreville will be a part of a milestone service Sunday, August 11. The Three Rivers-based church is observing its 175th anniversary with a variety of observances. The first is the 11 a.m. service Sunday, August 11. Then, an open house is set for Sept. 28, when historic artifacts and documents will …

A woman believed to be in her 20s staged an all-day protest Wednesday related to tree-clearing in Cass County’s Newburg Township. After nearly 10 hours on a plywood platform about 40 feet up a tree, the woman came down around 6:30 p.m. Her descent came after lengthy negotiations that involved the Cass County Sheriff’s Department and the Michigan State Police. …

Members of the Animal Rescue Fund of St. Joseph County have appealed to county officials for greater enforcement of animal-abuse and cruelty cases. During Tuesday’s St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners meeting, three members of the agency brought to the attention of commissioners a pair of situations in the county where abuse and cruelty had been documented. Cheryl Strohm , …

The Langley Covered Bridge will be closed  through Sunday for a Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event Saturday night. Chris Minger, St. Joseph County Road Commission project manager, said the bridge was originally slated to remain closed next week for deck repairs. Minger said the plan has been moved to a later date, however, as the commission continues its …

A 32-year-old Three Rivers man was arrested last weekend after he was caught attempting to steal money from a company break room. According to a Three Rivers Police Department press release, the man was caught at 2:40 a.m. Saturday at Armstrong Machine Works. Company officials said they believe the man was responsible for three previous thefts of cash from the …

The Michigan Department of Community Health has confirmed that the first human case of West Nile Virus for 2013 has been identified in St. Joseph County. According to the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, the case involves an adult male, over the age of 50 years, from the southwest corner of St. Joseph County. The man was hospitalized with symptoms …

Three Rivers High School will have a neighboring rival in its league in the 2014-15 school year, as Sturgis Public Schools is expected to join the Wolverine Conference. An invitation requesting St. Joseph County’s largest school district to join the league was extended by conference officials late last week. Sturgis school officials have indicated they intend to accept the offer, …

Indiana Michigan Power is advising the public it will begin trimming trees around transmission power lines in St. Joseph, Cass, Van Buren, Kalamazoo and Berrien counties starting today. The work is part of the company’s ongoing vegetation-management program aimed at improving the safety and reliability of electrical facilities, according to a company media release. The work will continue through the …

Graduates from two area high schools put on a crowd-pleasing alumni football game over the weekend. With a full house of more than 3,000 fans looking on, Mendon’s alumni squad topped the host Schoolcraft Eagles, 30-21, Saturday night. Mendon’s alumni team featured a roster of 50 players, the oldest was Joe Baker, a 1977 graduate who contributed by recovering a …