County Information

Officials from the Michigan Department of Transportation will host an open house next week regarding the U.S. 131 Constantine bypass project. Set to take place next Monday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Constantine High School, the open house will allow the public to see the latest designs and plans related to the project, which state officials say will begin …

The portable ice rink purchased by the city of Sturgis was not ready for use in time for Friday’s Winter Blues event, but municipal officials said freezing temperatures this week should help create an adequate layer of ice. Installed at the corner of North Monroe Street and East Chicago Road, the rink will be open noon to dusk Sundays through …

State Rep. Matt Lori issued a statement following Gov. Rick Snyder’s State of the State address Wednesday. Lori, 56, said he looks forward to working with Snyder to continue economic momentum and fostering a healthy economy in which more jobs can be created. The Constantine-area resident, who is beginning his third, two-year term, said legislators have achieved much in putting …

St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners has agreed to hire Lindsay Howes as the county’s grant writer. Howes, who has most recently served as Three Rivers city clerk since 2007, was approved to the position Tuesday by the five-member commission. A 32-year-old Three Rivers resident, Howes will be paid $50,000 a year, with $30,000 of the salary paid by the …

Organizers behind the White Pigeon snowman-making contest have revised the deadline for entries to late next month, as poor snow conditions continue to hex the event. Key organizer Shireen Cline said the competition was given a green light when a wet snow fell shortly after Christmas. In the days since, however, a mixture of rain followed by below-freezing temperatures have …

St. Joseph County Administrator Judy West-Wing was honored Tuesday by current and past members of the county’s Board of Commissioners. The session was West-Wing’s last, as she is retiring next week and ending a 30-year tenure as a St. Joseph County employee. Current commissioners were joined by former members Eric Shafer, John Bippus, Larry Walton and others as West-Wing was …

Deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched in the early morning hours Wednesday to a home invasion in progress in Burr Oak Township. Upon arrival, they found unknown suspects had gained entry into a residence in the 28000 block of White Street and stolen items from a wallet and a checkbook. The Sturgis Police Department’s K-9 unit …

The St. Joseph County United Way recently awarded a grant to St. Joseph County Child Protective Services for children removed from their homes due to the manufacturing of meth inside their homes. Eighty, $25 gift cards to local retailers were provided to CPS to give foster-care families the funds they need to purchase pajamas, socks, underwear and basic necessities for …

Michigan State Police investigators from the Coldwater post said guns and electronics were among the items taken from a residence in Fawn River Township earlier this week. The breaking-and-entering incident occurred around 4:15 Tuesday afternoon in the 68000 block of St. Joseph Road. The victim said he was at work when the break-in occurred. The residence was also ransacked and …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has given approval to members of the Centreville Covered Bridge Days Committee for use of the courthouse property later this summer. Committee chair Carole McClain asked for the use of the west, north and east area of the courthouse lawn from 10 a.m. June 21 through 6 p.m. June 22. The two-day festival …