County Information

Sturgis Public Schools Superintendent Tom Langdon said an email he sent to parents over the weekend served as a reminder that the district employs practices to make its school buildings as safe as they can be. The district’s second-year superintendent said the email was in light of the shooting spree that killed 20 children at a Connecticut elementary school last …

Mayor Tom Lowry and members of the Three Rivers City Commission are expected to field bid recommendations for the downtown Mural Mall project when they assemble at 6 o’clock tonight. The commission’s last meeting of the year also includes matters related to change orders at the city’s clean water plant. Today’s meeting takes place at city hall.

A tip to law-enforcement officials resulted in the arrest of a Sturgis-area man for charges related to the possession and manufacturing of methamphetamine. Members of the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit executed a search warrant Thursday night in the 23000 block of Wilson Road in Sherman Township. An active meth lab was found inside the residence and evidence suggesting …

William Welty, who is winding down his 22-year career as a St. Joseph County District Court judge, was the recipient of a Saturday gathering staged in honor of his impending retirement. More than 150 people at the Riviera Theatre in Three Rivers assembled to congratulate the 63-year-old Welty for his years of service to the county and wish him well …

A 16-year-old from Shipshewana said he suffered a medical condition while driving and, as a result, crashed the vehicle he was driving into a tree Friday night in Sherman Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s department said Rylan Hochstetler was driving west on Banker Road when he blacked out momentarily and drove off the roadway around 10 p.m., he told …

The Three Rivers Department of Public Services announces it has finished leaf-and-brush pickup for the year. The DPS, however, offers a compost drop off area at 1015 S. Lincoln Ave., which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to aid residents wishing to drop off leaf and brush materials. The compost drop-off site accepts brush, leafs, grass …

Union faculty members at Glen Oaks Community College have issued a vote of no confidence in school president Gary Wheeler. The 23-4 vote was taken last week, with four of the college’s 31 union faculty members abstaining. The vote was brought to the attention of Glen Oaks’ board of trustees at its meeting Wednesday. Faculty union president Chad Worthington presented …

Two methamphetamine laboratories were discovered at a residence in Park Township Wednesday. Members of the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit were drawn to a house in the 54000 block of Wilbur Road by a tip from a neighbor, who suspected the man and woman who reside at the house were involved in meth production. The man and woman were …

Investigators with the Michigan State Police responded to an attempted breaking and entering into a shed and trailer at a residence in the 51000 block of Buckhorn Road in northern Park Township. The incident occurred in an area around Cotherman Lake Road, where a number of theft-from-motor-vehicle situations were reported early Wednesday. In a separate matter, MSP investigators are looking …

Congressman Fred Upton has announced his service academy nominees for the 2013-2014 academic year. According to a media release, the nominees have excelled both academically and athletically at their respective schools and have gone through an extensive selection process. The selection process included an interview with Upton’s Academy Advisory Board, which is comprised of local community leaders. Upon approval by …