County Information

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has appointed Nottawa Township resident Larry Walton to serve as commissioner of District 2 for the balance of 2012. Following an interview with five candidates Tuesday, the 51-year-old Walton was selected to fill the seat left vacant by Gerald Loudenslager. Loudenslager resigned last month to take the position of Nottawa Township supervisor. Walton …

Officials with the Animal Rescue Fund of St. Joseph County have issued a media release regarding illicit donation requests for the agency. ARF spokesperson Shelly Starr said a group of people allegedly soliciting donations from intersections in White Pigeon and Constantine are not affiliated with Animal Rescue Fund. Agency officials said ARF never solicits money from intersections. Its fundraising events …

The St. Joseph County Transportation Authority has added a second bus to its Circle Line route in Sturgis. CTA Director Steve Yorks said the additional bus, which began operating Monday, was necessary to accommodate steady ridership aboard the six-day-a-week Circle Line already in place in Sturgis. He said an average of 1,200 people patronize the Sturgis Circle Line monthly. The …

A breaking-and-entering incident at a Centreville apartment is being investigated by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department. According to a department news release, an apartment in the 300 block of West Main Street was entered between noon Sunday and 1 p.m. Monday. The main item of value taken from the residence was a flat-screen television.

Investigators from the Michigan State Police are looking into the breaking and entering of the former Med Tech building, on U.S. 131 and Anderson Road in Mottville Township. Owners of the property had previously discovered that the building had been burglarized but did not report the incident because the building was vacant. Last Friday, however, the owners noticed electrical wiring …

Three people last week were charged with methamphetamine-related offenses after a search warrant was obtained for a residence in the 69000 block of Sevison Road in White Pigeon Township. According to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, deputies arrived at the residence around 8 p.m. Friday to serve an arrest warrant. A person spotted inside the residence, however, refused to …

Deputies with the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department are investigating the theft of irrigation wire following an incident in Nottawa Township. According to a department news release, the victim notified authorities around 10 p.m. Saturday that wire from three spans of an irrigation pivot was stolen between Tuesday and Friday last week. The incident occurred in a field near North …

Midwest Energy Co-Op reported that power has been restored to residents in Cass County and northwestern St. Joseph County following a Saturday evening thunderstorm. Strong winds knocked down power lines, affecting electrical service for about 500 people between the two counties. The company said power was back on to all customers by mid-morning Sunday.

Organizers of the 29th White Pigeon Days community festival called the weekend’s three-day event a popular and well-attended celebration. North Kalamazoo and East Chicago streets were lined with more than 1,000 people during Friday night’s parade, while a crowd estimated at 2,000-plus viewed Saturday evening’s fireworks program. The pyrotechnics took place shortly after the second annual White Pigeon-Centreville alumni football …

The Colon Community Fire and Rescue Department has announced a new fire chief and rescue captain. Board members of the fire-and-rescue agency said Matt Overholt will serve as chief. He succeeds Tim Doenges, who resigned after a 13-year tenure due to family reasons. Overholt was selected last week from a field of three applicants. Meanwhile, Todd Wadsworth was named the …