County Information

Sheriff’s deputies made a traffic stop this week that led to a drug-related charge. According to a department media release, a traffic stop was conducted Tuesday near the intersection of Hoffman and Ruggles roads in Fabius Township. Upon a search of the vehicle, deputies found a plastic pen tube. The residue on its inside tested positive for methamphetamine. The suspect, …

Sturgis Hospital has announced the expansion of its Outpatient Infusion Services. Outpatient infusion therapy can save patients out-of-pocket expenses in comparison to inpatient hospitalization, emergency room services and home-health services. Patients who need regular injections or IV therapy already experience the inconvenience of having healthcare visits monthly, weekly or even daily, said Rob LaBarge, President and CEO of Sturgis Hospital. …

St. Joseph County’s board of commissioners have approved a dedicated millage to fund the parks and recreation department. Tuesday’s action means an additional one-quarter of a mill will be imposed countywide in 2018. Over its four-year life, the millage is expected to generate about $485,000 annually. Commissioners said the move will ease constraints on the general fund while helping parks and …

The St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit found evidence of a marijuana-growing operation at the scene of a Nov. 28 homicide. During the course of their investigation into the homicide in the 27000 block of Maystead Road in Sherman Township, SCAN members confiscated a large volume of marijuana that police say is far beyond medical-marijuana limits. Investigators also seized equipment used …

A Cass County man was injured after the golf cart he was driving was struck by a car earlier this week. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called around 8:30 a.m. Monday to the intersection of Grange and Five Points roads in Mason Township. Investigators said 69-year-old James Bercraft of Cassopolis was on Five Points Road waiting for traffic to …

Deborak Haak, from the Three Rivers Public Library, said it has one-on-one computer assistance available by appointment at its Michigan Avenue location. Haak said library personnel can teach the basics of email, Microsoft Office, social media, and more. Anyone wishing to learn more about computer, laptop, cell phone or tablet basics is invited to make a one-hour appointment, then show …

St. Joseph County sheriff’s deputies arrested a man over the weekend following what authorities called a police pursuit. The incident started shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday on Heimbach Road near Angevine Road in Mendon Township, where deputies attempted to stop a pickup with a registration violation. The driver failed to stop and continued driving for about 10 minutes before fleeing …

October’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County remained unchanged from the previous month. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed the county’s 4.2 percent October unemployment rate equaled the same figure from September. St. Joseph County was at the same level as the state’s unemployment average for the month. The agency said the …

State Rep. Aaron Miller last week delivered testimony before the House Health Policy Committee in support of a bill he sponsored to require hospitals in Michigan to disclose nurse staffing ratios to the public. Miller’s bill is part of a bipartisan package intended to combat the under-staffing of nurses, which results in some nurses being required to work 18-hour shifts …

Members of St. Joseph County’s animal control department are optimistic 2018 will be a good year for the agency. Their goal is to secure enough funding to begin firm plans for a new facility. A site – located southeast of the current complex – has been identified. But, Sheriff Brad Balk said, it’s a long road to the goal of …