County Information

Constantine village officials this week approved a 12-year, 50 percent abatement of about $55 million in equipment and building improvements to a prospective new tenant at the former Rexam packaging plant. During Wednesday’s special meeting, the council agreed to support the tax exemption sought by Indiana-based Nature’s Fuel. The company converts scrap wood into marketable bio-fuels. The Rexam plant closed …

The city of Sturgis will have a fleet of five new vehicles, following action taken recently by members of the city commission. The new vehicles and departments to which they will be assigned are a Ford Focus for the electric department; two Dodge Charger vehicles for the police department; a pickup for the wastewater department and a mower to be …

The St. Joseph County United Way is in the homestretch of its 2012 campaign. Executive Director Kelly Hostetler said the local agency has reached 80 percent of its $650,000 goal for the campaign. The campaign kicked off in August and concludes at the end of January. Hostetler said last year’s goal of $575,000 was surpassed by about $26,000. She remains …

Four firearms-related charges have been filed against a Flowerfield Township woman who allegedly shot her husband in the upper torso Monday night. St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department officials said Connie Tolbert, 54, was taken into custody after she allegedly shot her husband, 52-year-old Darryl Tolbert, at their residence. He is the pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Three Rivers. His …

Sturgis municipal officials have made two minor changes in order to more equally balance populations in its four city precincts. Prior to action the city took last week, the difference between the most and least populated precincts was about 400 people. The discrepancy was between Sturgis’ first and second precincts. Commissioners agreed to redistrict two blocks from Precinct 1 to …

Sturgis attorney Andrew Rogness has announced his candidacy for St. Joseph County District Court judge. The position will be vacated a year from now by current seat holder William Welty. Rogness said he has filed necessary paperwork with the Michigan Bureau of Elections. He previously served as a judge pro-tem in LaGrange County, Ind. Rogness is a graduate of Michigan …

Staff members of the St. Joseph County Intermediate School District made a brighter Christmas for 14 local families of its students. Dubbed “Operation Reindeer,” the project ensures families of ISD students would not only receive gifts for the holiday, but a supply of household items such as toothpaste, laundry soap, shampoo, paper towels, tooth brushes and deodorant. ISD staff members …

The heating and air conditioning system at Nottawa Township Library will be replaced thanks to a recent grant. A $25,000 gift from the Robert C. Reinhardt Trust will cover the majority of the cost to replace the 20-year-old units. Bonnie Heflin, library director, said the grant was a welcome gift, as the library will have to pay less than $10,000 …

A funding issue has forced Planned Parenthood to close its offices in St. Joseph and Branch counties. The impending closure of the Three Rivers and Coldwater sites will follow the same course of action already taken in Sturgis and Hillsdale. Recipients of Planned Parenthood’s offerings will have to travel to Kalamazoo or Battle Creek to continue receiving services. The agency …

So-called Layaway Angels have made their mark at the Kmart store in Sturgis. John Brubaker, layaway manager, said three anonymous donors paid a total of $500 toward items that were reserved on layaway and about to be returned to store shelves for non-payment. He said one of the benefactors of the gestures was a single mother of three children. The …