County Information

Organizers of last weekend’s Centreville Covered Bridge Days have announced winners of the various competitions staged over the course of the three-day festival, which concluded Sunday. The winners of Friday’s River Country Has Talent were Courtney Hollenbeck of Centreville, Kathy Yoder of Centreville, Brandon Minnis of Three Rivers and Kelly Mishler of Ligonier, Ind. Saturday’s cornhole winning team was George …

A Marcellus Township man was airlifted to South Bend Memorial Hospital after he was run over by a tractor last week. Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called at 1 p.m. Saturday to the 16000 block of East Street in response to a private-property accident. They learned that 80-year-old Dale Stratton had been working on his property with …

A hand-held tool is thought to be the source of a fire that destroyed a garage last week in Sturgis. The Sturgis Fire Department was dispatched around 1:30 a.m. Friday to the 200 block of First Street. It was reported by Sturgis Police Officer Frank Noel, who was patrolling the neighborhood and discovered the blaze in a detached garage. Upon …

A 44-year-old Cass County man was arrested last week on charges related to drugs and child pornography. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies conducted a search warrant Wednesday in the 13000 block of U.S. 12 in the community of Union. Deputies had received a tip that drugs and child pornography were possibly inside the residence. A search warrant was executed, and …

Two travel trailers were stolen last week from a property in White Pigeon Township. State police were called at 7:30 a.m. Friday to the 69000 block of Sevison Road, where the victim told authorities the thefts occurred between 2 p.m. July 4 and 7:30 a.m. Friday. The trailers are described as a 2018 Coachmen Freedom Express by Forest River and …

Colon’s interim high school principal was promoted Wednesday to interim superintendent. Ginny Kowalski will step in to the position Aug. 1. Christine Barnes, who was named superintendent in June 2015, is resigning at the end of the month to oversee Keokuk Community Schools in Iowa. Colon’s board of education meets at 6 p.m. Monday and its members will decide what …

State police are investigating the theft of a trailer and riding mower from a residence in Mottville Township. According to a department media release, the theft occurred between 5 p.m. July 7 and 3 p.m. July 8 from a location on M-103, just north of the state line. The trailer is single-axle with a white, fiberglass body. It measures 6-by-12 …

Flowerfield Township officials this week heard a number of comments from township residents concerned about a proposed pig farm. Backed by H&H Feeds of Vicksburg, the potential operation would be located on the north side of M-216 between Stuck and Oak Plains roads. Township supervisor Carroll Parmeter said according to H&H’s petition to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural …

Members of the Constantine Village Council earlier this month adopted a statement on civility. The statement was originally approved by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. The statement was drafted by Bob Wertkins, a professor at Western Michigan University, and was amended by public policy committees from both the Sturgis and Three Rivers chambers of commerce to make it …

St. Joseph County’s second-smallest K-12 school district is looking for a new leader, as Colon Community Schools Superintendent Christine Barnes has announced her plan to resign effective Aug. 1. Barnes, 53, has spent the past two years as chief of Colon Community Schools. She previously served as principal at Constantine High School. An Iowa native, Barnes said she has accepted …