County Information

More than 200 pounds of unwanted and unused prescription drugs were turned in during a recent annual collection in St. Joseph County. The National Take-Back Initiative was April 29 and several local law-enforcement agencies, in conjunction with the St. Joseph County Substance Abuse Task Force, participated. State-wide, 20,370 pounds were collected from 202 different sites in Michigan. Permanent disposal boxes …

About 50 pounds of debris was cleared Saturday from a three-mile stretch of the St. Joseph River. The event, sponsored by the St. Joseph County Conservation District, started at North Farrand Road in Colon Township and concluded at Jacksonburg Road in Leonidas Township. It drew a dozen volunteers and netted debris such as a tire, parts of a lawn chair, …

A Lockport Township couple has submitted an application for a 600-head cattle farm. According to the Michigan Department of Agriculture, David and Ramona Schwartz are seeking a permit to locate the development in the 60000 block of Lutz Road. The application was submitted Monday. According to the application, the development would feature a calf barn 40-by-224 feet with an outdoor …

Westside Landfill will stage a first-of-its-kind recycling opportunity of Styrofoam materials. Waste Management’s Eric Shafer said the special event will take place 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the landfill, 60050 Roberts Road. Shaffer said the collection begins what will be a quarterly event specifically for Styrofoam. Shafer said the service is free and open to all St. Joseph County …

An Elkhart man was charged with offenses related to drugs and possession of stolen property following his arrest early Tuesday in Three Rivers. According to a department media release, officers were alerted around 1:30 a.m. to a retail fraud in progress at Walmart. The suspect was stopped by officers on Millard Street near the intersection of U.S. 131. K-9 officer …

A Washtenaw County woman died over the weekend after drowning in Fabius Township’s Clear Lake. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said the body of 24-year-old Alison Kunz was found in about 15 feet of water Sunday afternoon by a member of the department’s dive-rescue team. Kunz, a Saline native and recent graduate of Western Michigan University, and a group …

After decades of neglect and years of complaints about its condition, Constantine Road is finally on tap for some attention. St. Joseph County Road Commission Manager Chris Minger said a bid to reconstruct Constantine Road, from White Pigeon Township to half a mile north of Stears Road, was signed Friday and the work will begin later this summer. The work …

Two people were injured after the motorcycle on which they were riding was struck by a car over the weekend in Cass County’s Wayne Township. According to a department media release, 42-year-old Michael Friske and his passenger, Cherrell Merwin, 32, also from Dowagiac, were heading west on Dutch Settlement Road on a motorcycle around 10 p.m. Saturday. An eastbound car …

A 22-year-old Cassopolis man died last week in a two-vehicle accident in Cass County’s Mason Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called just after 2 p.m. Friday to U.S. 12 and Tharp Lake Road. Investigators found that a truck heading north on Tharp Lake Road failed to stop at the intersection and struck a westbound vehicle driven by David …

The St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit said items associated with marijuana and methamphetamine use were taken from a White Pigeon residence earlier this month. According to a sheriff’s department media release, the incident took place June 1 in the 100 block of Peck Street. In a separate incident June 2, deputies stopped a vehicle on Bennett Road in Leonidas …