County Information

A handful of students have been taking part in a new type of boot camp since last month. St. Joe Community Co-op has been hosting an Employment Readiness Program at Glen Oaks Community College. Tim Carmichael, associate director of St. Joe Community Co-op, said the non- profit organization was founded in 2006. Its purpose is to teach people with developmental …

My Community Dental Centers has opened its doors in Sturgis. Located at 1525 E. Chicago Road in the Maplecrest Plaza, the dental center opened for business in early March. A ribbon-cutting ceremony with Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce was part of the celebration. Pearline Bailey, regional manager for MCDC, addressed the gathering, thanking the community for its support. MCDC is …

Two local K-9 officers are more protected on the job thanks to a donation from the nonprofit organization Vested Interest in K- 9s. White Pigeon K- 9 Zar and Sturgis K-9 Tucky each received body armor, sponsored by Oliver and Rita Miller of Taylor. Vests are embroidered with the sentiment “Protect this K-9 from harm, in memory of Lori Miller.” …

St. Joseph County Drain Commissioner Jeff Wenzel issued 13 drain-maintenance permits to area farmers, and 132 soil-erosion and sediment-control permits in 2016. Wenzel appeared Wednesday before county leaders to provide his annual report during their executive committee meeting. He said soil-erosion permits were approved only after a site visit and review of plans. Thirty were issued in Fabius Township, with …

State Rep. Aaron Miller voted Wednesday in favor of a budget that provides additional funding for veterans courts. The House judiciary budget bill includes an additional $436,000 for specialty courts aimed at treating military veterans and active-duty personnel, bringing total funding to $936,000. Miller said the men and women who serve in the military make enormous sacrifices and often struggle …

Centreville Public Schools made official this week the employment of its next superintendent. Board members Monday offered and officially accepted a contract with Stephanie Lemmer. A Portage native, Lemmer will replace Rob Kuhlman after he concludes a seven-year tenure as superintendent in June. Lemmer, 34, has served as director of Head Start at Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency since 2013. …

Employees at DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto seed corn companies in Constantine recently held a friendly competition to see whose employees could collect the most items for the food pantry at Messiah Lutheran Church in Constantine. Pioneer won the contest with 1,480 pounds of items versus 1,220 pounds of items collected by Monsanto. Employees delivered what they had collected to the …

St. Joseph County commissioners are prepared to take the unprecedented step of offering funds toward the restoration of what is generally considered the worst road in the county. During Wednesday’s executive committee meeting, commissioners agreed to consider a $50,000 allocation toward improving a six-mile stretch of Constantine Road. Commission chairman Allen Balog said the county board has never provided general-fund …

A sanitary-sewer overflow occurred this week in Constantine. The incident took place at 10:50 a.m. Monday in the 300 block of Water Street as a result of critical repairs being conducted on the infrastructure. Village officials said 3,340 gallons of wastewater overflowed from a manhole over the course of the 25-minute event. A contractor was brought in to vacuum and …

State Rep. Aaron Miller this week approved recommendations for the Michigan State Police agency’s 2017-18 budget. The state House endorsed a bill approved by the Michigan State Police Budget Subcommittee, which is chaired by Miller. Included in the plan is the addition of 100 new state police troopers across the state. Miller said there is a need for increased public …