St Joseph County

A Niles man was injured after his car went off the road due to icy conditions last week in Cass County. Sheriff’s officials said 56-year-old Walter Langheinrich, of Niles, was driving on Leet Road, north of U.S. 12 at 9 p.m. Thursday, when his vehicle went out of control, struck a mailbox and rolled over. He was extricated from the …

Five people were arrested following the execution of a search warrant at a Sturgis residence. St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said SCAN members last week went to the 500 block of Susan Avenue to apprehend Renee Garten for a narcotics-related warrant. SCAN unit members confirmed she and a number of other people were inside the residence. Garten, however, allegedly refused …

St. Joseph County United Way reached unprecedented heights in its 2018 fundraising campaign. During Tuesday’s “Victory Celebration” at Covered Bridge Farm County Park, the agency announced its annual campaign for the first time topped the million-dollar threshold. Co-chair of the 2018 campaign Mark Lillywhite said the final tally was $1,034,573. The total exceeded the goal of $911,000. United Way director …

St. Joseph County Planning Commission member Joe Woodin was appointed to the Southcentral Michigan Planning Council this week. The move was approved by the county commission during its meeting Tuesday. Woodin, a Marcellus-area resident, replaces Mendon resident Lon Huffman, who has stepped down from the post. Woodin’s appointment was endorsed Jan. 31 by the county planning commission. His term expires …

An agreement between St. Joseph County and MSU Extension was renewed by county commissioners Tuesday. The $126,000 contract will continue the services the county receives from MSU Extension. The allocation was budgeted and comes out of the county’s general fund. MSU Extension’s services include programs related to agriculture and agribusiness, 4-H, health and nutrition, and community and economic development.

The Michigan House this week approved State Rep. Aaron Miller’s bill protecting surviving spouses from penalties related to the state’s pension tax. Miller said the goal is to make sure a surviving spouse is not burdened with higher taxes when their older partner passes away. He said it’s the right thing to do so seniors aren’t saddled with higher and …

St. Joseph County’s board of commissioners on Tuesday approved a letter of understanding that will allow it to offer severance packages to employees expected to be laid off. County administrator Teresa Doehring said the county’s financial situation warrants a look at every possible option it can exercise to save money. She said the 2018 budget was approved with a $1.6 million gap. …

A 29-year-old White Pigeon man is in the St. Joseph County Jail after fleeing from police late Friday night. White Pigeon police attempted to stop a vehicle at U.S. 12 and U.S. 131 for a traffic violation. The driver refused to stop and drove from the crossroads at a high rate of speed. The chase ended when the vehicle rolled …

December’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 3.6 percent December unemployment rate was the same as November’s figure. St. Joseph County was below the state unemployment average, which was 4.4 percent in December. The agency said overall, seasonal …

Although many health officials are focused on the flu, Michigan is in the midst of a serious Hepatitis A outbreak, said Rebecca Burns, health officer at Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Health Agency. The state’s case count as of Jan. 24 was 715 confirmed cases with 582 hospitalizations and 24 deaths. One case has been reported in Hillsdale. The concern with the Michigan …