St Joseph County

Ken Malone and Robert Hile were re-appointed Monday as mayor and vice-mayor for the city of Sturgis. The action took place during the commission’s organizational meeting. In addition, Michael Austermann and Charles Huber were sworn in as city commissioners. Austermann ran unopposed last week for the Precinct 1 seat vacated by David Smith, who announced his retirement from the board …

A White Pigeon-area native was recently crowned Miss Indiana USA. Mekayla Diehl  won the Miss Indiana USA pageant last week in Indianapolis and in June will be one of 51 contestants vying for the crown of Miss USA. The 24-year-old Diehl is a native of Union and was graduated from White Pigeon High School in 2007. She is also an …

State police from the Coldwater post are investigating a pair of breaking-and-entering incidents reported last week. At 5 p.m. Nov. 6, troopers responded to a residence in the 71000 block of Harrison Road in Mottville Township, where a residence was burglarized. The homeowner told police a four-wheeler, snow blower, television, gaming system and tools were stolen. On the same day …

In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Constantine Monsanto site decided to do its part to raise awareness by hosting “Harvest for a Cure.” The fundraiser took place in early October at the corn-production site in Constantine. The site designed and sold nearly 1,000 pink, breast-cancer-awareness T-shirts to employees, growers, truck drivers and members of the community. The …

A Gator-brand off-road vehicle and a leaf blower were reported stolen last week from a barn at Meyer Broadway Park. State police investigators said the John Deere Gator and Stihl backpack-style leaf blower were taken during the incident, which was reported last Thursday. In a separate but potentially related incident, a chainsaw was reported stolen last Thursday from a logging …

State police investigators are looking into a situation in Florence Township, where a small-caliber rifle was fired at a residence. According to a department media release, the homeowner reported two rounds were fired through a living room window, passed through a wall and into a laundry room. One of the two bullets struck a washing machine, the other was lodged …

The St. Joseph County Council for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect is hosting a pair of parenting workshops later this month. “More 1, 2, 3 Magic” a program for encouraging positive behavior for children ages 2 through 12 years, takes place 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 18. “Winning at Parenting,” for a humorous approach to discipline, is offered 6 …

A paddle boat was reported stolen from a Fishers Lake residence Monday afternoon. State police said the manually powered boat was stolen between Thursday and Monday from a residence in the 14000 block of Lakeshore Drive. The watercraft is made of fiberglass, has two seats and tubes for flotation.

Three Rivers City Commissioner Carolyn McNary was selected as mayor pro-tem for the second consecutive term. The action came during Monday’s organizational and administrative-review meeting, when Mayor Tom Lowry and at-large commissioner Linda Gearhart were sworn in for two-year terms. They fended off challenges during last week’s general election to claim their seats on the board. For Lowry, it starts …

Two Sturgis High School graduates have reported they are safe after surviving Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Elsa Thomasma  and Carter Brown sought refuge in the city of Tacloban, which was the largest municipality hit by last week’s typhoon. The two, who are 2008 Sturgis High School graduates, have been overseas in a humanitarian capacity through GoAbroad Philippines. Diane Brown, …