St Joseph County

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has given the green light to the use of a trained dog for therapeutic and calming purposes. Commissioners on Tuesday OK’d an agreement with Linda Baker, victims’ rights coordinator who works for the county prosecutor’s office. Baker said three other counties in the state have dogs used for victims or witnesses who need a …

The two largest school districts in St. Joseph County conducted their re-organizational meetings this week. In Sturgis, Geoff Smith was named president of its board of education. Tom Robertson was assigned vice president and Ann Bird secretary. Ray Sterling will serve as treasurer. In Three Rivers, board members returned Susan Schmidtendorff as president, Mike Bosma as vice president and Waneta …

White Pigeon Community Schools recently recognized a longtime board of education member who decided to not seek re-election. Joe Komins, who was board president the past two years, was feted by board members and Superintendent Ron Drzewicki  for his eight years of service to the board. Drzewicki said Komins made a difference through his leadership and dedication to White Pigeon …

A 19-year-old Constantine man was taken by ambulance to Three Rivers Health following a one-car accident over the weekend in Mendon Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said Curtis Roberts was southbound on Nottawa Road when he lost control of his vehicle at Prairie Corners Road. The vehicle struck a power pole. Investigators said it appears speed and alcohol …

The City of Sturgis is installing its new, portable ice-skating rink at the corner of North Monroe Street and East Chicago Road, next to Headlines Hair Design and Spa. Installation started last week and opening for skating will depend on the weather. More information will be forthcoming regarding hours of operation and when skating begins.

A residence in Colon Township was raided by the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit Friday morning, resulting in the arrests of five people. Sheriff’s department officials said the 7:30 a.m. raid at the Driftwood Drive residence was the second in nine months at that location. Two females and three males, ranging in age from 30 to 76, were taken …

Sturgis residents in a neighborhood in the city’s northeast quadrant are being advised to follow a boil-water advisory, following a water-main break last week. The broken pipe was at the intersection of North Lakeview Avenue and Wilshire Drive. More than a dozen basements were flooded as a result of the water-main break, which took place in the pre-dawn hours Friday, …

A South Bend man, who is suspected of passing out while driving, is hospitalized following a one-car incident around 1 a.m. Saturday in Florence Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said Francisco Perez, 24, was driving south on Constantine Road when he passed out behind the wheel and his vehicle collided with a tree near the intersection of Roys …

Two promotions and a new full-time employee have been announced by the Sturgis Fire Department. Deputy Chief Andy Strudwick said Cody Cripe and Andy Kiss were promoted to the rank of captain. Meanwhile, Joel Hohn was brought on board as a full-time employee after serving in a part-time capacity since 2007. Cripe joined the department in 2003, while Kiss has …

Eight jobs are being cut at Three Rivers Health as the result of restructuring, according to hospital CEO William Russell. With the current economic environment in the health-care industry, Russell noted the management reduction is necessary to ensure a sustainable path for the future of Three Rivers Health. Russell expressed his gratitude to all management leaders for their service. He …