St Joseph County

Members of the Centreville Village Council will study the feasibility and cost of hiring a village manager. Council members last week agreed to talk to other communities served by a village manager to gauge their feelings about the position. Colon earlier this year became the latest local community to employ the services of a village manager. Trustee Gary McClain said …

Work on a portion of roadway considered the worst road in St. Joseph County started last week. St. Joseph County Road Commission Manager Chris Minger said crews from Michigan Paving and Materials of Kalamazoo started the task of reconstructing Constantine Road from the White Pigeon village limits north to an area about half a mile north of Stears Road. The …

Constantine Village Manager Mark Honeysett said the turnout for the inaugural Chief Jim Bedell Memorial Golf Fundraiser was remarkable. The golf outing, which took place June 10 at St. Joe Valley Golf Club, drew 18 teams, Honeysett said. More than 60 individuals and businesses provided support, with 42 sponsoring golf holes, he added. The $5,000 it raised was used to …

St. Joseph County commissioners recently approved an employee handbook revision. The amendment centers on adding new language regarding the issuance of county ID cards and proper use of the cards. The cards will feature the employee’s name, photo and department of employment. Each card will be programmed with a corresponding security zone. Employees will be given access to the courthouse …

Investigators from Michigan State Police and local fire agencies remain at the scene of a Mottville Township business to determine what caused a devastating blaze Monday. Crews were summoned around 4 p.m. to Green Stream recycling, in the 69000 block of M-103. In all, more than a dozen different departments responded and attempted to put out the blaze that burned …

State Sen. John Proos and a small number of state officials witnessed firsthand Monday the success stories emerging from a program through St. Joseph County Circuit Court. Overseen by Judge Paul Stutesman, Monday’s “Drug Court” provided status updates on eight participants in the program. Funded in part through state and federal grants, Drug Court is a two-year program that aids …

The village of Colon has employed an unusual source to clear a park area overrun with poison ivy and undesirable weeds. A herd of 10 goats was hired by the Colon Parks Board to rid the west edge of Colon Community Park of the overgrowth. Park Board member Edith Doenges said the goal was to tidy up the area before …

Keith Lang has tendered his resignation at Sturgis Public Schools. Early this year, the former Sturgis High School teacher was charged with multiple counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and other offenses. At that time, a police investigation showed he allegedly had a sexual relationship with a minor student. He initially was charged with single counts of distributing or promoting …

A Burr Oak man was arrested after leading authorities on a pursuit last week. According to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were aware of two cars racing through Sturgis around 6 p.m. Friday. Central dispatch received a call around 7:30 p.m. concerning a suspicious vehicle in the vicinity of Burr Oak and Deer Park roads. The vehicle fit …

Members of the White Pigeon Collaboration Team are pursuing a number of grant opportunities to help cover the cost of a sidewalk from downtown to U.S. 131. During last week’s monthly meeting, the group of community activists learned the project’s cost would be $29,000. A core of volunteers from cement businesses has offered to spend Saturdays on the project. Meanwhile, …