County Commission

A team of 11 people lent a hand Saturday in a cleanup of the Pigeon River between U.S. 12 and Blue School Road in Mottville Township. The seventh river cleanup this summer, spearheaded by the St. Joseph County Conservation District, yielded nearly 300 pounds of debris, including rusted farm equipment, tires, a porcelain toilet, and an assortment of litter, including …

The St. Joseph County Conservation District will stage its seventh river cleanup of the season Saturday on the White Pigeon River in Mottville Township. The 1.5-mile task will start at U.S. 131 and conclude at Blue School Road. It is slated to take about two hours. Prospective participants are asked to meet at Blue School Road bridge at 9:30 am …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has agreed to support the formation of a program that will add personnel to the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit. The decision was made Tuesday at the request of Undersheriff Mark Lillywhite, who said the initiative will involve training and bringing on to the SCAN unit one officer from the Three Rivers …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved a three-year contract with three units from the sheriff’s department Tuesday. The five-person command unit, the road unit and its 15 members, and a roster of 17 employees in the corrections unit are under contract through the end of 2015. Terms of the contract include 2 percent pay increases in 2013 and …

The St. Joseph County Conservation District completed its sixth river cleanup for 2012 last weekend and drew a total of 17 volunteers. The effort started at Farrand Road bridge in Colon Township and covered nearly three miles, ending at the Jacksonburg Road bridge in Leonidas Township. Event organizers estimated nearly 500 pounds of debris was removed from the river. The …

Members of the St. Joseph County Conservation District and 18 volunteers removed approximately 500 pounds of debris from a stretch of the Nottawa Creek last weekend. The three-mile stretch, from the Shorts Road bridge to the Fulton Road bridge in Leonidas Township, resulted in the recovery of two sunken aluminum boats, an extensive amount of glass bottles and aluminum cans, …

Two days after failing by eight votes to return to a third term as a member of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners, Fawn River Township resident Jerry Ware announced he will not seek a recount. Ware, a four-year member of the county board, said even though he carried Fawn River Township and one of four precinct in the …

County officials are awaiting word from County Commissioner Jerry Ware regarding a potential recount, as the Fawn River Township resident fell short in his bid for re-election by just eight votes Tuesday. In his attempt to serve what will be a new-look District 5 in January, Ware lost to Sturgis resident John Dobberteen, 395 to 387. Both are incumbents on …

St. Joseph County Drain Commissioner Jeff Wenzel will continue to serve the elected post through 2016 after voters during Tuesday’s primary election re-elected the Lake Templene resident by almost a 2-to-1 margin. Wenzel, who is completing his first, four-year term as drain commissioner, defeated Fabius Township resident David Hassenger, who previously served as drain commissioner for eight years before he …

St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners has set a deadline of Thursday for citizen-interest forms from anyone in District 2 wishing to join the commission through the end of the year. Commissioners decided last week to set the deadline, as they have less than three weeks to fill the seat vacated by 20-year Commissioner Gerald Loudenslager, who resigned to take …