Government

St. Joseph County commissioners plan to review all non-operational expenses and potentially make some adjustments in the county’s 2017 budget. The plan was discussed during a commissioners’ work session Wednesday. Commissioner John Dobberteen broached the subject by asking county administrator Pat Yoder for a list of the non-mandated services, adding it is time to re-prioritize. He said the scrutiny is …

State police troopers are investigating the theft of hay bales from a Fabius Township retreat. Troopers were called at 11 a.m. July 30 to Camp Eberhart after it was discovered between 50 and 60 bales of hay were stolen from the property, located off County Line Road. Camp officials said the hay bales were likely stolen overnight between July 26 …

A 55-year-old man has been arraigned in the slaying of a woman whose body was found in a wooded area in northeastern Michigan. The Alpena News reports that Brenton Lee Walker of Millersburg appeared Thursday in 89th District Court. Walker is charged with first-degree murder. The body of 42-year-old Heather Young was found Tuesday near Millersburg in Presque Isle County, …

Michigan State Police are investigating a report of a Breaking and Entering in the 12000 Block of N. River Road in Constantine Township.  Troopers believe that the break in occurred between 08/06/16 and 08/10/16. The victim reported numerous items missing including Stihl brand and Echo brand power yard tools.

A Three Rivers woman was charged with embezzlement, as authorities suspect she stole up to $15,000 from a trust fund she was managing. Three Rivers Police Chief Tom Bringman said Judy Smith-Lynes, 73, was arrested Monday following an investigation that started in January. Smith-Lynes was a successor trustee for the estate of a long-time friend who passed away two years …

St. Joseph County Animal Control is reporting an incident of canine parvovirus at the Centreville shelter. Parvo is a highly contagious disease that can turn into a life-threatening illness. Because animals in the shelter are in such close quarters, extreme measures are being taken to quarantine, move and clean to reduce the spread of the disease, said deputy Josh Shook, …

A family of swans has been found dead along a Washtenaw County road. Scio Township resident Emily Bauerle tells The Ann Arbor News that she saw the five dead water fowl Wednesday in Freedom Township and it appears they were hit by a vehicle. Bauerle says the swans were hit several feet from the roadway near a pond. Bauerle said …

The former executive director of St. Joseph County Commission on Aging received a six-month severance package, shortly after a Kalamazoo consulting firm recommended that she be terminated for creating what it called a “toxic and manipulative” work environment at the agency. Lynn Coursey denied that charge and said it was her decision to leave the job she had held for …

A St. Joseph County employee who took charge of the register of deeds office at a critical time in 2010 left her job last week. Jennifer Wall, 44, said she turned in her two-week notice Aug. 3, a day after Lindsay Oswald was elected to a four-year term as county clerk and register of deeds. She said her decision was …

A stretch of East Murray Avenue in the village of White Pigeon was dedicated last weekend to honor a prominent citizen of the community. The ceremonial gesture calls for the street to also be known as Hank Moorehouse Avenue. A well-known figure in the world of magic and illusion, Moorehouse passed away in 2011 while performing in China. His four …