Government

St. Joseph County Commissioner Rick Shaffer this week presented a gift to his peer, commissioner John Dobberteen, in recognition of Dobberteen’s years of service. Shaffer said he is finding himself in a reflective mood as his tenure as a commissioner comes to a close at the end of the year. On that note, he said Dobberteen has been an 18-year …

Flowerfield Township has agreed to retain the services of Three Rivers Fire and Marcellus fire departments for its ambulance service. A split vote on the matter occurred during a special meeting Tuesday. Township supervisor Carroll Parmeter suggested switching the service to Pride Care based on what he said amounted to a one-year cost increase of more than 2,000 percent proposed …

St. Joseph County Commissioner Don Eaton had sharp words for a Florence Township official who complained Tuesday about the state of Constantine Road. Gordon Evilsizor, who has regularly chastised commissioners for their lack of supporting a plan to fix the balance of Constantine Road through Florence Township, repeated his concerns during the citizen-comment portion of the agenda. Eaton said it …

A man accused of plowing his pickup truck into a group of Michigan bicyclists, killing five, was under the influence of drugs, a prosecutor said Wednesday as he added new charges. Charles Pickett Jr. was already facing second-degree murder charges in the June 7 crash. The additional charges, driving while intoxicated causing death, are significant because they give a glimpse …

A White Pigeon couple was injured after the boat on which they were riding over the weekend in Berrien County exploded. According to MLive Media Group, 63-year-old Kenneth Warren and Barbara Warren, 61, were aboard a 26-foot boat at Eagle Pointe Harbor Marina near the mouth of the St. Joseph River when the engine exploded around 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Kenneth …

A 28-year-old White Pigeon man was charged with a number of offenses after fleeing in his vehicle from police and engaging in a high-speed chase. State police said an attempt to stop the vehicle for speeding and a moving violation was made near the intersection of Blue School and Dickinson roads around 2:50 a.m. Saturday. The driver refused to stop …

Two Niles residents were hospitalized after the motorcycle on which they were riding was struck by a vehicle over the weekend in Flowerfield Township. Sheriff’s department deputies were called around 4:30 p.m. Sunday to M-216 near Creglow Road, where the motorcycle being ridden by Thomas and Vickie Spain, both 52, was struck by a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Jeep was …

Saturday’s cleanup of a 2 1/2-mile stretch of the St. Joseph River netted about 100 pounds of debris, event organizers estimated. Sponsored by the St. Joseph County Conservation District, the cleanup was the first of six efforts the agency is staging this summer. Saturday’s event drew 18 people and started at South Railroad Street in Mendon. It concluded at River …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a breaking-and-entering incident that took place last week in Flowerfield Township. According to a department media release, the incident occurred between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Thursday at a residence in the 50000 block of Carlton Road. The victim told police a number of drawers were searched and an undisclosed quantity of …

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency was notified last week by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services of a case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The case was reported Thursday and occurred in a child residing in Cass County. Agency officials said the incident is the first confirmed contracted case of the disease in Michigan since 2009. Rocky Mountain Spotted …