Government

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners recently approved the submission of three grant requests to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. In all, the requests amount to more than $150,000, not including more than $100,000 county-required matching dollars. County grant writer James Hissong said the first was an appeal to the DNR’s trust fund for development of two accessible …

St. Joseph County District Court Judge Rob Pattison has announced he will stage a “Court in the Schools” session next month in Three Rivers. Pattison on Monday said the session, will involve an actual sentencing from someone who pled guilty to a drug- or alcohol-related offense. The event will take place at 1 p.m. April 15 at Three Rivers High …

Family members of a young mother who was wounded during Kalamazoo-area shootings that killed six say it could be six months to a year before she’s fully recovered. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports relatives of Tiana Carruthers and her spiritual adviser gathered Saturday at Haven Reformed Church to speak about her. Scott McCloughan, who oversees the mentoring ministry at Kalamazoo Youth …

Investigators from the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit worked in conjunction with parole agents from the Michigan Department of Corrections in performing compliance checks last week. Sheriff Brad Balk said investigators teamed with corrections agents to check on individuals on parole and probation in Three Rivers, Fabius Township, and Lockport Township. Seven different locations were targeted, resulting in five …

Dep. MaKenzie Kreiner of the Cass County Sheriff’s Office has been selected as the 2015 Child Passenger Safety Technician of the Year by the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. The annual recognition program, now in its second year, honors those who serve as an example to other technicians by educating families about the proper installation and use of car …

Authorities say they are investigating the death of a 4-year-old girl on her birthday. Kalamazoo police say officers responded to a home Saturday on a report that the girl wasn’t breathing. She was unresponsive and pronounced dead at the home. Police said more information will be released after an autopsy.  (AP)

St. Joseph County’s E-911 Central Dispatch fell short of a goal in 2015 but the objective remains a work in progress, according to agency director Dennis Brandenburg. Presenting his department’s annual report to county commissioners last week, Brandenburg said his No. 1 goal in 2015 was to staff central dispatch fully. Regarding accomplishments last year, Brandenburg said the agency received …

A quote for work related to the development of a septic system and restroom at Nottawa Park at Sand Lake was awarded last week by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. County administrator Pat Yoder said a $12,000 quote was received from Jones Petrie Rafinski of Elkhart for engineering services to complete the project and ready it for construction. …

Cass County’s E-911 Central Dispatch fielded a number of calls Thursday regarding structural damage caused by high winds. According to an agency media release, the dispatch center around 3:30 p.m. had received a number of calls from the village of Edwardsburg regarding several reports of downed trees. Many trees were uprooted, several homes received wind damage to shingles and siding, …

The Michigan House Appropriations Subcommittee for State Police this week approved a $654 million budget that state Rep. Aaron Miller said improves public safety for all Michigan families. Miller, chair of the panel, said the budget includes funding for a state trooper school that will train 64 men and women to provide law enforcement across the state. The spending plan …