Government

History was made last week in Centreville, as a pair of Three Rivers residents became the first same-sex couple to marry in St. Joseph County. Not long after the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, Susan Henry and Dawn Munson arrived to county clerk Pattie Bender’s office to complete a marriage license. The two decided on a …

Three school board members subject to a recall have through Monday next week to appeal a decision Friday that will allow the process to continue. Three Rivers Board of Education members Waneta Truckey, Carl Barth and board president Mike Bosma did not indicate after Friday’s clarity/factual hearing what course of action they plan to follow. The three-member St. Joseph County …

St. Joseph County officials hope a program they have discussed will increase the number of quality candidates for deputy positions with the sheriff’s department. During an executive committee meeting earlier this month, county administrator Pat Yoder said undersheriff Mark Lillywhite proposed an idea that is an option for not having a strong candidate pool. Yoder said the process begins with …

Two people were taken to the hospital following a two-vehicle accident earlier this week in Fabius Township. According to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, 76-year-old Mary Corban of South Bend was driving south on U.S. 131 when her vehicle collided with an eastbound car driven by Catherine Kull, 61, of Niles. Kull was on M-60 and, according to investigators, …

St. Joseph County commissioners last week approved Schaffer Consulting of Bethesda, Md., to review the financial and operating procedures of the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services of St. Joseph County. Commissioners agreed to include the county health department in the study. County administrator Pat Yoder said Schaffer is expected to do a follow-up performance and look at opportunities …

A Colon Township resident, whose plans to develop an operation that would house up to 90,000 chickens, has withdrawn his proposal. The two-barn project was proposed earlier this year by Jonathan Schrock and poised for a location on the north side of M-86, just west of Palomino RV – Division of Forest River Inc. Colon township and village officials, as …

A ceremonial ground breaking took place Tuesday for the South County Community Enrichment Center. County, municipal and commission on aging dignitaries gathered at the Sturgis site for a 20-minute program that included the ceremonial dirt-turning. Making comments to the crowd of about 30 people were Sturgis Mayor Ken Malone, Three Rivers City Manager Joe Bippus, St. Joseph County Commissioner Don …

State Rep. Aaron Miller has announced a pair of upcoming opportunities to meet with him at locations in Cass County. Miller on June 30 will be at the Council on Aging in Dowagiac, from 11 a.m. to noon. Miller will then be at Zeke’s, also in Dowagiac, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., also on June 30. Miller said a big …

Three Rivers police are seeking community assistance to identify a suspect wanted for several cases of retail fraud. Police say the man is a black male in his late 40s. He is wanted in connection with several retail frauds in April and June. Thefts exceeded $ 1,000 in merchandise. Meanwhile, Michigan State Police are asking the public for help to …

A jury has found two defendants guilty of murder in the shooting death of an 18-year-old Elkhart man.  Nineteen-year-old Freddie Rhodes and 17-year-old Deante Dalton were convicted Monday after their attorneys declined to call witnesses to testify. They each face up to 65 years in prison.  Rhodes and Dalton were found responsible for the death of Dre Tarrious Rodgers under …