Government

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners last week approved appointments to the agricultural preservation board and the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Board. Constantine-area resident Henry Miller was renamed to the Ag. Preservation Board for a three-year term. County Commissioner Don Eaton, meanwhile, was reappointed for a one-year term. In addition, five people were appointed to the …

The Saginaw man accused of stabbing four people on an Amtrak train in Niles in December is not going to face trial on four charges of assault with intent to murder. 44-year-old Michael Williams was found incompetent to stand trial on Monday by Berrien County Trial Court Judge Dennis Wiley. When he was arrested, Williams told police he started stabbing …

State lawmakers are again considering a measure to legalize ticket scalping in Michigan. The measure, before a state House committee Tuesday, would repeal a 1931 state law that prohibits a person from selling sports or entertainment tickets for a profit without approval from a venue operator. Bill sponsor, House Republican Tim Kelly of Saginaw, says it’s a commonsense measure that …

A Sturgis resident was seriously injured in a single vehicle crash Friday night on McKale Road. According to State Police, 20-year-old Paige Baker lost control of her pickup and struck a tree. The crash happened just south of Findley Road.

State Rep. Aaron Miller was a visible figure in the community last week. Miller spent the day Friday making public appearances at locations in Centreville and Colon. The 27-year-old freshman representative spent a portion of the morning at the St. Joseph County Health Center in Centreville. Miller was given a tour of the facility and later met with representatives to …

A Sherman Township residence on Lake Templene was destroyed by fire last week. The Lakewood Circle home was vacant when the blaze was reported around 5 p.m. A pair of ice fishermen noticed smoke coming from the residence and alerted central dispatch, according to the Centreville Fire Department. Investigators from the Michigan State Police are looking into the situation, but …

Kalamazoo Public Safety officers are investigating the early Saturday morning shooting of a young man. Investigators say officers were responding to the report of a large fight before 2:30 a.m. Saturday when they found a Kalamazoo man suffering from a gunshot wound. Police say the victim, who is in his early 20s, would not cooperate with authorities and gave no …

A decision on who will be appointed to serve an 18-month term as county clerk and register of deeds could be made next week. St. Joseph County Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman said the four-person team that interviewed finalists Tabitha Wedge and Lindsay Oswald this week will reconvene Tuesday morning and discuss their thoughts in detail. Stutesman, who is obligated …

A river trail master plan was approved Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. The action is a critical step toward St. Joseph County being in a position to showcase and promote its paddling opportunities to canoe and kayak enthusiasts. Put together by St. Joseph-based Edgewater Resources, the master plan was assembled following two public-input sessions during which …

St. Joseph County’s Central Dispatch wishes to advise the public it will be testing the severe-weather sirens this weekend. Beginning at 12:05 p.m. Saturday, sirens in all communities countywide will be activated as part of the testing process. On the first Saturday of each month from March to October, the department conducts a test of the sirens. During this weekend’s …