Government

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has set the date for its first meeting of 2015. During Tuesday’s proceedings, commissioners set the meeting for 5 p.m. Jan. 6. At that time, the five-member board will set the full meeting schedule for the balance of the year. The board currently meets at 5 p.m. the first and third Tuesday of …

The St. Joseph County Water Trail Master Plan will be open for public comment starting Friday, according to Suzanne Fromson, landscape architect with Edgewater Resources. Fromson, whose company has been retained by the county to work on the master plan, said a hard copy of the proposed plan will be at the county courthouse through Jan. 19. It will also …

Investigators from the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit executed a search warrant Monday at a residence in Sturgis Township. SCAN officers received information about a location in the 69000 block of Deer Road, where trafficking of marijuana and other controlled substances had been suspected. Officers obtained a search warrant for the residence and once inside, they found marijuana and …

No injuries were reported Friday afternoon in a car-bus collision in Three Rivers. The incident occurred around 3:15 p.m. on West Michigan Avenue, just east of U.S. 131, according to Three Rivers Police. The Three Rivers Community Schools bus was traveling west on Michigan Avenue when a car turned left from a business on the north side of the road. …

Three Elkhart men were arrested Friday in connection with an armed robbery at a Cass County gas station two days earlier. Sheriff Joe Underwood Jr. said a clerk at the Marathon station in Jones was robbed at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday. Underwood said a cashier was able to get a description of the vehicle following the armed robbery incident. Around 10:30 …

A benevolent effort two weeks ago raised more than $19,000 for six local, non-profit organizations. Three Rivers Area Community Foundation Administrator Melissa Bliss said the money raised as part of #GivingTuesday Dec. 2 will benefit the following: Three Rivers Community First Fund, Three Rivers Main Street/DDA, Three Rivers Sports Complex, River Country Recreational Authority, Three Rivers Food Site and the …

Members of the Sturgis City Commission expressed specific concerns this week about the proposed senior center slated for the east side of town. Nonetheless, the $2.6 million project remains on task for a groundbreaking in the spring. Jonathan Rambow, representing designer Slocum Architects of Kalamazoo, said plans for an 11,000-square-foot building, located about 350 feet south of the existing Doyle …

Ownership of Nottawa Park is expected to revert to St. Joseph County, according to county administrator Pat Yoder. Located on the east side of Sand Lake in Nottawa Township, Nottawa Park was turned over to Nottawa Township’s Board of Trustees in 2012. Yoder said the county board is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to take over ownership again. The …

A recount confirms that Republican Margaret O’Brien narrowly beat Democrat Sean McCann in the race for the 20th District state Senate seat in Kalamazoo County. The recount completed Wednesday concludes that O’Brien got 61 more votes than McCann. He asked for the recount after the original count showed him losing by 59 votes in the Nov. 4 election. Both candidates …

St. Joseph County administrator Pat Yoder has recommended a Mendon woman to fill the role of county human resources director. During Wednesday’s committee-of-the-whole meeting, Yoder nominated Teresa Doehring to fill the position left vacant since last month. Elishia Arver stepped down from the post to take a human resources job in the private sector. Yoder said the committee – which …