Government

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners agreed to keep its meetings at 5 p.m. the first and third Tuesdays of the month. The matter was resolved during Tuesday’s meeting. The exceptions to the 2014 schedule are the first meetings in August and November, which will be moved one day earlier to not conflict with primary and general elections. On …

Slick roads may have been a factor in a Wednesday morning, two-vehicle crash in Lockport Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said Hollie Chaffee, 36, of Three Rivers, was northbound on Lutz Road when she lost control of her vehicle near the intersection of M-86. Her vehicle was struck by a southbound automobile driven by Michael Marker, 49, of …

Two Sturgis residents were served felony warrants Tuesday on charges of breaking and entering, and felony burglary. The Sturgis Police Department said Timothy Pelfry, 32, and Kendra Rustad-Hojara, 21, were taken to the St. Joseph County Jail following their alleged involvement in a Dec. 26 incident at an apartment in the 700 block of Gateway Court. A tip to police …

A multi-family residence was destroyed by a fire last weekend in Sturgis. The blaze started around 12:30 a.m. Saturday in the 500 block of West Congress Street, according to Sturgis Fire officials. The occupants evacuated safely but the extent of damage was too great and has left the structure uninhabitable. The Sturgis Fire Department received aid from three additional agencies, …

Authorities say a man suspected of wearing a mask when he set a fire inside a southwestern Michigan Walmart store before stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of electronics has killed himself in northern Indiana. The St. Joseph County, Indiana sheriff’s department says 31-year-old James Turns fatally shot himself Tuesday night. Berrien County, Michigan Undersheriff Chuck Heit says authorities got a …

Constantine Village Manager Mark Honeysett said he will take over as chief of police later this year. Members of the Constantine Village Council agreed to the arrangement Monday, as current chief Jim Bedell is retiring in May. Honeysett, 58, said he will work under a two-year contract as chief while continuing to serve as village manager. His salary will be …

Approximately 100 people gathered in downtown Three Rivers Sunday to participate in a flash mob-style video shoot, led by the city’s Downtown Development Authority. DDA director Christy Trammell said the authority has applied to participate in the Select Level of the Michigan Main Street Program. Adhering to the theme, “T.R. is All in this Together,” representatives from various organizations, Three …

John Dobberteen will head the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners for the second consecutive year. The unanimous decision was made Tuesday at the commission’s first assembly of 2014. The meeting had been postponed one week due to inclement weather Jan. 7. Dobberteen, whose jurisdiction covers the city of Sturgis and Fawn River Township, is starting his 16th year on …

A residence in the city of Sturgis was burglarized Sunday. According to Sturgis Police, the owner of a house in the 1100 block of Greenlawn Street reported the back door to the residence was forced open. The residence was ransacked, and two cameras, jewelry and a large sum of money were stolen. Police said they were told the incident likely …

Police in southwest Michigan and northern Indiana are looking for a man who is accused of setting a fire at the Walmart store in Niles and then stealing electronics. The suspect allegedly set the fire in the clothing department just before 5 a.m. on Sunday. After it was burning, he then smashed a display case in the electronics department and …