Government

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has renewed a five-year lease agreement with 911/Central Dispatch. During last week’s commission meeting, commissioners approved the agreement for 911/Central Dispatch to continue using the 4,000-square-foot space at 620 E. Main St. The annual rent is $788. When St. Joseph County’s 911 was formed in the 1990s, it constructed its headquarters. The county …

The name of the victim in a fatal auto accident last week in Fabius Township has been released by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department. Michael Gabriel Juan Willis, 13, died at the scene of the two-vehicle crash Friday night at the intersection of U.S. 131 and Broadway Street. Willis was a front-seat passenger in a vehicle being driven by …

Authorities say a man who was shot and killed during a confrontation with officers was wielding an air pistol. Kalamazoo Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley told reporters Monday that “it would be impossible for anyone, including an officer, to distinguish” the air pistol Brad Mason had from another weapon. Hadley said the toy’s orange safety tip and other markings had …

Thirty-one-year-old Nathan Lumbard has been ordered to serve between six and 15 years in prison, following his sentencing last week. Lumbard, a LaGrange County resident, was sentenced Friday in St. Joseph County Circuit Court by Judge Paul Stutesman for setting fire to Welch’s Steak and Ribs in May 2009. Lumbard was also charged with breaking and entering to commit larceny. …

Three Rivers Downtown Development Authority members expect to hear this week whether the agency is awarded a step up to a “Select” level in the Michigan Main Street community. A team of DDA and community members made a presentation before a panel of judges last week in Lansing as part of the process to earn the Select status. If chosen …

Seven people were arrested last week on drug-related charges following a raid at a residence in Sturgis. The St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit executed a search warrant at a residence in the 200 block of North Clay Street, where three men and four women were arrested. Charges include possession of methamphetamine and maintaining a drug house. Three children were …

A Detroit police officer has been cleared in the 2012 fatal shooting of a woman who grabbed his service pistol during a party in his backyard. Deputy Police Chief Rodney Johnson tells The Associated Press that 40-year-old Isaac Parrish never was charged in the death of 24-year-old Adaisha Miller. Police had said Miller “embraced” Parrish from behind while dancing. Parrish …

One person was injured Thursday after a roof collapsed at Omni Source Corporation, at 2160 S. Centerville Road, in Sturgis. Sturgis fire crews responded at the scene and found a 100-by-200-foot section of the main building had collapsed. Two employees were in the building at the time, and both escaped. One suffered minor injuries. Gas and power were shut off …

A 45-year-old Colon Township woman faces a number of drug-related charges after she was arrested this week by members of the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit. Sheriff’s deputies said SCAN unit members executed a search warrant Wednesday at a residence in the 60000 block of South Farrand Road in response to suspected manufacture and/or use of methamphetamine. The suspect …

A Sturgis man was charged with arson after he was involved in a dispute with his mother Monday night. Sturgis police said they responded to the Fawn River Apartments in response to a man attempting to gain access into an apartment unit. The caller told police the man was looking for his mother. According to police, the man and his …