Government

Three people, including a Three Rivers resident, were arrested on drug-related charges following a traffic stop last week in Park Township. According to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, a pickup truck driven by a 34-year-old man from Three Rivers was stopped around 7:15 p.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Klines Resort Road and Silver Street. A subsequent search of …

An unidentified man was seriously injured Monday evening in an apparent meth lab explosion in Sturgis. Police were called to the 200 block of North Centreville Road where they found a 53-year-old man with second and third degree burns. He was airlifted to Bronson Methodist Hospital for treatment.

A man faces trial on involuntary manslaughter and child abuse charges in a February apartment fire in Kalamazoo that killed three young children who were left home alone. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports jury selection for 19-year-old Fred Glespie is expected to begin Tuesday and last several days. The Benton Harbor man is charged in the Feb. 18 fire at Interfaith …

A utility trailer was reported stolen within the past week from a Mottville Township residence. State police investigators said the 6-by-10-foot trailer was stolen between Nov. 21 and Tuesday from the 10000 block of Cecilia Avenue, state police said. The trailer is black, with a wood deck and aluminum fenders.

A Three Rivers man has died nearly a week after he was involved in a two-vehicle accident in Lockport Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said Dwayne Detwiler, 76, died Wednesday from injuries he suffered in the head-on collision at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 21 on M-60, near Mahnke Road. Detwiler was driving west on M-60 when his vehicle collided …

Three Rivers Mayor Tom Lowry said he received comments from residents earlier this month regarding the city’s polling place being inside a church. Lowry said the concerns centered on people having to go into a church to cast a vote. The city commission in 2009 consolidated polling places to Riverside Church as a money-saving measure. Voting locations were previously scattered …

A grant from the Sturgis Area Foundation will help with the purchase of equipment for the county’s Central Dispatch agency. St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners last week approved the $1,500 grant. The money will be matched by the county to purchase a ham radio and a placement repeater. Scott Hopkins, emergency management coordinator for St. Joseph County, said the …

St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Chairman John Dobberteen has asked that a letter be sent to state representatives regarding police coverage at night by the Michigan State Police. During the county commission’s November committee of the whole meeting, Dobberteen said he is aware the Branch County Sheriff’s Department cut in half its funding for road patrol. Dobberteen said it’s …

The Sturgis City Commission has agreed to relocate the city’s historic depot building from its current location on Main Street to 400 W. Chicago Road. The decision by city officials this week come after years of discussions related to the relocation. Because it is considered a historic building, the choice was to move the building rather than renovate it. City …

A federal grant announced earlier this month will benefit St. Joseph County residents who are without insurance or considered underinsured. Officials from the Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services of St. Joseph County said the $812,000 award will fund the first 15 months of a new, county health center. An annual renewal of $650,000 will be made available in …