Government

The Prairie River Watershed and wetlands in St. Joseph County will be at the center of a presentation Wednesday. Overseen by the St. Joseph County Conservation District and its counterpart in Branch County, the two-hour event begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Dresser Auditorium at Glen Oaks Community College. Presenter Rachel Smith, coordinator of the Prairie River Watershed Protection Plan, …

The organization Keep Wolves Protected announced last week a petition to place wolf hunting on a 2014 referendum was submitted earlier this month. If the proposed referendum is approved, it would delay a planned wolf-hunting season, approved by legislatures in December. A 67-day drive to secure signatures and force the matter to be decided by Michigan’s voters netted more than …

After two delays, the Michigan Department of Transportation is set to begin next week road construction on M-216 in Flowerfield Township. Starting Monday, the road will be closed west of the U.S. 131 intersection for a $1.8 million reconstruction project. A detour will follow Pulver, Johnson and Flowerfield roads. The roadwork is set to be completed in June. Previous start …

A 21-year-old Three Rivers-area man and his 21-year-old passenger were treated for injuries following a one-vehicle crash earlier this week in Fabius Township. St. Joseph County Sheriff’s department officials said Kennith Criddle was driving east on Coon Hollow Road when his vehicle left the roadway near Ferguson Road and went down an embankment. The incident occurred shortly after 1 a.m. …

Sturgis Police are investigating a home invasion which occurred Thursday morning shortly after 7:30 in the 600-block of South Jefferson Street. The victim, a 39-year-old Sturgis man, indicated he went into his kitchen and confronted a masked intruder. The two began to struggle. The family dog bit the suspect who fled the residence. Following a search, police were unable to …

A wallet was stolen from a vehicle parked behind a business in White Pigeon, according to state police officials. An employee at Mancino’s said his vehicle was damaged and the wallet stolen from inside the vehicle between 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. Monday.

A White Pigeon man will spend at least two years in prison for his role in setting fire to a residence in White Pigeon Township last year. Terry Streib, 74, was sentenced earlier this month by Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman for setting fire last July to a house on Aldrich Lake Road. During court proceedings, Streib indicated he started …

Staff and administrators at the St. Joseph County Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services will take 23 collective furlough days to help improve the agency’s financial standing. During Tuesday’s monthly CMHSAS Board meeting, executive director Liz O’Dell said management will be taking seven unpaid days off, while staff members will take a total of six. O’Dell will take 10 …

Police are seeking criminal charges against the mother of three children who died after they were killed in a fire at an apartment complex in Kalamazoo last month. Kalamazoo County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Carrie Klein says the request for three counts of second-degree child abuse against 26-year old Jonetta Woods is being reviewed. The charge carries up to 10 years …

February’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County increased for the second consecutive month. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed St. Joseph County’s 8.3 percent January unemployment rate was seven-tenths percent of an increase from December. Still, the January 2013 rate was 1.8 percent less than the same month one year earlier. The …