Government

A 40-year-old woman is the latest person to be arrested following an investigation into methamphetamine-related tips passed on to the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit. Sheriff’s department officials said the woman, whose identity and address were not available in a media release, was arrested for a probation violation at a residence in the 60000 block of West Street in …

Members of the Three Rivers Planning Commission are expected to handle a matter this evening regarding a special-use permit to allow a church to locate in a downtown storefront. The proposal, being sought by Verse By Verse church, is the main focus of the 6:45 p.m. meeting. At issue is whether downtown is a suitable location for a church. The …

Three Rivers municipal officials said former police chief and city commissioner Earl Stark has passed away. Stark, who chose to not seek reelection for a third, two-year term a year ago, had represented the city’s Third District. Details about Stark’s funeral arrangements are expected to be announced today.

The five-year anniversary of Jodi Parrack’s death was marked Thursday with a solemn gathering at Washington Street Park in Constantine. About 75 people showed up to remember the 11-year-old girl who was last seen Nov. 8, 2007, riding her bicycle near Third and South Washington streets. St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough said a cold-case team from the Michigan State …

A few meetings in the area are on deck this evening. Members of the Constantine Public Schools Board of Education plan to assemble at 6 p.m. One matter of potential discussion may come from last week’s defeat of a Headlee renewal. The setback is keeping the district from more than $100,000 Elsewhere, 7 o’clock meetings are slated for the Lockport …

Larry Matson, who was defeated Tuesday in his bid for a one-year term to the Three Rivers City Commission, said he is considering applying for the vacancy created by the resignation of Judith Gilchrist. Matson, 67, was appointed to the board following the resignation of Ken Baker. He was defeated Tuesday by Diane Haley-Clay. The opening created by Gilchrist’s departure …

A vehicle parked on the shoulder of Broadway Road was damaged around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department. The hit-and-run incident occurred in the vicinity of Fabius Township Hall. Details about the incident, including extent and location of damage, were not stated in a department media release.

St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners has agreed to allocate $10,000 toward legal fees and preliminary architectural drawings related to a proposed senior center in Sturgis. The action came this week and marks a major step toward the potential development of such a facility. Led by Commissioner Don Eaton, the concept has been in the discussion stages for years and …

More than 23,000 St. Joseph County residents participated in this week’s general election. The figure means about 54 percent of the county’s registered voters participated in Tuesday’s vote. County Clerk Pattie Bender said the overall number of voters was down from more than 25,000 in 2008. Park Township led St. Joseph County Tuesday with the highest number of residents voting, …

Three Rivers City Clerk Lindsay Howes said the city commission will stage an organizational meeting Monday. At that time, two newly elected commissioners – Alison Haigh and Diane Haley-Clay – will be sworn in. Commissioners Daryl Griffith and Carolyn McNary, who ran unopposed, also will be sworn in during the ceremony. The new-look commission stages its first regularly scheduled meeting …