Government

Mayor Tom Lowry and commissioners have denied a special-use permit requested by Verse By Verse Ministries for a public place of worship at a downtown location. The unanimous vote Tuesday went against a 4-1 recommendation yielded a week earlier by the city’s planning commission. Verse By Verse was hoping to establish a place of worship at 54 N. Main St., …

Five people were charged with methamphetamine-related offenses following a police raid Monday at a residence in Sturgis. Sheriff Brad Balk said members of the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit acted on a tip regarding the production of meth at a residence in the 300 block of South Jefferson Street. A search warrant was executed and SCAN unit members found …

The St Joseph County Sheriff Department is investigating a breaking-and-entering incident that took place earlier this week at a business in Nottawa Township. Sometime between 9 p.m. Sunday and 7 a.m. Monday, someone broke into to El Ken Kamp store, at 56607 Angevine Road, by shattering a side window. An undisclosed amount of cigarettes, alcohol and cash were taken from …

The city of Sturgis is reminding its residents that Borden recycling pickup scheduled for Thursday will take place this week on Friday instead. In addition, the city has announced leaf pickup will continue through the end of the month. Residents are encouraged to rake their leaves curbside to ensure removal.

A log splitter was reported stolen from a Lockport Township pole barn. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said the TSC large-log splitter was stolen between Nov. 9 and 16 from a location in the 16000 block of Fairchild Road. The splitter is described as having a silver frame, a 12-horsepower engine and a 32-ton cylinder on an axle with …

Sheriff Brad Balk said deputies were summoned to a home-invasion incident at 3:22 a.m. Saturday in White Pigeon Township. According to a sheriff’s department media release, the incident took place in the 68000 block of Sevison Road. A white male wearing a green coat, jeans and stocking cap had broken a glass door to gain entry into the residence. He …

A public hearing for a special-use request sought by a church hoping to locate downtown tops today’s Three Rivers City Commission meeting. The request, sought by Verse By Verse church, was recommended by the city’s planning commission last week and will now be fielded by Mayor Tom Lowry and commissioners for final approval. Also up for deliberation this evening is …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners will decide today whether to reconsider a motion made earlier this month regarding development of a proposed senior center in Sturgis. Also before commissioners is a public hearing related to the county’s proposed 2013 fiscal year budget. The $28.8 million proposed budget is more than $785,000 less than the budget approved for the …

“Operation Verify,” a three-week campaign recently conducted by the Michigan State Police and local agencies, confirmed 89 percent of the county’s sex offenders are in compliance with proper registration of their residence. According to a MSP media release, 328 of the county’s 367 registered sex offenders who are not homeless or incarcerated have been checked and verified as accurate. Another …

A number of city officials and Sturgis residents attended an open house last week to honor outgoing deputy fire chief Scott Hopkins. A 40-year veteran of the department, Hopkins begins working this week in Centreville as the county’s emergency services coordinator. Hopkins will work under Jim Barnes, who is retiring from the position next month. As coordinator of emergency services, …