Government

Florence Township Supervisor Tom Young has filed paperwork to seek a recount, following his three-vote defeat in last week’s primary election. County Clerk Pattie Bender said the hand recount was requested Wednesday and will be conducted at 10 a.m. Aug. 24 in the second-floor conference room at the county courthouse. Young was defeated, 65-62, by Gordon Evilsizor in the Aug. …

Investigators from the Michigan State Police post in Coldwater and its detachment in White Pigeon were summoned around 8 p.m. Tuesday in response to an improvised explosive device. The device was found in about two feet of water by a swimmer on the east side of Grey Lake in Sherman Township. Members of the state police bomb squad were called …

Members of the St. Joseph County Conservation District and 18 volunteers removed approximately 500 pounds of debris from a stretch of the Nottawa Creek last weekend. The three-mile stretch, from the Shorts Road bridge to the Fulton Road bridge in Leonidas Township, resulted in the recovery of two sunken aluminum boats, an extensive amount of glass bottles and aluminum cans, …

Three Rivers Fire Department Chief Dan Tomlinson has announced the agency has been awarded an improved rating by the Insurance Services Office. As a result of the agency’s rating from Class 5 to Class 4 effective Aug. 1, insurance premiums for a number of residential, commercial and industrial property owners within the city limits could decrease. Tomlinson said the ISO’s …

Troopers from the Michigan State Police detachment in White Pigeon are investigating an incident during which a man pointed a gun at a group of children at a rural location in Mendon Township. A group of four children were riding bicycles Thursday on Wakeman Road, west of Baer Road, when a man in a green GMC pickup truck pointed a …

An irrigation panel was damaged during an incident between Aug. 4 and 5 in a field on Peck Academy Road in Constantine Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said the damage to a center-pivot irrigation system came shortly after the pivot had been repaired from having its copper wire stolen. The extent of damage and cost of repairs was …

A 50-year-old Nottawa woman remains in critical condition as she recovers from being struck by a car while riding her bike last week. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said Esther Schmucker has been at Bronson Methodist Hospital since she was struck head-on by a vehicle driven by 28-year-old Jeremy Conley, of Sturgis. The incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. Thursday …

Officials from the city of Sturgis have closed the RV dumping station near the municipal airport due to several incidents of improper and illegal use of the site. Road construction on West Lafayette Street this summer forced the station to be closed temporarily. Numerous incidents of illegal use and misuse, however, prompted city officials to close the site for good. …

Jewelry and money were reported taken during a break-in at a residence in Lockport Township last week. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said the incident occurred in the 61000 block of Shorewood Drive. The burglary took place between Aug. 4 and 8. A media release did not indicate the method of entry.

Five St. Joseph County-based departments played a critical role in helping extinguish a large-scale fire Friday morning in Vicksburg. A 4 a.m. blaze at a former paper mill required the services of 10 fire agencies to douse an intentionally-set blaze at the 435,000-square-foot building. The facility, which has been dormant and used only for storage, served for years as the …