Government

St. Joseph County Clerk Pattie Bender is advising the public that petitions for candidates to area school boards of education, Glen Oaks Community College Board of Trustees and village councils are due by 4 p.m. Aug. 14. All positions will be elected in the Nov. 6 general election. Bender said candidates wishing to run for school board in Burr Oak, …

A Sturgis woman was killed in a 1-car crash Friday morning on M-60 in Branch County’s Sherwood Township. The victim was identified as 21-year-old Natasha Richardson. She reportedly lost control of her car, rolling it over. The car caught fire, trapping her inside. Richardson’s sister, 23-year-old Catherine Richardson, was a passenger in the vehicle. She was able to escape from …

Members of the Three Rivers City Commission have authorized sanitary sewer repairs on West Street. During action on the matter earlier this month, Mayor Tom Lowry and commissioners agreed to a $10,500 allocation to Northern Construction Services Corporation for repairs to compromised sections of the sewer line. The work will occur as crews continue to replace a four-inch water main, …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has appointed Nottawa Township resident Larry Walton to serve as commissioner of District 2 for the balance of 2012. Following an interview with five candidates Tuesday, the 51-year-old Walton was selected to fill the seat left vacant by Gerald Loudenslager. Loudenslager resigned last month to take the position of Nottawa Township supervisor. Walton …

Village officials in Constantine took action against the owner of a house that was declared a public nuisance this week. During their Monday meeting, council members agreed to order the tenant at a residence in the 400 block of White Pigeon Street to evacuate the premises due to cockroach infestation and other concerns relevant to the health of the occupant. …

A breaking-and-entering incident at a Centreville apartment is being investigated by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department. According to a department news release, an apartment in the 300 block of West Main Street was entered between noon Sunday and 1 p.m. Monday. The main item of value taken from the residence was a flat-screen television.

Investigators from the Michigan State Police are looking into the breaking and entering of the former Med Tech building, on U.S. 131 and Anderson Road in Mottville Township. Owners of the property had previously discovered that the building had been burglarized but did not report the incident because the building was vacant. Last Friday, however, the owners noticed electrical wiring …

Three people last week were charged with methamphetamine-related offenses after a search warrant was obtained for a residence in the 69000 block of Sevison Road in White Pigeon Township. According to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, deputies arrived at the residence around 8 p.m. Friday to serve an arrest warrant. A person spotted inside the residence, however, refused to …

Deputies with the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department are investigating the theft of irrigation wire following an incident in Nottawa Township. According to a department news release, the victim notified authorities around 10 p.m. Saturday that wire from three spans of an irrigation pivot was stolen between Tuesday and Friday last week. The incident occurred in a field near North …

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, today released a report on the committee’s activities from the 2nd quarter of the 2nd Session of the 112th Congress. The report, the sixth such quarterly report that has been issued by Upton, was delivered to members of the committee and offers highlights of …