Government

            St. Joseph County’s new MSU Extension agriculture agent was introduced Tuesday to the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners.             John Zirkle, an Indiana native, recently graduated from the University of Vermont with a master’s degree in plant soil science. Zirkle’s work will cover a variety of issues, including helping with field trials, pest-management testing and lending a hand …

St. Joseph County plans to levy 4.5482 percent of taxable value in excess of $1.8 billion, following a vote taken by the board of commissioners Tuesday. Money generated from the levy, which is applied to county property owners, accounts for almost two-thirds of the tax dollars the county collects annually, according to county administrator Judy West-Wing. She said money generated …

At 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Three Rivers police re­sponded to the 600 block of Erie Street, where two males were attempting to enter an apartment building. Police said two 17-year-old boys, one from Mendon and one from Three Rivers, were followed to Maplecrest Apartments, where they were seen attempting to gain access to vehicles in the parking lot. The investigation re­vealed …

The Three Rivers Area Community Foundation is accepting applications for mini-matching grants, supporting schools, government entities and other 501(c)3 organizations. Final grant awards will be based on community support and local dollars raised to match the amount offered to prospective recipients. Selected grant recipients will be notified by mid-August the award amount the foundation will match and details regarding their …

Three Rivers Police issued a citation to an Illinois man for attempting to sell magazine subscriptions without a permit. Police said upon further investigation, the man was suspected to be one of nine people involved in an attempted home invasion incident currently under investigation by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department. He was located in the 600 block of West …

Officials from the Three Rivers Police Department have released the name of a man who allegedly attempted to hire someone to assault his wife with the intent of harming her unborn child. Police said Todd Allan Maddux, 31, was arrested for solicitation with intent to assault his pregnant wife to cause a miscarriage or stillbirth. The alleged plan by Maddux …

Talks about the position of county drain commissioner becoming a full-time job have gained momentum in recent weeks. The matter was discussed during last week’s executive committee of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners, who appear to be in favor of upping the post to a 40-hour-a-week job. Current Drain Commissioner Jeff Wenzel has long lobbied for the job …

Stanley Tucker is being sought by the Three Rivers Police Department and is appealing to the public for help in discovering his whereabouts. The 44-year-old Tucker, who is 5’11” and weighs about 180 pounds, is wanted for three counts of murder from incidents that took place Tuesday last week in Detroit. Officers said he shot and killed his wife and …

Deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department were notified Friday of a break-in that took place earlier in the week at a business in Centreville. A department news release stated someone entered a business in the 500 block of West Burr Oak Street through a side door. Investigators were told it didn’t appear anything was taken. There was no …

The St. Joseph County E-911 Central Dispatch in 2011 fielded nearly 84,000 telephone calls for police, fire and emergency medical services. During the department’s annual report last month to the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners, director Jon Uribe noted the Centreville-based agency for the first time in its history fielded more calls from people using cellular phones than landline …