Government

The St. Joseph County Commission on Aging (COA) has approved a new, five-year lease with the City of Three Rivers for the Three Rivers Community Center. The Community Center, located at 103 South Douglas Avenue, has been the headquarters for the COA in recent years and that will continue until at least 2017 with authorization given last week (July 18) …

The Three Rivers City Commission dealt with a variety of items during a relatively brief regular meeting last week (July 17) The session included three public hearings during which there were no citizen comments. In each case, the commission approved the issue at hand. Specifically, commissioners: • approved a Special Exception Use Permit for a Massage Establishment and Day Spa …

A monument to mark the gravesite of Jodi Parrack was put into place last month, thanks to the efforts of Constantine Police Chief Jim Bedell. The headstone is a permanent tribute to the 11-year-old girl, whose murder remains unsolved more than four years after she was last seen riding her bicycle from a friend’s house. The monument is placed at …

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 …