Government

A southwestern Michigan man has been sentenced to a year in jail for his 16-year-old son’s fatal drug overdose. Prosecutors accused Gary Birkhead of knowingly allowing his son to use illicit drugs over two years. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in November. Birkhead, a Bangor resident, has been in the Van Buren County jail for months and will have …

Authorities are seeking murder and other charges against a man they say shot three officers and killed a 22-year-old father after taking him hostage inside his home. Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller said there was no apparent connection between the jailed suspect and Christopher Neal. Neal was at his Comstock Township home Sunday night watching television with his wife and …

Republican Rep. Fred Upton has easily won reelection to his southwest Michigan House seat for more than 30 years by touting his “common-sense values” and bipartisan accomplishments. But then came the hyperpolarized politics of the Donald Trump era. Now no one, including Upton, really knows what the future holds for him heading into the 2020 election. With the impeachment storm …

A 33-year-old police officer has been shot and wounded outside a home in Battle Creek. Battle Creek officer Jeffery Johnson was in stable condition at a hospital after being struck about 2:30 a.m. Saturday in the chest and left leg. A slug also grazed one of his wrists. Police say officers were on patrol when they heard yelling at the …

A crowdfunding effort by the St. Joseph County Commission On Aging reached its $50,000 goal. COA director Tim Stoll said as a result of meeting its goal, the agency qualifies for a $50,000 match through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Stoll said the funds will help with development of a park at the newly opened Rivers Enrichment Center at the …

Classes resumed Monday without incident for Three Rivers High School students. The high school on Friday last week was placed into what district officails called a “soft lockdown” around 10 a.m. due to a school threat. Students at the high school were released for the day at 11:30 a.m. as a precaution. Superintendent Ron Moag said the district was able …

Two exceptions were made this week to St. Joseph County’s self-imposed hiring freeze. County commissioners Tuesday granted requests from district court and the prosecutor’s office to fill vacancies considered essential. District court was in need of a probation officer, a position vacant since the start of the month. Officials said the job is critical because a probation officer provides a …

St. Joseph County commissioners Tuesday agreed to the renewal of the county’s 2020 indigent defense attorney agreement. The county will pay nearly $570,000 over the 12-month period for attorneys taking on clients who are indigent. The nine-member pool of attorneys is comprised of John Bush, Christine Yancey, Jordan Yancey, Laurie Hines, David Marvin, Melissa Hallack, T.J. Reed, Timothy George and …

Century Bank and Trust in Three Rivers was robbed Monday, and a suspect has been arrested. Authorities said a man handed a teller a note, in which he demanded money. The man was wearing a blue sweatshirt, a dark Carhartt cap and blue jeans. The man was found following tips from the community.

The St. Joseph County Commission On Aging is close to reaching its goal set through a crowdfunding campaign to help create an outdoor park as well as a public space inside the former Three Rivers Inn. Above and beyond the $4.6 million in renovations to the hotel itself, which led to the creation of a senior center and 46 independent-senior …