Government

State police troopers are investigating the theft of copper wire from an irrigation system in Park Township. The victim said the incident occurred between Sept. 1 and 15 in an area along Carpenter Road, between Heimbach and Edgerton roads, where electrical wire was cut from two spans of a nearby irrigation pivot. The incident was reported at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Authorities say an ambulance driver was injured in a collision involving a semi-truck in southwestern Michigan. The crash happened early Tuesday in Van Buren County’s Paw Paw Township and prompted authorities to close a stretch of M-51 as crews responded. The sheriff’s office says the truck rolled over after hitting the ambulance. The driver of the ambulance had what were …

State police troopers are investigating a series of break-ins and attempted break-ins that occurred last week in Colon Township. According to a department media release, the incidents occurred between midnight and 6 a.m. Friday in the 30000 block of Brandt Road. The break-ins and attempted break-ins occurred while residents were asleep. A wallet and other valuables were stolen, according to …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners earlier this month agreed to make a pair of exceptions to its hiring freeze. Due to extenuating circumstances, commissioners agreed to a request for a deputy juvenile register and a juvenile day treatment monitor. Sought by juvenile court director Tom Robertson, the request for a deputy juvenile register was made based on the …

State police troopers are investigating a breaking-and-entering incident that occurred between 6 and 9 p.m. Sept. 7 in the 20000 block of Mahnke Road in Lockport Township. Authorities said suspects broke into a detached garage and stole several items, including a shotgun and pellet gun.

Michigan State Police staff members are being deployed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency Regional response-coordination center in Philadelphia to provide support as a liaison between state and federal agencies related to the impending arrival of Hurricane Florence. The deployment is occurring as a result of a request made for out-of-state support through the National Emergency Management Agency. The MSP …

Officials have released the names of two people who died after a boating accident in southwestern Michigan. The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office says the boat was crossing from Tub Lake to Barton Lake when it struck the top of a cement barrier under Portage Road Saturday evening in Schoolcraft Township. The department says in a statement Monday that 56-year-old Anthony …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved a number of appointments this week. Commissioners during Tuesday’s meeting reappointed Howard Bush and appointed Rose Ludwick and Gerald Loudenslager to the Community Corrections Board for terms to expire Dec. 31; Richard Anderson was named to the Workforce Development Board for a term to expire in September 2020; and David Mostrom, James …

A fuel tanker caught fire on the U.S. 31/20 bypass in South Bend, sending flames high into the predawn sky and damaging the roadway’s pavement. Police say residents were evacuated from some nearby homes after the fire started about 4:30 a.m. Monday on the city’s far west side near South Bend International Airport. They were able to return a few …

St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough has authorized seven charges against Fernando Mendoza Cruz. The 37-year-old Sturgis man was charged Friday with three counts of kidnapping, and one count for each offense of fleeing and eluding, carrying a concealed weapon, felony firearm and domestic violence. He remains in the St. Joseph County Jail with a $250,000 cash/ surety bond. An …