Homepage Featured News Center

A 44-year-old Kalamazoo County man was found guilty of murder Wednesday in a case that has ties to Three Rivers. Grady Shields Jr., was found guilty of first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder in the slaying of Lois Cox. Cox was 59 when her body was found in October 1993 inside a vehicle behind a business in the 600 block …

A White Pigeon man was airlifted to a Kalamazoo hospital following a two-vehicle accident Tuesday at the intersection of U.S. 12 and U.S. 131. Thomas Lapham, 50, was in serious condition following the 4 a.m. accident. He was driving east on U.S. 12 when a westbound vehicle driven by 25-year-old Kevin Groff, of Burr Oak, turned south onto U.S. 131 …

St. Joseph County will see an increase in the amount of time  is devoted by equalization director Tony Meyaard. County commissioners last week approved an agreement where Meyaard’s services will be split evenly between St. Joseph and Cass counties. Meyaard for the past year had worked three days a week in Cassopolis and twice weekly in Centreville. Meyaard will remain …

A state grant awarded last year to St. Joseph County is reducing recidivism rates and cutting time behind bars for qualified candidates. Judge Paul Stutesman provided details about the Swift and Sure Sanctions Probation Program last week, when he presented circuit court’s annual report to the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. Stutesman said the State Court Administrative Office provided …

A rural Constantine man was airlifted to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo early Saturday after a one-car crash in the village of Constantine. Police said Darrell Wood, age 26, was the lone passenger in a vehicle that was eastbound on Riverside Drive when he failed to negotiate a curve at Sixth Street around 1:30 a.m. His vehicle clipped a tree …

The driver of a stolen vehicle remains at large after he eluded police during a two-county pursuit last week. State police troopers said the man was seen around 7 p.m. Thursday driving a vehicle reported stolen from the village of Colon. The vehicle was initially spotted eastbound on U.S. 12 near Big Hill Road. The driver headed into Burr Oak, …

The St. Joseph County Animal Control Department has been chosen to receive a $10,000 grant for spay and neuter services. In a correspondence to county commissioners last week, director Tom Miller said the service is performed before animals are adopted from the Centreville agency. Miller indicated he hopes the measure will help increase adoption rates at the shelter. By unanimous …

Motor-vehicle offenses, including the number of drunken drivers, decreased in St. Joseph County last year compared to 2012. District Court Judge Jeff Middleton provided details during his annual report Tuesday before the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. His news, however, came with a caveat, as Middleton said he suspects the decrease was the result of fewer law-enforcement officials on …

St. Joseph County Register of Deeds Pattie Bender provided details this week related to the development of a program using a red-flag system to identify meth houses. During her annual report presented at Tuesday’s county commission meeting, Bender said she and a team of county officials met last year with Three Rivers attorney Pat O’Malley. The focus was to discuss …

In addition to providing an annual report as register of deeds, county clerk Pattie Bender presented county commissioners a summary of her department’s operations in 2013. Bender, who will mark her 44-year anniversary as a courthouse employee later this month, said her department’s revenue report showed collections in circuit and juvenile courts were down in 2013 compared to 2012. She …