News

St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners last week approved a revised Community Mental Health resolution originally authorized during its Jan. 6 meeting. County administrator Pat Yoder said the county on Jan. 6 made its annual appropriation to the county’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. The amount was more than $257,000. Yoder said an additional $90,000 to rectify a previous …

Deputies from the St Joseph County Sheriff’s Department were called last week to investigate a complaint related to a larceny of a motor vehicle. Deputies responded at 4:30 a.m. Thursday to the 14000 block of M-60 in Fabius Township, where a 14-foot U-Haul box truck was stolen two hours earlier. The vehicle, which was taken with its key, was last …

Authorities say they removed 11 dogs from a filthy, one-bedroom apartment in southwestern Michigan as part of an animal cruelty investigation. The Van Buren County sheriff’s department says the 11 Chihuahua mixes seized on Monday in the village of Lawton included one puppy. The department says there was a large amount of animal feces and urine throughout the apartment and …

Police say they have increased their presence at Kalamazoo College following five armed robberies on campus. Assistant Chief Don Webster of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety says five students were robbed at gunpoint on Jan. 19 within the same block. He says the suspect stole money and cellphones. None of the victims were injured. A university spokesman says the …

In recognition of their profession’s long history and enduring record of patient safety, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) in Michigan and across the country are celebrating the 16th annual National CRNA Week, January 25-31, 2015, with the unified mantra “Quality and Excellence in Anesthesia Care.” Established by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), National CRNA Week was created to …

Fire heavily damaged a garage and caused minor damage to a home early Saturday in Constantine Township. Firefighters were called to the 64000 block of Youngs Prairie Road about 12:30 a.m. They arrived to find flames coming from the garage. Firefighters quickly brought the fire under control and began protecting the home, located about 10 feet away. No injuries were …

A police dog from the Three Rivers Police Department played a major role in the arrest of two burglary suspects last week. Three Rivers Police responded early Friday morning to an active burglary alarm at Triple Creek Convenience Store on South Main Street. Officers arrived and found a broken window. As the investigation continued, Three Rivers K-9 Hondo was brought …

Saturday’s second annual Winter Adventure at Camp Fort Hill provided a break from the winter doldrums, as about 100 people participated in a variety of outdoor and back-to-nature activities. Expanding on the inaugural event in 2014, the list of attractions included a hay ride, snow shoeing and a cross-buck-sawing competition. Organizers hoped to offer cross-country skiing, but the activity wound …

Prosecutors are urging a judge not to reopen a case involving the 1990 slayings of two hunters in southwestern Michigan, saying an alternative theory of the fatal ambush wouldn’t have led to a different verdict against an aggressive property owner. Jeff Titus is serving a life sentence in the deaths of Doug Estes and Jim Bennett. The Innocence Clinic at …

A Battle Creek man is being credited for helping to save the life of a 10-year-old spotted at the bottom of a southwestern Michigan hotel pool. St. Joseph police responded Saturday night to Silver Beach Hotel following a report of a possible drowning. They say Melvin Jackson of Benton Harbor was visiting the hotel to celebrate a cousin’s birthday when …