News

The St. Joseph County Conservation District will stage the first of its seven river cleanups for 2013 Saturday. Weather permitting, a 4.7-mile stretch of the Prairie River will be cleared in Lockport Township, from Hoshel Road to Lutz Road. The 2013 campaign is the third of a five-year mission to clean all 150 miles of rivers in the county. The …

Members of the Three Rivers Wastewater Treatment Plant were commended by city officials last week for reaching a significant milestone. Plant director James Baker said the utility went 24 consecutive months without a violation of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. Four of the plant’s five employees were on hand to receive recognition by Baker and commendation by Mayor …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department is advising residents to keep their vehicles locked overnight, as two vehicles were burglarized this week in Lockport Township. Detectives said someone broke into the vehicles between 1 and 5:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 19000 block of M-60, in Lockport Township. A wallet and a small amount of cash were stolen from the vehicles.

The Michigan House of Representatives Wednesday approved the budget for fiscal year 2014. State Rep. Matt Lori said he was happy to see continued fiscal responsibility in both the school-aid and general-fund budgets. Lori said the Michigan House has continued to be fiscally responsible with the money to which it is entrusted. The Constantine-area resident said the approved budget controls …

An Indiana man was named by Sheriff Brad Balk as St. Joseph County’s Citizen of the Year. The recognition went to Middlebury resident Andrew Finch during a brief ceremony at the sheriff’s department Tuesday. Finch helped investigators solve a pair of larcenies from Fillmore Equipment in Park Township. Finch was commended for acting on a suspicious situation after he was …

The National Weather Service reports several funnel cloud sightings, including a tornado that landed near Goodrich High School southeast of Flint. No injuries were immediately reported. The weather service didn’t directly link damage to Tuesday night’s tornado sightings in Genesee County but says high winds in the same severe thunderstorm system heavily damaged several homes. It says winds toppled numerous …

Police at Michigan State University say the school’s emergency alert system sent out a false warning of someone firing shots on the East Lansing campus. Sergeant Dan Munford tells the Lansing State Journal that the error happened about 6 p.m. Tuesday when the area received a tornado warning. He says the alert system mistakenly reported that there was an “active …

A $500 reward is being offered by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department for information related to a series of break-ins in southeastern St. Joseph County. The department said the reward is available to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction for the responsible party. Authorities are advising residents be especially alert to suspicious activity or …

The Colon Fire Department recently received a boost in its goal to purchase equipment for a new tanker/pumper truck. An international Food Fest event staged earlier this month by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church raised $1,200. A check was presented last week to Colon Fire Chief Matt Overholt. Members of the congregation said the March fire that destroyed two downtown businesses …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners set a time and date for an upcoming work session, an informal gathering that will take place at 3 p.m., June 5 at the county courthouse. Commissioner Don Eaton during Tuesday’s twice-a-month meeting said the much-discussed work session and its continued postponements was becoming a problem. He voiced his frustration over perpetual postponements …