News

A three-year contract with St. Joseph County’s Central Dispatch Unit was approved Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. Effective Jan. 1, the contract covers 11 employees and will offer a 2 percent pay increase in each of the first two years, and a 3 percent wage improvement in the third year. Matters related to health insurance and …

Constantine Public Schools Superintendent Chuck Frisbie on Tuesday sent a letter to parents of Eastside Elementary students and provided general information about a police investigation at the Pre-K-through-second-grade school. In the letter, Frisbie indicated the investigation centers on “incidents which may have occurred in a kindergarten classroom” at Eastside. Frisbie said parents of children from the classroom in question were …

With little fanfare, members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Tuesday approved the county’s 2013 fiscal year budget. The $28.8 million budget goes into effect Jan. 1. It is more than $780,000 less than the 2012 fiscal-year budget, thanks in part to a lower-than-expected allocation sought by the St. Joseph County Road Commission. According to a breakdown of …

The St. Joseph County United way is staging a Celebrity Waiter Night fundraiser this evening at a Sturgis-based restaurant. Fiesta Mexicana will be the location of the event, set to take place 5 to 9 p.m. A number of representatives from the Sturgis City Commission as well as municipal staff members will be on hand to host and help the …

A 17-year-old Three Rivers woman was treated for minor injuries following a single-vehicle accident at 3 p.m. Monday in Fabius Township. According to the St Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, the woman was driving south on U.S. 131 when she lost control of her vehicle due to a wet roadway around Hoffman Road. The vehicle went into a ditch and rolled …

A Kalamazoo area high school student is behind bars after he threatened a police officer with a knife Monday afternoon. Police say that an officer at Portage Northern High School was called to assist administrators after the 17-year-old student showed threatening behavior. When the officer attempted to approach the student, police say he pulled a knife. The officer used his taser to …

A 16-year-old Colon resident was treated for minor injuries following a one-car accident Sunday in Colon Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said Heather Avery was driving north on Kane Road when she lost control of her vehicle and it rolled over. The incident occurred at 12:45 a.m. on a gravel road and near the intersection of Decker Road.

A Three Rivers man was slightly injured after he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed his car last week in Park Township. According to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, 30-year-old James Moore was driving west on M-60 when his vehicle exited the roadway west of Heimbach Road and struck several mailboxes and trees. The vehicle sustained heavy damage …

​A teacher at Eastside Elementary in Constantine is on paid leave as a procedural measure while the Constantine Police Department conducts an investigation at the school. ​Superintendent Chuck Frisbie said he wasn’t at liberty to elaborate on the matter while the investigation remains active. He did say a 90-minute meeting took place privately with about 15 parents Monday night. ​Constantine …

St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners is expected to approve its 2013 budget at today’s 5 o’clock meeting. The proposed $28.8 million budget would go into effect Jan. 1. There was no comment made during a public hearing on the proposed budget two weeks ago. Also on the agenda for today’s meeting is an update on foster-care initiatives from Probate …