News

The group of five returning St. Joseph County Board of Commission members were sworn in during a brief ceremony this week. Commissioners John Dobberteen, Al Balog, Robin Baker, Don Eaton and Rick Shaffer took their oath of office before County Clerk Pattie Bender prior to Tuesday’s final board of commissioners meeting of 2012. The board is shrinking from seven members …

For the second time in four months, Sand Lake party store in Nottawa was burglarized. According to the St Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, the breaking-and-entering incident occurred between 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and 6:15 a.m. Thursday. Investigators suspect access was gained through a rear window that was broken out. An inventory of the store found several cartons of cigarettes and an …

The threat of the season’s first snowstorm prompted officials from the city of Sturgis to issue a media release regarding municipal snow removal. Snowfalls between less than one inch and three inches will be treated with applications of deicers and plowing. Depending on the amount of snow, measures may include plowing of intersections, major streets and/or local streets. Snowfalls of …

The Michigan Department of Transportation is seeking public comment on its draft 2013-2017 five-year transportation program. The draft document includes information about MDOT’s funding picture and a list of specific transportation projects planned for the next five years in each of MDOT’s seven regions. Locations, descriptions and proposed construction years of more than 400 projects may be found through a …

Kalamazoo police have released the names of two residents who were arrested in Georgia for two September shootings, one of them fatal.   31-year-old Clarence Ross Junior is charged with an open count of murder in the Sept. 30 killing of 24-year-old Jheryl Wright at the Quick Stop convenience store.  The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety says that 30-year-old Duncan Williams …

A Constantine Public Schools policy committee will have an abundance of information to review next month, following a special meeting its board of education conducted Wednesday. Staged in light of a series of policies employed following an incident last month, the district asked the public for feedback during what turned out to be an hour-long gathering. About 50 participants gathered …

An English teacher at Sturgis High School has been named the recipient of the 2012 John E. Oster Award. Stephanie Harker Schau, a 1985 graduate of Sturgis High School, was presented the award during a Monday luncheon sponsored by the Sturgis Rotary Club. Created by Oster’s widow, Jo Ellen, the John E. Oster memorial recognizes teaching excellence in Sturgis Public …

A pair of Sturgis men were arrested on drug-related charges following a search of their residence Tuesday. The men, ages 40 and 39, face charges of maintaining and operating a methamphetamine lab, possession of meth and maintaining a drug house. They were arrested in the 200 block of Susan Street after the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit executed a …

Five incumbents returning to the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners were sworn in for their two-year terms by County Clerk Pattie Bender this week. Rick Shaffer, John Dobberteen, Al Balog, Don Eaton and Robin Baker were sworn in during a brief ceremony prior to Tuesday’s county commission meeting. Balog, Eaton and Baker ran unopposed in the August primary, while …

Two members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners were honored Tuesday for their dedication to the seven-member board. Larry Walton and Jerry Ware were recognized with proclamations, as Tuesday was the last meeting for the pair before the commission shrinks to five members starting Jan. 1. Walton joined the board in July and Ware has been a member …