News

Centreville Public Schools officials approved nearly $200,000 in purchases during the district’s board of education meeting Monday. The district has allocated remaining bond money, general-budget funds and Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds to cover the expenses. In the category of safety and security, the district approved a districtwide video-surveillance system, shelter shutters to cover door-side windows in the …

Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency has received from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Laboratories the final testing results of water samples taken from Round Lake on August 12. Results confirm a microcystin level slightly higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended level for recreational activity. Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, in consultation with Michigan Department of …

A jury on Tuesday convicted two men of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, a swift victory for prosecutors in a foiled plot that was described as a rallying cry for a U.S. civil war by anti-government extremists. Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. were also found guilty of conspiring to obtain a weapon of mass destruction, namely a …

St. Joseph County Animal Control has received two anonymous grants to help the Centreville-based agency. During their monthly board meeting last week, St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners learned more about the windfall from finance director Angie Steinman. She said an anonymous donor provided $5,000 toward the department’s spay/neuter program. The other gift was $10,000 to be allocated for an …

St. Joseph County commissioners last week approved a request from Sheriff Mark Lillywhite for the purchase of 38 body cameras. His $217,000 request includes cloud storage, in-car cameras and upgraded as circumstances warrant. The deal covers a 10-year period and is being worked out with a company called WatchGuard. Funding will come from the $2 million commissioners allocated toward special …

A parking lot resurfacing project at the county courthouse will be completed two years earlier than scheduled. During their monthly meeting last week, commissioners agreed to field bids to resurface the parking lot on the east side of the courthouse. Administrator Teresa Doehring said a water pipe under the north end of the lot sprung a leak earlier this month …

During their first meeting since the Aug. 2 primary, a few St. Joseph County commissioners reflected on what will, in all likelihood, be an upcoming change at the state senator level. Meanwhile, one commissioner expressed his dissatisfaction with a different legislator, who had better luck in his re-election run. Ken Malone spoke during “commissioner comments” portion of the Aug. 16 …

Five people were injured in a three-vehicle crash over the weekend in Cass County’s Volinia Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called at 6 p.m. Saturday to a personal-injury incident at the intersection of Marcellus Highway and Decatur Road. According to authorities, 35-year-old Elkhart resident Janelle Miller was traveling south on Decatur Road and proceeded to stop before entering …

A California woman and her passenger were injured last week as the result of a single-vehicle crash in Constantine Township. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said deputies were called shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday to an area on North River Road near Winding River Road. The 23-year-old female driver, a woman from San Jose, and her 25-year-old passenger, a Grand Rapids resident, …

Constantine Village Council members last week tabled a request by Tranquility Fields of Ann Arbor to place a cannabis-consumption establishment/event center and a recreational retail provisioning facility downtown. The request was for a location at 230 N. Washington St. Company representatives said the business would have 20 employees. The concept of a consumption lounge did not exist when a recreational …