News

A bridge on a heavily traveled north-south route in St. Joseph County will be closed starting next week. St. Joseph County Road Commission officials said the Nottawa Road bridge – south of M-86 and north of Findley Road – in Nottawa Township, will be out of service beginning Monday. MDOT and county officials said the 60-year-old bridge is being reconstructed …

Michigan State Police troopers are investigating a breaking-and-entering incident that occurred this week in Sherman Township. Troopers were called shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday to a residence in the 27000 block of Orchard Drive. Investigators said the suspect broke into the residence and but scared off by the homeowner before anything was taken.

St. Joseph County commissioners this week got a first-hand look at the many needs of St. Joseph County’s courts building. During a 30-minute tour Tuesday led by Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman, commissioners were provided a sobering reality of how much work the 50-year-old building needs. The blemishes they saw include water-stained ceiling tiles, faded carpet more than 20 years …

St. Joseph County Clerk Lindsay Oswald announced Wednesday that a White Pigeon man’s effort to recall village president Tyler Royce fell short. Oswald said 21 of the 126 signatures submitted by businessman Jerry Kash were invalid. The 105 valid signatures were three short of the minimum required to continue the process. The minimum number of signatures from registered voters who …

Nottawa Township officials voted Monday against re-zoning a 1.6-acre parcel from agriculture to commercial. As a result, a plan for development of a Dollar General store in the community of Nottawa is derailed. By unanimous vote, Nottawa Township Board of Trustees supported the township planning commission’s July 19 recommendation against re-zoning. The decision thwarts a proposal to develop a 10,000-square-foot …

Deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department are investigating a breaking-and-entering incident last weekend from a location in Park Township. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said the incident occurred between Friday and Sunday at a commercial building in the 55000 Block of Franklin Drive. The victim told authorities a large amount of building materials was taken, including metal siding, insulation, and …

Michigan reported fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Aug. 14, adding more than 16,000 new cases. That’s down 20 percent from the previous week’s tally of more than 20,000 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19. St. Joseph County reported 128 cases and two deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 107 cases and …

Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency is offering Novavax COVID-19 vaccines. Novavax is approved for those age 18 and over. It is not for use as a booster dose, so a person wanting Novavax would receive two injections with three to eight weeks between doses. More information is available online at bhsj.org.

The process of how St. Joseph County will administer $1 million of its American Rescue Plan Act funds was discussed during the county commission’s executive committee meeting last week. Commissioners entertained a number of options regarding the money and its recipients. In the end, it was decided the five county board members will individually review the 28 different requests submitted …

Members of Glen Oaks Community College Board of Trustees received an update Thursday regarding the college’s southside campus renovation project. Jeremiah Hatfield, of Fort Wayne-based Design Collaborative, reviewed a plan that includes renovation of the gymnasium entry, locker rooms, weight room, Nora Hagen Theater and allied health. Hatfield said the goal is to transform outdated environments into functional, accessible and welcoming spaces, …