News

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 …

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 …