News

A number of bridges on heavily traveled roads in St. Joseph County could be closed for up to three years if a potential funding shortage isn’t resolved in the near future. Representatives from the St. Joseph County Road Commission addressed board of commissioners during their executive committee meeting last week. Road Commission Board chairman Eric Shafer said priority attention needs …

Severe weather has forced Abbott Nutrition to pause production of baby formula in Sturgis, where its plant had just restarted after being closed for several months, contributing to a national shortage. Production for Abbott’s EleCare specialty formula has been suspended, but there is enough supply to meet demand until production is restarted, the company said. Abbott had prioritized ramping up …

A White Pigeon resident attempting to recall village president Tyler Royce can proceed with circulating a petition. The three-member St. Joseph County Election Commission ruled Thursday that wording in the application for a petition being sought by Jerry Kash is clear enough to begin the process. Kash has 60 days to collect at least 108 signatures of registered voters from …

Centreville’s board of education this week hired two new teachers. Carly Miller is in the process of securing her teacher credentials and in the meantime will oversee high school science. Narissa Ross, meanwhile, will serve as K-12 special education teacher. She comes from Sturgis Public Schools, where she worked 11 years. Also Monday, the board approved a three-year contract for …

A proceeding to decide the fate of a recall effort against a White Pigeon village official takes place today. Language to recall White Pigeon Village President Tyler Royce has been submitted to the St. Joseph County Clerk’s office. As a result, a clarity/factuality public hearing happens at 3 p.m. in Courtroom B at the county courthouse in Centreville. Jerry Kash …

The former Three Rivers Public Library is possibly going to be converted for use by St. Joseph County. During Tuesday’s executive committee meeting, county administrator Teresa Doehring relayed that she and commissioner Jared Hoffmaster attended last week’s Three Rivers City Commission meeting to discuss the potential acquisition. Doehring said the county is interested in using the building for Family Court …

Power was disrupted to residents across St. Joseph County Monday night and Tuesday morning, as a strong storm made its way across the area. The National Weather Service issued a thunderstorm watch at 6:20 p.m. and two hours later, St. Joseph County was placed under a thunderstorm warning. The passing storm brought wind gusts in addition to constant thunder and …

Glen Oaks Community College Board of Trustees conducted its annual evaluation of President David Devier following its June 9 meeting. Devier was rated on a scale of 1 to 5 on 48 specific performance expectations. Expectations were organized in six broad categories covering fiscal management, external relations, internal relations, leadership, institutional performance, personal qualities, and relations with the board. Devier …

Centreville Public Schools offered the job of junior high/high school principal to Aaron Hartong. Hartong, who has served as interim principal since February, was interviewed last week and recommended by Superintendent Chad Brady. Board member Pam Riley raised concerns about hiring Hartong, saying he lacks the credentials and many other necessities required to be principal. Board member Rod Detwiler, however, …

Michigan reported more than 18,400 new cases of coronavirus in the week ending June 12, down 5.5 percent from the previous week. St. Joseph County reported 46 cases and no deaths in the latest weekly analysis. A week earlier, it had reported 33 cases and zero deaths. Cases fell in 52 Michigan counties, with the steepest declines in Macomb, Clinton …