News

As projected, the race for St. Joseph County treasurer was the most competitive local contest Tuesday. Kathy Humphreys squeaked out a win over Tammy Rigby, 4,930 votes to 4,500. The two, who are both Nottawa Township residents, work under incumbent Judie Ratering. Ratering announced earlier this year she would not be seeking re-election after serving since 2012.

A margin of three votes was the difference in the race for Fabius Township supervisor. Ken Linn claimed 391 votes while Dan Wilkins had 388 votes in a race to replace John Kroggel. Meanwhile, Tim Carls will be the new supervisor of Florence Township. Carls claimed 151 votes to Sarah Beckle’s 113. In Leonidas Township, incumbent Bernard Saxman will return …

Three townships had ballot questions Tuesday. Leonidas Township was seeking renewal of 1.7 mills over a four-year period for ambulance and fire protection. The proposal passed 132 to 77. Nottawa Township voters were asked to decide whether to renew 1.63 mills for a 10-year period to support library operations. The proposal passed 463 to 342. White Pigeon Township, too, was …

June’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County was significantly lower than the previous month, but still higher than usual due to jobs impacted by COVID-19. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, which showed the county’s drop in unemployment, was released last week. St. Joseph County’s 13 percent unemployment rate for June was down …

Saturday’s Centreville Downtown Development Authority stimulus gift certificate program was declared a success, as all of the gift certificates sold out in 35 minutes. DDA program manager Pattie Bender said 280 $25 gift certificates were purchased and matched by an additional $25 thanks to financial support from the Centreville DDA, Covered Bridge Days Committee and St. Joseph County United Way. …

Indiana Michigan Power will conduct aerial inspections of its high-voltage lines from a helicopter beginning today. The inspections will occur between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and help maintain the reliability of the electric transmission system, company officials said. The flights are scheduled to inspect transmission lines in I&M’s Indiana service territory, which includes Southwest Michigan, and will be conducted …

An update on the fiscal health of St. Joseph County was provided during Wednesday’s board of commissioners executive committee meeting, and finance director Angie Steinman provided a small dose of good news. She said the county’s 2020 budget, approved in December, would require a $414,000 use of fund balance based on projections. She explained, however, that through various money-saving measures, …

The Three Rivers and Sturgis Area chambers of commerce have invited candidates for local races to participate in video-recorded candidate interviews. Chamber officials said the purpose is to educate voters on who the candidates are and what issues they support. All candidates were invited and videos for those who participated are available online. The web address is https://trchamber.com

John McDonough’s term as St. Joseph County prosecutor is in the hands of voters, not the county commission. During their executive committee meeting Wednesday, commissioners took up the subject of a letter co-authored earlier this month by State Rep. Aaron Miller and Colon Township’s Tadd Davis. They urged commissioners to remove McDonough from office for a variety of alleged infractions. …

A Dowagic woman was sentenced to prison for her role in a fire set at a Three Rivers business six years ago. Fawn Mott, 35, was sentenced Monday by St. Joseph County Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman. Stutesman ordered Mott to serve between 30 months and 10 years in prison, with 603 days credit for time already served, for her …