News

A few start-of-the-year matters were addressed Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. For their first order of business, commissioners agreed to retain Dennis Allen as chairman of the board for 2020. This will mark the third consecutive year Allen has been the head of the five-member commission. Allen, a Centreville resident who represents Lockport, Nottawa, Florence and …

An annual allocation to a three-county agency was approved Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. With unanimous support, commissioners agreed to quarterly payments totaling $307,700 to finance a portion of the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency. The county also agreed to commit its annual $1 contribution to fulfill terms related to its building lease agreement with the …

St. Joseph County officials on Tuesday approved a contract with county administrator Teresa Doehring. A lifelong Mendon-area resident, the 45-year-old Doehring is beginning her third year as county administrator. She also serves as county controller. Doehring will have five weeks of paid vacation time and be paid an annual salary of $101,000, retroactive to Dec. 1. Doehring served as the …

Sheriff’s deputies responded to a three-vehicle accident earlier this week in Burr Oak Township. According to a department media release, deputies were called shortly before 5 p.m. Monday to the intersection of Hackman and McKale roads. Deputies said a car driven by 74-year-old Sturgis resident George Jordan struck the rear of a tractor driven by Matthew Holden, 32, of Centreville. …

The Michigan Lottery has raised more than $1 billion for public schools for the first time. The lottery announced Wednesday that it contributed more than $1 billion to the school aid fund in the last fiscal year. That’s a $129 million boost over the prior year. It’s the largest one-year increase in the lottery’s 47-year history and the fifth straight …

Two people were arrested on drug-related offenses following a traffic stop over the weekend in Three Rivers. According to a media release from the Three Rivers Police Department, a vehicle was stopped Saturday evening for an equipment violation at Broadway and Fifth streets. K9 Djengo was called to the scene and acted in a manner consistent with detecting an odor …

November’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County was 1.3 percent lower than the previous month. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed the county’s 3.4 percent unemployment rate in November was down from October’s 4.7 percent. St. Joseph County was slightly above the state’s unemployment average, which was 3.2 percent in November. Employment …

A recent fundraiser to benefit teen suicide prevention raised more than $10,000. Bethan Hamilton, owner at Explicit CrossFit in Sturgis, said last month’s inaugural “Sweat-A-Thon” attracted 35 teams to the 12-hour event. Team members worked in one-hour shifts starting at 5 a.m. and took part in a variety of workout activities. Funds raised at the event will go through St. …

Sturgis American Legion, in a partnership with Salvation Army in Sturgis, helped to make Christmas brighter for 25 local families. Members of the Legion prepared, packaged and donated 25 meals consisting of smoked turkey with all the fixings, then delivered them to Salvation Army for distribution.

A man who died after falling from a kayak into a southwestern Michigan river during a New Year’s Day excursion with friends has been identified as an Indiana man. Niles police say 40-year-old Jean Claude Mutabazi of South Bend was pronounced dead Wednesday after being pulled from the St. Joseph River. Police say Mutabazi was kayaking Wednesday morning with three …