News

An annual allocation to a Centreville-based agency was approved Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. The county’s traditional funding of more than $257,000 was granted to Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services of St. Joseph County. Payments to the Centreville-based agency will be made quarterly, in January, April, July and October.

Officials from the Sturgis Area Community Foundation have announced establishment of a new scholarship fund to benefit Sturgis High School students, possibly as soon as this year. The Harley and Eva Pierce Memorial Scholarship was established last week in memory of longtime Sturgis residents Harley and Eva Pierce. Its purpose is to provide financial aid for college to scholar-athletes who …

A Constantine man was injured Tuesday afternoon in a traffic accident on Business Route US-131 at the intersection of Zerbe Road. The victim, 58-year-old William Clewell, collided with a semi, and was entrapped in his vehicle. Clewell was taken to Bronson Methodist Hospital for treatment. The driver of the semi, Carl Manley, age 58, of Cedar Lake, Indiana, was uninjured.

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 …