News

Two people were injured in a three-vehicle crash earlier this week in Cass County’s Mason Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday to the intersection of Old M-205 and Cassopolis Road. Deputies said 65-year-old Cassopolis resident William Thorley was driving south on M-205 when an oncoming automobile crossed the center line and collided with his …

The Salvation Army of Kalamazoo is in need of at least six volunteers per shift to help with its 2019 Thanksgiving distribution next week. Volunteers are needed Tuesday. They will be completing boxes with perishable food items and may be asked to assist clients with their boxes. Volunteers must be able to lift 20 pounds. There are two shifts available: …

A pickup was stolen earlier this week from a location in Burr Oak Township. Michigan State Police troopers said the vehicle, a 1993 Ford F250, was stolen between 2:30 and 3 a.m. Tuesday from the 63000 block of Needham Road. The truck is described as dark green, with a large blue-and-white “Ford Racing” emblem on the hood.

The one-time executive director of Three Rivers Area Mentoring has entered a plea agreement of guilty to a charge of larceny from the agency. Court officials said Randall Norton entered the plea to a charge of larceny greater than $200 but less than $1,000. Randall was arrested in July on an original charge of embezzlement between $1,000 and $20,000 from …

Two exceptions were made this week to St. Joseph County’s self-imposed hiring freeze. County commissioners Tuesday granted requests from district court and the prosecutor’s office to fill vacancies considered essential. District court was in need of a probation officer, a position vacant since the start of the month. Officials said the job is critical because a probation officer provides a …

A section of a major north-south route in St. Joseph County – closed since April – will reopen by the end of the week. Michigan Department of Transportation’s Nick Schirripa said work related to the former bridge on M-66, just north of the M-86 split to Colon, is wrapping up and the road is scheduled to open on or before …

St. Joseph County commissioners Tuesday agreed to the renewal of the county’s 2020 indigent defense attorney agreement. The county will pay nearly $570,000 over the 12-month period for attorneys taking on clients who are indigent. The nine-member pool of attorneys is comprised of John Bush, Christine Yancey, Jordan Yancey, Laurie Hines, David Marvin, Melissa Hallack, T.J. Reed, Timothy George and …

The suspect behind this week’s robbery of Century Bank and Trust in Three Rivers is in custody. Authorities said Demario Shelton, age unknown, allegedly handed a teller a note, in which he demanded money. The incident occurred Monday afternoon. A K-9 unit tracked the suspect’s scent to a parking lot north of the Broadway Street bank but officers were unable …

A Constantine woman was sentenced to prison in relation to a case of first-degree child abuse. Angel Rickett was sentenced to eight to 40 years after she pled guilty to the charge in October. Rickett, 20, and Derek Allen Lamere, 26, the parents of a seven-month-old child, were facing the abuse charges after being arrested by Constantine police. Officers were …

St. Joseph County Clerk Lindsay Oswald said a recount conducted Tuesday by the county’s board of canvassers confirmed the ballots cast in the Nov. 5 election in Mendon Township. The recount centered on a vote in support of or opposed to a township ordinance to allow zoning to accommodate solar-panel developments. Tuesday’s recount resulted in the same numbers cast election …