News

The Cass County Courthouse was evacuated last week after Central Dispatch received a bomb threat. Sheriff Richard Behnke said the incident occurred at 8:45 a.m. Friday, when Central Dispatch received two calls, indicating that a bomb had been placed in the courthouse and would explode when a timer expired. A decision was made to evacuate the building of its employees …

Five people were re-appointed to the St. Joseph County Commission On Aging Board last week. County commissioners agreed to renew the two-year terms of Three Rivers resident Al Balog, Sturgis-area resident Lee Austerman, Charles Thompson of Sherman Township, Lockport Township’s Jim MacTavish and Deborah Davis of Colon. Three Rivers-area resident Al Heivilin did not seek re-appointment to his one-year, at-large …

Three Rivers Health has selected American Physician Partners to enhance the already high level of care it provides to the more than 20,000 patients who visit its Emergency Department annually. APP is one of the nation’s leading providers of emergency-department-management services to community hospitals nationwide. Three Rivers Health CEO Dave Shannon said the Tennessee-based APP has a strong presence throughout …

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency has received increased reports of Pertussis – commonly known as whooping cough – in Hillsdale County. The cases are being seen in school-aged children and adults, according to agency officials. With the onset of summer in Michigan and normal summer activities that bring together groups of people, the spread of illness can increase, according …

A Marcellus man is being held on charges of attempted murder following an incident Friday night in the village of Marcellus. Sheriff Richard Behnke said the incident occurred at 9:44 p.m. at a back-yard campfire in the 300 block of East Dibble Street. Investigation into the incident reveals that a number of people had gathered for the bonfire when an …

St. Joseph County Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman on Friday ordered a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole for Zachary Patten in the 2017 murder of Shane Richardson. A Portage resident, Patten was found guilty last month of the killing at Richardson’s home in Florence Township. Patten also was sentenced to two years for a felony-firearm charge and five …

A Three Rivers man was arrested Thursday in connection with the death of 30-year-old Lori Norman. Randall Scott Miller, 33, was charged with one count of open murder. Norman was killed March 25 at her home on Fifth Street in Three Rivers. A months-long investigation into Norman’s death led to an arrest warrant for Miller, authorities said. Miller became a …

A 37-year-old Cass County man was shot last week following a dispute in the community of Vandalia. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called at 10 p.m. Friday to the 62000 block of Cass Avenue in response to a report of a man shot in the abdomen. First aid was immediately administered to Vandalia resident James Hodges Jr. He was …

Authorities say severe weather that moved through northern Indiana spawned a possible tornado in South Bend that damaged buildings and knocked down trees and power lines. The National Weather Service received reports of a possible tornado as part of storms Sunday night, but it didn’t immediately confirm a tornado. No injuries were reported. A building housing the Growing Kids Learning …

Violence has flared again in the Indiana city where Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is mayor. The St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit says 27-year-old Brandon Williams of Niles, Michigan, died after a shooting at Kelly’s pub in South Bend. Another 10 people were wounded by gunshots in South Bend early Sunday. A statement says that five of the 10 …