News

Members of the Constantine Village Council voted last week to opt out of recreational marijuana. As a result, the council requested village manager Mark Honeysett to hire Portage-based attorney Catherine Kaufman to write the ordinance for an opt-out. Kaufman could not attend this week’s meeting, but sent an email stating that, in her opinion, opting-out is a good idea and …

Cass County Treasurer Hope Anderson said a percentage of money collected from fines for speeding tickets resulted in nearly $200,000 for libraries within the county. The 2019 amount is up 32 percent from 2018, with the majority of the money going to the Cass County Public Library. Every year, Michigan county treasurers distribute penal fines to public libraries across the …

A laptop was taken during a breaking-and-entering incident earlier this week in Three Rivers. Sheriff’s officials said the incident occurred around 4 a.m. Tuesday in the 57000 block of North Main Street. In an unrelated incident, deputies were called at 7 p.m. Monday to a report of larceny from a motor vehicle. According to a department media release, the incident …

August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month and in order to promote early breastfeeding success and breastfeeding outcomes, the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency offers a variety of ways to support families. Breastfeeding peers, support groups, lactation consultants and resource materials are available to all residents in the tri-county area. According to registered nurse Maria Ansett, the availability of these resources is …

A number of items, including a generator, chainsaw and weed trimmer were stolen during a burglary last week. Sheriff’s officials said the incident occurred during the afternoon of Aug. 14 in the 25000 block of Sauger Lake Road in Sherman Township.

A Decatur woman was injured in a two-vehicle accident Thursday in Cass County’s Mason Township. Deputies were called at 10:30 a.m. to Calvin Center Road and Mason Street. Investigators said a car driven by 64-year-old Coral VanBuren was heading south on Calvin Center Road when a vehicle driven by 19-year-old Dalton Bishop of South Haven turned left in front of …

A Constantine man was sentenced last week to federal prison following court proceedings related to child pornography. An investigation headed by Michigan State Police and its Computer Crimes Unit resulted in the arrest of 60-year-old Paul Halcomb. He was charged with distribution of child pornography. Halcomb’s case was prosecuted federally by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Michigan. He …

Three Rivers City Manager Joe Bippus was given a 3 percent raise following action by the city commission Tuesday. Bippus, who has served as city manager for nearly two decades, was awarded the raise above the 2 percent cost-of-living increase issued annually. His 2018 salary was $116,000. Mayor Tom Lowry cast the lone dissenting vote. Lowry said he is generally …

A segment of alley on the north side of Main Street in Centreville will become one-way, following a decision last month by members of the Centreville Village Council. Traffic between Dean and Nottawa streets will begin to flow west-to-east only. Council members said signage will be posted to clarify the direction. Trustee Gary McClain recommended the change for safety reasons, …

Members of the Sturgis Planning Commission last month approved a special land use for Prism Power Partners to open a solar energy facility near the intersection of South Centerville and Bogen roads. The company intends to perform site preparation by the end of 2019 and be operational in September 2020. According to officials, the “Electric City” solar facility would generate 15 …