News

Local, county and state law-enforcement agencies in St. Joseph County and throughout Michigan are taking part in a speed-enforcement initiative through July. The federally funded campaign covers the cost of officers, deputies and troopers conducting patrols specifically targeting motorists driving in excess of the speed limit. Patrols take place at various times and in areas where speed violations are common. …

Branch County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a stolen farm truck and identifying the individuals responsible for its theft. The incident, which was captured on video surveillance, occurred around 3 a.m. Tuesday at Lazy Acre Farms, in the 800 block of Dutch School Road in Noble Township. The victim told authorities he parked the truck …

Authorities said drugs and excessive speed appear to be factors in a crash involving a golf cart and pickup earlier this week in White Pigeon Township. Michigan State Police troopers responded at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday to an area of Lake Road in response to a crash with injuries The golf cart was heading west on Lake Road when it was …

St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department officials are continuing to investigate a fatal crash that took place over the weekend in Burr Oak Township. Sheriff Chad Spence said deputies were called at 6:25 a.m. Sunday to the area of Lafayette Road and Big Hill Road in response to a single-vehicle crash. The 20-year-old driver was airlifted from the scene and is …

Beacon Health System has completed its acquisition of Ascension Southwest Michigan. The move expands the reach of Beacon’s locally owned and governed nonprofit health system, and strengthens its ability to serve communities across Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan, Beacon officials said. Beacon now operates four additional hospitals, 35 outpatient clinics and an ambulatory surgery center in Southwest Michigan. The four …

A home in the Vicksburg area sustained minor damage after it caught fire last week. Fire officials in Kalamazoo County said authorities responded June 27 to a residence on C.B. MacDonald Way following a phone call to central dispatch. Investigators said it appears the blaze started as the result of a lightning strike. According to officials, the residents told firefighters …

An 18-month saga centering on St. Joseph County’s current and previous prosecuting attorneys appears to be over. Current prosecutor Deb Davis over the weekend issued a media release, stating she recently took the initiative to resolve a complaint lodged with the Attorney Grievance Commission’s office. The matter, she said, was addressed by virtue of a consent resolution, a step taken …

Crossroads Missionary Church in Mendon Township is, once again, conducting a drive to support Footprints Across America. Event organizers said they are asking the public for help in donating new, used and even worn-out shoes and boots. Footprints distributes usable items to veterans and homeless, disaster areas as well as St. Joseph County school districts. Meanwhile, shoes and boots not …

Schoolcraft municipal officials have decided to pull the plug on this year’s Fourth of July parade. The decision was made last week, as village officials conceded not enough law-enforcement officials are available to assist with overseeing the procession. Schoolcraft leaders said about two dozen police representatives are needed to safely conduct the parade, but those numbers simply weren’t materializing. In …

May’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County increased by more than half a percent from April. Figures from the monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget show St. Joseph County’s unemployment rate rose from 5 percent in April to 5.7 percent in May. The county’s May rate from a year earlier was 4.7 percent. Meanwhile, …