News

A request for an additional one-quarter of a mill by St. Joseph County 911 Central Dispatch passed Tuesday. Unofficial totals reported by the St. Joseph County Clerk’s Office showed 1,364 votes in favor of the seven-year request and 1,323 opposed, with all 20 precincts reporting. The request will bump Central Dispatch’s millage rate to an even 1 mill. Agency director …

A request for 2 mills over a 10-year period was rejected Tuesday by White Pigeon Township voters. Unofficial totals show 257 votes against and 143 in favor. The township has 2,775 registered voters. Township supervisor Don Gloy said the request would have eased the burden on the township’s general fund. Also, it would have afforded the township the opportunity to …

White Pigeon Community Schools voters endorsed an operating-millage renewal request Tuesday. Unofficial numbers show the vote was passed with 339 in favor and 217 opposed. As a result, the district for the next six years will continue to assess the millage on non-homestead properties and generate about $2.8 million annually for its day-to-day operations. Superintendent Jon Keyer said Tuesday’s vote …

A Colon man was injured when the vehicle he was driving was involved in an accident earlier this week in Florence Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said its deputies were called shortly before 4 a.m. Monday to the intersection of Centreville-Constantine Road and Roys Road in response to a one-vehicle crash. Deputies found that a 2001 Mercedes driven …

Eric Anderson, James DeDecker and Kurt Thelen A breakfast meeting for field crop producers and agribusiness professionals on May 15, 2018 in St. Joseph County will focus on industrial hemp as a cash crop and how it may fit into future farming operations in Michigan. The meeting will also be available online to the public. Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) …

Michigan State Police say they’re recovered 17 travel trailers worth about $600,000 that were reported stolen from northern Indiana. Police say the sheriff’s office in LaGrange County, Indiana, contacted them for help locating and recovering the trailers. Detectives in Indiana had opened an investigation after several recreational vehicle manufacturers reported thefts of trailers from their facilities. Michigan State Police say …

The wife of a local fire chief died over the weekend in a motorcycle accident in Three Rivers. Investigators said Patricia Frye, age 66, the spouse of Mike Frye, chief of Fabius-Park Fire Department, died in the 7:30 p.m. incident Saturday.. Mike Frye, age 55, meanwhile, was critically injured when the motorcycles he and his wife were driving were struck …

A White Pigeon man suffered minor injuries after his vehicle was struck by a deer last week in Cass County. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called shortly before 5:30 p.m. Thursday to M-40, near Born Street. Investigators said Brian Rudloff was driving south on M-40 when his vehicle was struck on the driver’s side by a deer. Rudloff sustained …

State Sen. John Proos has supported approval of Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund projects for 2018, including six in Southwest Michigan. The trust fund is supported by interest earned on funds generated from the development of state-owned mineral rights, Proos said. Senate Bill 883 would authorize the trust to use almost $50 million in restricted funds to support 34 acquisition …

Three Indiana residents were injured in a one-vehicle accident over the weekend in Cass County’s Newberg Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday to Quaker Street, near Savage Road. Investigators said 20-year-old Elkhart resident Colin Schieber was driving eastbound on Quaker Street, when he lost control of the vehicle, causing it to go into …