News

Scientists at Chicago’s Field Museum are studying a piece of the meteor that broke apart earlier this month over Michigan. The meteorite, the size of a peach pit, arrived Wednesday. NASA scientists say the 6-foot-wide meteor broke apart about 20 miles over Earth on Jan. 16. It created a bright light and what sounded like thunder in the sky. Museum …

A one-year agreement approved by county leaders will continue the services provided by Anthony Meyaard in the capacity of equalization director. The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 16 passed a resolution in support of Meyaard’s employment. The resolution detailed a number of deadlines relevant to the role that Meyaard must meet throughout the year. According to terms …

A Marcellus man was airlifted from the scene of a one-vehicle accident earlier this week in Cass County’s Wayne Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were alerted shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday to a car-versus-tree incident on Lawrence Road, near Marcellus Highway. The driver, 23-year-old Terance Hartzell, was driving south on Lawrence Road when he swerved his car to avoid …

State Rep. Aaron Miller has joined his colleagues in the Michigan House to approve legislation giving Michigan residents, including families and seniors, broader income-tax relief. The legislation continues and increases the personal exemption ceiling for Michigan taxpayers and their dependents on their state income taxes. Other bills in the package provide additional tax alleviation for senior citizens in the form …

A Vandalia woman was injured after her car struck a tree last week in Porter Township. Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies responded at 11:40 a.m. Thursday to a single-vehicle accident on Robbins Lake Road, near Sears Road. The driver of the vehicle, 82-year-old Margaret Warren, was traveling north when her vehicle ran off the roadway for an undisclosed …

The cost to secure vital records from St. Joseph County has gone up. Effective Jan. 17, the expense to secure a vital record – in most cases a birth, death or marriage certificate – rose from $13 to $15 for the first record, and from $4 to $5 for each additional record. At the recommendation of county administrator Teresa Doehring, …

A matter related to citizen comments at St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners meetings was at the center of a reaction expressed by commissioner Dan Czajkowski earlier this month. Constantine resident Rebecca Shank has persistently asked commissioners to restore the “citizen comment” option toward the end of the board’s twice-a-month meetings. The second opportunity was removed from the board’s meeting …

Twelve people have been reappointed to the St. Joseph County Community Corrections Advisory Board. During their Jan. 16 meeting, members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved one-year terms for judges Jeff Middleton, David Tomlinson, Rob Pattison and Paul Stutesman; Anthony Callaway, representing Day Reporting Center; prosecutor John McDonough; Lisa Martin, from the Michigan Department of Corrections; district …

A Kalamazoo Michigan man who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2013 beating death of his elderly neighbor has been sentenced to 15-20 years in prison. The punishment handed down Monday for 45-year-old Todd Maneke followed a plea agreement last month. Alfred Minka was found dead in August 2013 at his Kalamazoo apartment. Maneke was charged three years later. …

Members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners earlier this month fulfilled their annual financial commitment to a pair of dependent agencies. During the board’s Jan. 16 meeting, it authorized an appropriation of more than $250,000 to Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services of St. Joseph County. The budgeted funds will be distributed through quarterly transfers by the …