News

April’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by one-tenth of a percent from March. Figures from the monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget show St. Joseph County’s unemployment rate fell from 3.9 percent in March to 3.8 percent in April. In addition, Cass County also experienced a drop in its unemployment figures from …

Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called at 11 p.m. Saturday to Brownsville Street, near M-62, in response to a personal-injury crash. Investigators said 42-year-old Marcellus resident Gila Wigton was traveling east on Brownsville Street when his vehicle crossed the center line and struck a vehicle stopped in the opposite lane. The second vehicle was driven by 23-year-old …

A 49-year-old man faces drug-related charges following an investigation involving authorities from Michigan and Indiana. Southwest Enforcement Team detectives, along with the Elkhart County Intelligence and Covert Enforcement Team detectives, worked May 21 to focus on a methamphetamine trafficker operating in southern Cass County and northern Elkhart County. Indiana officials conducted a traffic stop of the suspect. Authorities located half …

A 28-year-old woman from Buchanan was injured in a one-vehicle crash last week in Cass County’s Wayne Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were alerted shortly after 1:30 a.m. Wednesday to a personal-injury crash on Marcellus Highway. Investigators said Ashley Smith was driving east on Marcellus Highway when she attempted to steer around a fallen tree in the roadway. Smith …

A six-week detour around Langley Covered Bridge ended this week, as the county icon – sporting a fresh coat of paint – opened to traffic Thursday morning. The closure, which went into effect April 16, was necessary for workers to complete the final portion of a $3.2 million overhaul that originally started Sept. 11. When the main component of the …

Two people connected to a labor-trafficking situation in Three Rivers waived preliminary examination and were bound over to stand trial in St. Joseph County District Court this week. According to a media release issued by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, Ikbahl Machhal and Shila Devi, both of Three Rivers, appeared in court Monday. Machhal is the victim’s husband. Machhal, 40, …

Eastwood Elementary School in Sturgis has a new principal and will greet students at the start of the 2024-25 academic year. Board of education members agreed Monday to the employment of Christine Welc. She was chosen from a field of three finalists, who were involved in second-round interviews last week. Welc currently serves as an administrator and teacher at Paramount …

The Sturgis Kiwanis Club’s annual “Knowledge is Dynamite” program was held recently at the Sturges-Young Auditorium, and a group of eight Sturgis fourth-graders from Eastwood Elementary School were honored. The eight were recognized for outstanding achievement and growth during the 2023-24 school year. Each student was selected by their teacher and received a special certificate, T-shirt and pencil bundle from …

There were fewer traffic crashes and alcohol-related arrests in St. Joseph County last year compared to 2022. Undersheriff Jason Bingaman provided a wealth of data to St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners during their monthly meeting Tuesday. Bingaman was in attendance to give the sheriff’s department’s 2023 annual report. According to information provided by Bingaman, there were 611 crashes in …

A thorny subject related to an alleged conflict of interest was revisited by St. Joseph County commissioners during their executive committee meeting May 14. The issue started in April, when county commissioners voted 4-3 to remove Dennis Allen from the board’s law enforcement committee. Commissioners voting for removal agreed Allen is in a position of conflict as a candidate for …