News

Members of the Lockport Township Board agreed during a special meeting Thursday to appeal a judge’s decision regarding a contested piece of land being sought by the city of Three Rivers. By unanimous vote, Lockport Township officials agreed to appeal St. Joseph County District Court Judge Jeff Middleton’s decision made Wednesday in favor of the city of Three Rivers. Middleton …

A 34-year-old Cass County man was arrested on drug-related charges following a traffic stop Wednesday. Members of the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team pulled over the suspect’s vehicle near Guyer Road and Union Road, as the driver was under investigation for suspected manufacturing of methamphetamine. A search was conducted on the vehicle and detectives located methamphetamine, marijuana and methamphetamine paraphernalia. …

A Cassopolis man this week testified before the House Committee on Energy Policy in support of legislation authored by state Rep. Aaron Miller, urging Congress to allow spent nuclear waste to be recycled. Taras Lyssenko, general manager of A & T Recovery in Cassopolis, told the committee that the process to recycle and reuse spent nuclear fuel is available, and …

A passenger ship that once hauled rail cars across Lake Michigan has been designated as a national historic landmark. The U.S. Department of the Interior on Thursday announced the designation for the Ludington-based SS Badger, the last Great Lakes car ferry still in operation. Rail car ferries operated on the lakes for nearly a century. It was a particularly important …

A potential obstacle standing in the way of a proposed multi-sports complex in the Three Rivers area was cleared Wednesday. St. Joseph County District Court Judge Jeff Middleton ruled a 77-acre property on which the complex is to be developed is vacant, contrary to claims by Lockport Township officials. The question of whether the undeveloped property is vacant was called …

Four people, including two children, suffered minor injuries after they were involved in a single-vehicle accident last weekend in Nottawa Township. According to a media release from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, 25-year-old Park Township resident Ashley Howay was driving south on Nottawa Road at 3 p.m. Sunday, when the vehicle she was driving hit a patch of ice …

Two weeks after approving ballot language for a May millage request being sought by the county road commission, St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners heard additional discussion on the issue during Tuesday’s meeting. Road commission board members John Bippus and chairman Dave Allen were on hand to give the agency’s annual report. Bippus recapped several projects the commission tackled last …

The preliminary hearing for two Mottville Township residents charged with animal torture and cruelty will continue next month. St. Joseph County District Court Judge Jeff Middleton began hearing testimony Tuesday in a preliminary examination for Jessica Archberger and Troy Leiby. Charges against the two were brought after exotic animals were seized Jan. 29 from a home they rented on Barker …

Authorities say charges are expected after they seized dogs and dog fighting paraphernalia during a raid on a Kalamazoo-area home. Kalamazoo County Animal Services and Enforcement Director Steve Lawrence tells the Kalamazoo Gazette the Oshtemo Township property searched Wednesday was home to a man who was convicted three years ago for his role in a dog fighting operation. Lawrence says …

Authorities say a driver who drowned with a passenger in southwestern Michigan had a blood-alcohol level that was above the legal limit. The Berrien County sheriff’s office says Autumn Mehl’s level was 0.14. The threshold for drunken driving is 0.08. A car was found upside down Sunday in Brandywine Creek in Niles. Mehl and Steven Rough were last seen leaving …