News

Superintendents in St. Joseph County’s two largest school districts received good news Monday. In Three Rivers, Jean Logan’s contract was extended an additional year. As a result, her contract will expire in June 2018. Logan, 51, is in her second year as head of the 2,600-student district and is paid $120,000 a year. In addition, the Three Rivers board approved …

A utility trailer was discovered stolen from a Mendon Township location this week. State police said the 5-by-8-foot trailer was stolen from the 26000 block of M-60. The black, Tractor Supply-brand trailer is believed to have been stolen sometime in December 2015.

Cass County Circuit Judge Michael E. Dodge announced this week he will not be a candidate for re-election this year. Dodge will be leaving the post he has held since early 1982 due to mandatory retirement provisions in the Michigan constitution. According the state constitution, judges are no longer eligible for re-election once they reach age 70. Dodge has served …

A federal grant in excess of $900,000 was awarded this week to support funding of a new health clinic for low-income and indigent St. Joseph County residents. Monte Bordner, chair of the Covered Bridge Healthcare of St. Joseph County board, said the $910,000 grant will allow the agency to continue services it offered under the name St. Joseph County Health …

St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough said a charge of concealing the death of an individual has been filed against two people in a case related to the death of a Three Rivers-area man last summer. Steven Stoner, 53, of Three Rivers, and 37-year-old Tracy Scott of Kalamazoo were charged after they allegedly broke into a Park Township residence where …

A month after John Schwartz retired as coach of Mendon High School’s football team, his successor was named Monday night. Members of the Mendon Community Schools Board of Education approved 2006 graduate Bobby Kretschman as the Hornets’ head football coach. Kretschman played on the 2005 team that beat Crystal Falls Forest Park to claim the Division 8 title game, and …

A Cass County man faces up to 15 years in prison after he was taken into custody for fleeing the scene of a fatal accident. Edwardsburg Police Chief Tim Kozal said Brett Gilpin, 25, whose prior community of residence included Edwardsburg, was arrested Thursday by the Michigan State Police Fugitive Team. He was taken to the Cass County Jail on …

Operators of southwestern Michigan’s Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant say one of its units is being shut down for routine refueling and maintenance. Plant spokesman Bill Schalk says power at the Unit 1 reactor was reduced to 50 percent Sunday night for equipment testing in advance of Wednesday’s start of the outage. The Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph reports equipment replacement, …

The average price of gasoline has jumped by 17 cents over the past two weeks, to $2.02 a gallon for regular grade. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that the hike is due to growing demand for gasoline across the nation and higher crude oil prices. Lundberg says the increase is part of a trend that has seen the price spike nearly …

A state wildlife biologist says a shorter winter could help deer in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. David Jentoft with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources says the winter “was shorter than it has been for a while.” He tells the Evening News of Sault Ste. Marie (http://bit.ly/1Zmbsn1 ) that longer winters are harder on the deer herd. Recent bitter winters had …