News

The first person to publicly announce his candidacy for the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners is a longtime Centreville resident and public official. Dennis Allen said he will seek the Third District seat currently held by 20-year board member and Fishers Lake resident Rick Shaffer. Shaffer has already stated he will not seek re-election for an additional two-year term. …

A courthouse addition for the county courts departments was identified as the No. 1 priority based on an informal poll during this week’s county commissioner workshop. The five-member panel over the course of an hour Tuesday revisited a number of projects either in progress or on the drawing board. Among the projects in either the planning or discussion stages, however, …

The Black Pine Animal Sanctuary, where a pair of exotic animals removed last month from a Mottville Township residence is receiving medical treatment, has provided an update on the condition of the animals it took in. A monkey is in quarantine. At the time of its removal, it weighed less than 10 pounds, was emaciated and dehydrated, and deprived of …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department has fielded a number of reports from residents complaining of telephone calls claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service. Sheriff Balk said the IRS does not conduct business by telephone. He encourages people to do the following if they receive such phone calls: Record the employee’s name, return-call number and caller ID if …

A Battle Creek man has been charged after police found his dog badly beaten on his back porch. The husky mix had been beaten with an aluminum baseball bat and shot at least once with a pellet rifle when officers arrived. A Battle Creek police officer shot and killed the dog Tuesday night because of the severity of its wounds. Police …

County commissioners appear deadlocked on whether to move forward with a marketing plan to encourage Chicago and its suburban residents to consider making St. Joseph County a vacation and, potentially, a permanent destination. The issue was discussed during Tuesday’s work session involving the five-member commission. As part of its goal to promote its 150 miles of rivers, the county has …

Representatives from Glen Oaks Community College and the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department conducted an emergency-preparedness drill Tuesday. School officials said the drill was staged to provide college employees, and local and state police agencies a chance to practice responding to an active shooter incident on campus. Participants from public-safety and medical-response agencies in the county also had a role …

Volunteers from Refurbished Pets of Southern Michigan coordinated a dog food distribution that netted about 22,000 pounds of food last month in Sturgis. The food was provided through a cooperative effort with Paws Illinois NFP, based in Bridgeview, Ill. NFP has partnered with Natural Balance Pet Foods to support shelters and rescue groups with pets in need of quality, low-price …

The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre is working to raise $5.1 million for improvements including replacing roofs and carpeting as well as installing new lighting and sound equipment. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports the community theater has already raised $3.8 million from foundations and other donors for The Art of Enriching Lives campaign. At an event Tuesday, officials announced they’re broadening the fundraising …

Hoppin Elementary School Principal John Klein announced Monday he is resigning immediately in order to tend to his health. District officials said Klein discussed the situation during Monday’s board of education meeting. Klein, who is in his fifth year as principal at the Three Rivers elementary school, spoke highly of its staff and the district’s administrators, and said he agonized …