News

Deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department were called Tuesday morning to a one-vehicle accident in Mendon Township. Shortly after midnight, deputies responded to the 22000 block of Marcellus Road, where a vehicle had crashed into a tree. The driver, whose name, age and community of residence was not listed in a department media release, lost control of his …

Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s State Veterinarian James Averill announced the Michigan Companion Animal Welfare Fund check-off will fund projects totaling more than $155,000 for 26 registered shelters in 2015. St. Joseph County is one of the recipients, as it will be awarded nearly $5,600. This year’s awards will go to the spaying and neutering of animals, fund …

The driver of a car that flipped during an accident Tuesday in Sherman Township was hospitalized due to injuries suffered in the one-vehicle accident. According to a media release from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, the incident occurred shortly before 4 a.m. Tuesday in the 21000 block of Banker Road. The driver lost control of his vehicle at the …

Authorities in southwest Michigan say a man who went missing on Diamond Lake in Cassopolis last week has been found alive. The Cass County Sheriffs Department says 46-year old Kurt DeYoung Cassopolis headed out to go fishing on the lake last Wednesday. Then, on Saturday, his boat washed to shore on Diamond Island, in the lake. A sheriffs department marine division search …

A 25-year-old man has been arraigned on a murder charge, accused of killing and then burying his brother in southwestern Michigan. The Allegan County sheriff’s department says that Malcolm P. Dotson appeared Monday in Allegan District Court. He’s charged with an open count of murder and possessing a firearm during a felony. Dotson’s jailed without bond pending an April 28 …

A citizen’s tip led to the arrest Monday of a woman charged with drug-related offenses. Investigators from the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit executed a search warrant in Lockport Township. SCAN officers received information about a house in the 60000 block of Constantine Road that was alleged to have methamphetamine activity. After gathering probable cause, a search warrant was …

Two residents at Riverside Townhouses, at 1200 Hov Aire Drive, were left homeless after a fire early Saturday night. The fire was reported in apartment 101 about 6:45 p.m. Investigators said the fire originated in the kitchen and is believed to have started because of careless cooking. No other residents were affected. Meanwhile, Centreville firefighters were called shortly after 10 …

Faced with trimming $500,000 from a $6 million budget, members of the Colon Community Schools Board of Education expressed their frustrations during a special work session Monday. The target of their dismay was a state legislature that they said continues to force school districts to do more with less. Board member Eric Bower said he is frustrated at the state …

Traffic deaths in Michigan fell 8 percent in 2014. According to just-released information from the Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center, traffic deaths last year fell below 900 for the first time since 2011, from 951 in 2013 to 876 in 2014. Michael Prince, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, says while overall crashes increased 3 percent, there …

County commissioners last week approved a 4 1/2-acre canine area at Meyer Broadway Park in Fabius Township. The initial proposal was presented April 1 at a Parks and Recreation Boardmeeting by recreation director Jaymes MacDonald. Commissioner Rick Shaffer said the plan for the park is to get it up and running soon, since the county is behind the move. The …