County Information

National Day of Prayer observance in Centreville

An hour-long event recognizing National Day of Prayer will take place this week in St. Joseph County. The local National Day of Prayer, spearheaded by Barb Kwiatkowski, will be observed starting at noon Thursday at the St. Joseph County Courthouse gazebo, at the northeast quadrant of the courthouse property. Kwiatkowski said seven different representatives will speak, directing prayers toward different …

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Road work continues – Lutz Road

St. Joseph County Road Commission officials continue to work on the preliminary stage of an impending road-improvement project. Crews since March 20 have been removing trees along Lutz Road between M-86 and Fairchild Road in advance of this summer’s work. The current phase is expected to be completed on or before May 1. Traffic is limited to local residents and …

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SJC gets the benefit of two service dogs

St. Joseph County is operating with the benefit of two service dogs. The Sturgis Journal is reporting that a yellow lab named Romeo joined deputy felony clerk Melissa Patch in September, while a German Shepherd named Greta is in the middle of her training with Prosecutor David Marvin. Both are service dogs to help calm and ease victims’ fears in …

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Hazardous waste & recycling of electronics – May 3rd

Organizers of the twice-a-year collection of household hazardous waste and recycling of electronics have announced an important message regarding the spring 2023 event. Pat Kulikoswki, secretary of the St. Joseph County Solid Waste Committee, said the county is working with a different drug and lab company that collects household hazardous waste. She said, unfortunately, it does not have enough staff …

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Treasury payouts for 4 county communities

Four communities and St. Joseph County are in line to receive annual payouts from the Michigan Department of Treasury. More than $59 million will be distributed among 224 Michigan municipalities and counties that allow recreational marijuana sales. Each eligible municipality will receive $51,800 for every licensed recreational marijuana retail store and microbusiness within its jurisdiction. Funds are part of the …

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State of the Area government update scheduled for January 17th

Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce officials have announced details related to the annual “State of the Area” government update. The update will take place from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on January 17 at the chamber’s event center, 1116 N. Main St. Local, county and state elected officials are expected to attend and provide brief updates on important local matters. …

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Contract renewal for county administrator

St. Joseph County Administrator Teresa Doehring has agreed to a two-year contract renewal. During Tuesday’s board of commissioners meeting, county officials approved a contract for 2023 and 2024. Doehring, 48, is completing her fifth year as the highest-ranking, non-elected employee in county government. A lifelong Mendon-area resident, Doehring also serves as the county’s human resource director. Her 2023 salary will …

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Special advocates for kids are needed

St. Joseph County Probate and family-law division has issued a call-out for families to consider foster care children as court-appointed special advocates in 2023. Judge David Tomlinson said new CASA training will begin in January. CASA of Southwest Michigan serves Berrien and St. Joseph counties. It started up just before the COVID-19 lockdowns in March 2020. Since then, 15 have …

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Proposed public defender roster

St. Joseph County’s roster of public defender attorneys appears to be set for the 2022-23 state fiscal year, as the matter was discussed during last week’s board of commissioners’ executive committee meeting. Chief Public Defender Keith Stickley said the proposed eight-person roster is comprised of: Laurie Hines, John Bush, Rhonda Ives, Luke Nofsinger, Tim George, Paul Gipson, Melissa Hallack and …

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SJC Board of Commissioners race

Republican Rick Shaffer will return to serve two years as a member of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. In the only contested race to the seven-member board, Shaffer fended off Democrat Erin Schultes for the newly created Precinct 1, which comprises Lockport and Florence townships, and the city of Three Rivers.

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