News

Miller authors recycled nuclear waste legislation

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 …

Read More »

SS Badger ferry designated as national historic landmark

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 …

Read More »

TR sports complex clears legal hurdle

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 …

Read More »

Several injured in Nottawa crash

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 …

Read More »

Discussion continues on roads millage

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 …

Read More »

Animal cruelty hearing continued

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 …

Read More »

Charges expected after dogs, dog fighting equipment seized

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 …

Read More »

Driver who drowned with passenger was drunk, police say

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 …

Read More »

Man, 75, sentenced to prison for shooting death of ex-wife

A 75-year-old man has been sentenced in the fatal shooting of his ex-wife at their western Michigan home. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that a Kalamazoo County circuit court judge ruled Tuesday that Jimmy L. Thrasher will spend 14 years to 25 years in prison for the slaying of 74-year-old Grace Thrasher. Thrasher pleaded no contest in January to second-degree murder …

Read More »

Man sentenced to prison in fatal shooting of brother-in-law

A man who authorities say pointed a gun at his brother-in-law in an apparent joke has been sentenced to more than 18 years in prison for second-degree murder in the man’s death. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports Timothy Salo this week learned his punishment. He pleaded guilty in January and admitted that he fatally shot 29-year-old Jason Vanostran in April 2014 …

Read More »