News

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department is keeping an eye on three townships where an inordinate number of larceny-from-vehicle incidents has been reported. Sheriff Brad Balk said several incidents in the past few weeks have been reported by victims in Fabius, Lockport and Park townships. Balk issued a suggestion, urging residents to ensure their vehicles parked outside are locked day …

A Dowagiac woman recently submitted her claim for a lottery jackpot in excess of $195,000. According to a media release from the Michigan State Lottery, Joanne Kingman matched five out of five numbers in the Fantasy 5 lottery game. Kingman won after matching the digits 01-09-16-20 and 31 in the Aug. 7 nightly drawing. She bought her winning ticket at …

Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dipped last month to match the national average. The Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget released state and regional employment figures Wednesday. July’s statewide jobless rate was 5.3 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from June. It was 7 percent in July 2014. The state says the number of unemployed in Michigan dropped …

Craig “Curly” Spink swirls a hand-made jig above a water-filled 15-gallon galvanized steel tub in his Kalamazoo back yard, tugging and relaxing the line attached to a wooded fish decoy he carved and painted. He’s trying to make it swim as realistically as possible. “This is how I test them,” Spink told the Kalamazoo Gazette. “See, how I can make …

Officials say a part failure caused about 20,000 gallons of sewage to overflow at a lake and beach in Branch County. Jason Laney, utility manager for the village of Quincy, says the part was from a pump inside a facility at First Lake. The Hillsdale Daily News reports t spill happened Tuesday at the lake in southern Michigan. Due to …

Ford Motor Co. has let loose of the latest souped-up, high-performance Mustang. The 2015 Shelby GT350R drove off the line Thursday at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant, southwest of Detroit. Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford, who drove the car, said in a statement that it’s “a special day for all Mustang enthusiasts.” Ford says the vehicle rolling off the line …

A man accused of stabbing four people on an Amtrak train in southwestern Michigan is scheduled for trial in November. Dates were set Tuesday during a hearing for Michael D. Williams. A judge ruled in March that he was mentally incompetent for trial, but he was found competent this month after receiving medications and treatment. Family members have said that …

The St. Joseph County Conservation District this weekend will focus on the fifth of its six river cleanup events of the summer. Saturday’s cleanup of the Portage River in Lockport Township starts at 9:30 a.m. at Carpenter Road and concludes at Liquid Therapy in downtown Three Rivers. Participants are asked to meet at Carpenter Road and details will be worked …

A 12-year-old Western Michigan boy has been charged with careless discharge of a firearm causing death in the accidental shooting of a 28-year-old family friend. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports  that the misdemeanor charge was authorized by a court referee. The boy is charged in juvenile court and currently lives with his grandfather. An Oct. 9 pretrial hearing is scheduled. Kalamazoo …

The July retirement of chief prosecuting attorney Chuck Herman has led to a series of promotions within the department. St. Joseph County commissioners Tuesday approved the promotion of Erin Harrington from assistant prosecuting attorney level II to chief assistant prosecuting attorney. The position pays an annual salary of about $68,500. Josh Robare was tapped to take Harrington’s previous position. Robare …