Government

A permit issued last week for the Three Rivers Mural Mall improvement project signals the end of construction related to the downtown attraction. The walk-through area between North Main and Railroad streets was redesigned to include picnic benches, plants, a play area and other items to create a visually appealing area. It also has a surveillance camera with a direct …

Nine fire departments, including six from St. Joseph County, responded to a commercial blaze Wednesday in Cass County’s Newberg Township. The manufacturing section of Southern Michigan Rubber Co., located on M-60 near the St. Joseph County line, was destroyed by the afternoon blaze. Company officials indicated the fire appeared to have started near the rear of the building in a …

A LaGrange County man suspected of setting fire to a Sturgis restaurant in 2009 was sentenced to prison Wednesday for unrelated felonies. Nathan Lumbard, 30, was ordered to serve a six-year sentence in Indiana after he completes a sentence he is currently serving in Kentucky, where he will be incarcerated until June 2014. Lumbard, who has yet to stand trial …

Looking to the county’s future courts- and law-related matters, St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners is exploring the idea of a county-campus development on the east end of Centreville. The five-member board during a work session Wednesday identified an area of about 15 acres of land south of Industrial Parkway as a potential location for a courts building and an …

The White Pigeon Township Board of Trustees approved its 2013-14 fiscal year budget this week. The five-member board Tuesday approved its $455,000 budget, which is less than its budget one year earlier. Clerk David Girton said projected expenses from the general fund are $221,467, while expenses from the township’s fire department and cemetery fund are expected to be $177,300 and …

St. Joseph County officials have agreed to move forward with the idea of promoting St. Joseph County to the Chicago region. During a work session that included all five county commissioners Wednesday, county administrator Pat Yoder said he will work with officials from 2 Fish marketing and look at steps toward developing a concrete plan. Commissioner Don Eaton, a leading …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department has revived its Honor Guard, county commissioner Rick Shaffer announced this week. During commissioner comments at the conclusion of Tuesday’ meeting, Shaffer said the five-person team will be called upon to serve at funerals for dignitaries, retired or current police officers, or fire department personnel. Shaffer said the quintet is comprised of active sheriff’s …

Several fire departments responded to a blaze Wednesday afternoon at Southern Michigan Rubber, located on M-60 in Cass County’s Newberg Township. The fire reportedly started in a dust collector which is located in an area where rubber gaskets are manufactured. Twenty workers escaped from the building when the fire was discovered. The facility was a total loss.

A Sturgis resident will be asked to clean his Klinger Lake property of construction debris and concrete blocks, following an order to be imposed by White Pigeon Township officials. With more than two dozen people attending Tuesday’s township board meeting, Supervisor Don Gloy said he will ask that Eric Pierson removes the items from his Klinger Lake Road property. In …

An 18-year-old Sturgis woman was cited for failure to yield the right of way following a two-vehicle accident Saturday in Sherman Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said Katelyn Johnson was driving on Banker Street when she proceeded to cross Balk Road. Sixty-two-year-old Charles Hudson of Sturgis was driving north on Balk Road and had the right of way; …