Government

Troopers from the Michigan State Police White Pigeon detachment were summoned at 8 a.m. Wednesday to Constantine Township regarding an injury accident. According to a department media release, a semi-tractor trailer driven by a 47-year-old Middlebury man was northbound on U.S. 131 when icy roads caused him to lose control of the rig. The truck traveled across the roadway and …

St. Joseph County Administrator J. Patrick Yoder will start work April 1 with a nine-month contract and $85,000 salary. The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved the employment agreement with Yoder, who will resign at the end of March from his post as village manager of Three Oaks and return to St. Joseph County’s highest, non-elected position. …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department earlier this month was called to a destruction of property incident at a Fabius Township residence. The Feb. 10 investigation took place in the 11300 block of Elizabeth Drive, where peanut butter and Vaseline were spread on the windows, doors and outer fixtures of the residence. In addition, a telephone line to the residence …

The St. Joseph County MSU Extension is inviting elected officials and area farmers to an overnight agriculture and water tour of Central Wisconsin. Jon Zirkle, MSU Extension program director, told members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Tuesday the tour offers stops at several locations to view vegetable, field crop and cranberry farms in an irrigated, sandy part …

A court has removed a 4-year-old girl from the custody of a mother who left her home alone with three younger siblings who died when a fire swept through their low-income apartment in Kalamazoo. Police say that 3-year-old twins Tevin and Ty’nitha Williams and their 1-year-old sister Tyonna Henderson were killed in Monday’s fire. The Michigan Department of Human Services …

The St Joseph County Sheriff’s Department earlier this week investigated an attempted breaking and entering at a residence in the 23000 block of Airline Road in Sturgis Township. Investigators said the incident occurred between 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and 8:10 a.m. Wednesday. A rear door was damaged in the attempt.

St. Joseph County is expected to share an equalization director with Cass County. What will likely be the third position shared by the neighboring counties is expected to be approved Thursday by the Cass County Board of Commissioners. The five-member St. Joseph County Board unanimously endorsed the proposal Tuesday. Cass County administrator Louis Csokasy told St. Joseph County leaders the …

A 59-year-old Three Rivers man was charged with operating while intoxicated after he was involved in a one-vehicle accident Monday in Fabius Township. The man, whose name was not released pending arraignment, sustained minor injuries after his Jeep rolled over at 1 p.m. on Coon Hollow Road, between East Clear Lake and Stoldt roads. There were no passengers in the …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has approved a plan to issue paychecks to county employees by direct deposit or through a payroll debit card only The measure will be implemented with the April 12 payday for the two-week pay period ending April 8. Finance director Joni Smith said no longer hand-delivering checks to employees will save staff in …

State Sen. Bruce Caswell was recognized as one of three recipients of an award bestowed by the Michigan Farm Bureau. Caswell, whose jurisdiction includes St. Joseph County, received the agency’s Silver Plow award last week in Lansing. The recognition is reserved for state lawmakers whose commitment to agriculture in 2012 ensures the ongoing success of the farming industry. The Silver …