News

State officials are trying to determine who is responsible for environmental contamination that occurred as a result of a massive pileup on snowy Interstate 94 in southwestern Michigan six months ago. The Jan. 9 chain-reaction crashes killed a 57-year-old trucker and closed a stretch of the roadway for two days. Police announced in March that dozens of drivers were being …

St. Joseph County’s Intermediate School District Board last week approved the 2015-16 operating calendar that officials said is in close alignment with the countywide shared-services calendar. Due to a late Labor Day date of Sept. 7, Michigan public schools will not open until Sept. 8, pushing back the end of the school year to June 9, 2016. ISD will not …

The St. Joseph County United Way is in the throes of preparing for its 2015 silent auction later this year at the county fair and its organizers are turning to the public for help. United Way executive director Kelly Hostetler said many great items have been donated so far, but more are being sought. Hostetler said some examples of popular …

A ceremony to acknowledge improvements made at the St. Joseph County veterans memorial took place last week. Located at the northwest corner of the St. Joseph County courthouse, the memorial now has eight flags flying overhead. The central focus of last Friday’s ceremony was the raising of each of the flags. The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and …

Experts say wet weather this year has led to a booming mosquito population in parts of Michigan. Linda Vail, Ingham County’s health officer, tells the Lansing State Journal it’s been one of the area’s biggest years for mosquitoes. Health experts urge residents to apply repellents during peak mosquito biting periods, such as dusk and dawn, and to drain standing water …

A western Michigan woman says she’s no longer facing a misdemeanor charge after being arrested for failing to renew her dog’s license. Becky Rehr says she drove to the Kalamazoo County sheriff’s office June 23 to prove she recently renewed the license for the family’s 11-year-old dog, Dexter. The Kalamazoo Gazette says Rehr’s 14-year-old daughter waited in the car as …

Residents in the village of White Pigeon are advised to boil their water before use until further notice. The village reports recent tests detected coliform bacteria in the village water supply. Area media will be notified when the boil-water advisory has been lifted.

A trio of Three Rivers Board of Education members subject to a recall has filed an appeal to St. Joseph County Circuit Court regarding the result of a clarity/factual hearing last month. The three – Waneta Truckey, Carl Barth and board president Mike Bosma – filed the appeal around noon Monday, the final day of a 10-day window they had …

A warrant is being sought for an Indiana man suspected of being involved in an arson incident Monday at a residence in Three Rivers. Fire crews were called to the 400 block of South Main Street around 2:30 a.m., where the front end of a residence was in flames upon firefighters’ arrival. The victim told investigators she was trying to …

A 33-year-old Constantine man died in a motorcycle accident over the weekend in Constantine Township. Sheriff’s deputies said James Carlson was driving east on Featherstone Road at 3:05 a.m. Saturday when he failed to negotiate a curve a half mile west of Constantine Road. His 2014 Harley Davidson went off the roadway and crashed into two trees. Authorities said Carlson …