A rally will be held on Saturday, March 11 at the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department for Brittany Wallace Shank of Sturgis, who has been missing since 2018.
Undersheriff Jason Bingaman
Following an Executive Committee meeting Wednesday morning, the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners held a workshop to start planning the 2021 fiscal year budget. For the last several years, the county has operated under a balanced budget, but only by making up shortfalls through drawdowns from the Delinquent Tax Fund (DTF). This year, possible revenue impacts from the ongoing pandemic and a slowed economy brought the imbalance to the front of many of the commission’s conversations about money.
A judge has blocked a ban on the open display of firearms at polling places issued recently by Michigan Secretary of State (SOS) Jocelyn Benson. Several current and prospective public officials discussed the ruling on social media Tuesday.
At a County Executive Committee meeting Wednesday, Covered Bridge Healthcare Director Rick Shaffer requested a new arrangement for a recent land purchase. Shaffer proposed converting a three-year land contract for the agency’s building into an outright purchase, which would resolve zoning issues related to proposed expansion work.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues with an uptick in cases in St. Joseph County and elsewhere in Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer continues to issue orders that modify or add to existing orders regarding mask use. In light of the tighter rules, Watershed Voice spoke with some local law enforcement officials to find out how they are treating mask usage around Three Rivers and St. Joseph County.
The body of a 59-year-old Three Rivers man was found in a house in the 300 block of Middle Street near Riverside Church Thursday, in what St. Joseph County Undersheriff Jason Bingaman said is “an apparent homicide or suspicious death.”