Kent Fulmer

Berrien County Sheriff’s Department officials said two deputies shot and killed a man who charged them with a knife Thursday night.

In a news release, the department said officers were dispatched to a mobile home park on South 13th street near Niles at about 10:45 p.m. on Sept. 30 because of reports of a man with a knife.

When they arrived at the scene, police said the officers tried to deescalate the situation verbally, and then tried using less lethal rounds to get the suspect to drop the knife.

The St. Joseph County Democratic Party announced Monday that Party Chair Mark Torma has resigned after less than four months on the job. According to a press release, Torma stated that “he could no longer fulfill the duties of the job due to recent changes to both his personal and professional life.”

Party Vice‑Chair Debbie Ladyga-Block will serve as interim chair. A caucus of county Democratic Party Precinct Committee members will be scheduled at a later date to replace Torma.

Warsaw Community Schools are requiring face masks for all students, teachers and staff to line up with new state guidance that eases COVID-19 quarantine requirements for schools that implement universal mask mandates. The mandate was adopted during the Sept. 7 board meeting.

St. Joseph County Habitat for Humanity announced plans for their 2021 work project Wednesday. The goal? Building 22 new, single‑family homes and a neighborhood park at the Fields at Highland subdivision at the corner of East Jefferson Boulevard and North Byrkit Avenue in Mishawaka.

That’s the same neighborhood that was involved in the 2018 Carter work project. Officials hope to get 12 of those homes and the park built during the weeklong push, which runs Sept. 20 to 24.

The Elkhart County Board of Commissioners have decided to put off a decision about a planned solar farm in Elkhart County until September or October. During the Aug. 16 meeting, the board voted unanimously to table the proposal for now while they weigh arguments in favor of and against the project.

Officials with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources announced last week that tularemia had been identified in the bodies of wild cottontail rabbits found dead near Middlebury. 

Tularemia, also known as "rabbit fever," is a bacterial disease that can affect dozens of species of animals but is especially common in rabbits. While it is extremely rare, Tularemia can infect humans. 

The Elkhart County Health Department kicked off a drive to persuade more county residents to get vaccinated Wednesday. 

“The better we do as a community and as a state in keeping COVID numbers down, the better we can do getting back into our businesses and supporting those people – the workers and the business owners – and really starting to get back to life as we know it,” Goshen Mayor Jeremy Stutsman said.

The planning phase for a long-awaited overpass project on Hively Avenue in Elkhart is underway and officials are looking for the public’s feedback. The city of Elkhart and INDOT will be hosting a Zoom meeting tonight and an open house for in person interaction Thursday. Corinne Straight-Reed is the Director of Communications for the city and she explained what people could expect in these meetings.