St Joseph County

County commission approves severance packages

St. Joseph County’s board of commissioners on Tuesday approved a letter of understanding that will allow it to offer severance packages to employees expected to be laid off. County administrator Teresa Doehring said the county’s financial situation warrants a look at every possible option it can exercise to save money. She said the 2018 budget was approved with a $1.6 million gap. …

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Man arrested after fleeing police

A 29-year-old White Pigeon man is in the St. Joseph County Jail after fleeing from police late Friday night. White Pigeon police attempted to stop a vehicle at U.S. 12 and U.S. 131 for a traffic violation. The driver refused to stop and drove from the crossroads at a high rate of speed. The chase ended when the vehicle rolled …

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County unemployment unchanged

December’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County remained unchanged from the previous month. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed the county’s 3.6 percent December unemployment rate was the same as November’s figure. St. Joseph County was below the state unemployment average, which was 4.4 percent in December. The agency said overall, seasonal …

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Hepatitis A outbreak in Michigan

Although many health officials are focused on the flu, Michigan is in the midst of a serious Hepatitis A outbreak, said Rebecca Burns, health officer at Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Health Agency. The state’s case count as of Jan. 24 was 715 confirmed cases with 582 hospitalizations and 24 deaths. One case has been reported in Hillsdale. The concern with the Michigan …

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Sturgis Hospital begins limiting visitation

Sturgis Hospital announced Wednesday it is implementing limited visitation in all hospital areas to reduce the transmission of influenza from person to person. Hospital visitors will be limited to18 years of age or older, visitors to maternity areas are limited to immediate family, siblings under 18 years will be able to visit the newborn and may be screened for fever, …

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Commissioners hear MSU Extension annual report

Some positive news related to Michigan State University was yielded during Wednesday’s executive committee meeting of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. Julie Pioch, MSU Extension’s District 13 coordinator, provided commissioners with the agency’s annual report covering 2017. She said it was a year of great programming with outstanding work taking place. Pioch’s annual report elaborated on a number …

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Three Rivers Chamber supports 911 millage request

The Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors voted at its January meeting to support the St. Joseph County 911 in an upcoming millage-increase request. Slated to appear before voters in May, the agency is seeking to increase its existing millage from three-quarters of a mill to one full mill. The proposed one-quarter-of-a-mill increase will allow for technology …

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Equalization director contract approved

A one-year agreement approved by county leaders will continue the services provided by Anthony Meyaard in the capacity of equalization director. The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 16 passed a resolution in support of Meyaard’s employment. The resolution detailed a number of deadlines relevant to the role that Meyaard must meet throughout the year. According to terms …

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Michigan House approves tax bills

State Rep. Aaron Miller has joined his colleagues in the Michigan House to approve legislation giving Michigan residents, including families and seniors, broader income-tax relief. The legislation continues and increases the personal exemption ceiling for Michigan taxpayers and their dependents on their state income taxes. Other bills in the package provide additional tax alleviation for senior citizens in the form …

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Vital records fees go up

The cost to secure vital records from St. Joseph County has gone up. Effective Jan. 17, the expense to secure a vital record – in most cases a birth, death or marriage certificate – rose from $13 to $15 for the first record, and from $4 to $5 for each additional record. At the recommendation of county administrator Teresa Doehring, …

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