Government

St. Joseph County Sheriff Mark Lillywhite was arrested over the weekend on an alcohol-related offense in Schoolcraft Township. Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office officials said the 47-year-old Flowerfield Township resident was arrested after he was involved in a two-vehicle crash shortly before 2:30 a.m. Sunday on U.S. 131, south of West XY Avenue. Investigators said Lillywhite was headed south when his …

The 2022 deer hunting season has officially come to a close. Kicking off with the Liberty Hunt Sept. 9 and finishing with the urban deer hunt in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, which ended Jan. 31, it was a memorable season for Michigan deer hunting. It was a year of firsts in 2022, highlighted by the requirement that successful hunters …

When the texts began coming in about a shooter at Michigan State University, training that many students started receiving as schoolchildren automatically kicked in. They ran. They found a place to hide. They locked and barricaded the doors. They turned out the lights. Then they waited as a gunman who killed three students and wounded five more eluded police for about four hours. …

A gunman who opened fire at Michigan State University killed three students and wounded five, setting off an hourslong manhunt as frightened students hid in classrooms and cars. The shooter eventually killed himself, police announced early Tuesday. Police at a news conference later Tuesday identified the gunman as 43-year-old Anthony McRae. They said he shot himself miles away from campus while being …

A man who was inspired by a church sermon to set fires at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Kalamazoo was sentenced Monday to five years in prison. Joshua Brereton, 25, had pleaded guilty to committing arson at the clinic last July. The clinic was not open at the time. Planned Parenthood offers abortion services. Brereton has made videos calling abortion …

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer outlined an agenda last Wednesday that will prioritize enacting stricter gun laws, repealing outdated laws that restrict abortion and who one can marry and providing pre-K education for all 4-year-olds in the state. Whitmer, in her fifth State of the State speech, also pledged to help with rising costs through “immediate” tax relief, which she outlined …

At least four more Michigan State football players facing misdemeanor charges for a skirmish inside the Michigan Stadium tunnel will likely have their cases dismissed in exchange for community service and other conditions, lawyers said Friday. “It’s going to happen outside of court,” said Max Manoogian, an attorney for Angelo Grose. “There is going to be no criminal responsibility whatsoever. …

A western Michigan man was charged Wednesday with two counts of second-degree murder for allegedly firing an AR-15 rifle in celebration and killing two guests at his New Year’s party. Christopher Alan Toppenberg, 62, of Lawrence Township, also faces two gun charges. He is being held on a $1.5 million bond. It wasn’t clear whether Toppenberg has an attorney who might …

The victim of an early Sunday morning fire has been identified. Travis Williams, age 53, died in the fire. The fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. Sunday at a sub-divided house on West West Street at North Street. The Sturgis Department of Public Safety said first-arriving firefighters noticed heavy smoke and flames in an upstairs apartment. Upon entry, fire officials …

Authorities have identified two men who died after being shot when a man fired a gun in celebration during a fireworks display at a New Year’s part y in western Michigan. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that the shooting killed David Reed, 35, of Waverly Township and Jason McCreary, 40, of Sutter Creek, California. Reed, who was shot in …