Government

Two area attorneys were added to St. Joseph County’s Contract Defender System. Following action Tuesday last week by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners, Luke Nofsinger and Kevin Kane were included to the roster of contract defenders. The change was necessary following Kevin Kleidon’s passing earlier this year. For housekeeping reasons, Kleidon’s name was removed from the roster.

A clerk at the Admiral gas station at 1207 E. Chicago Road in Sturgis was robbed early Monday. Sturgis police were informed that a man had robbed the station at gunpoint shortly after midnight, taking an undisclosed amount of money. No additional details are available, as police are working with store officials to investigate the incident.

Approval was granted last week for an employee from St. Joseph County Circuit Court to attend four out-of-state conferences in the coming year. Members of the county commission gave consent for Kathryn Griffin to attend conferences related to National Association for Court Management. Griffin, circuit and probate court administrator, is an elected member of the NACM’s board of directors. In …

Due to a delay in curing of concrete, the newly installed Decker Road bridge will not open until Nov. 18, according to the St. Joseph County Road Commission. The bridge, located in Colon Township, initially was scheduled to open this week.

St. Joseph County officials have amended a food-service contract with Canteen Services of Tekonsha. County commission members last week endorsed the restructured agreement, which replaces wording in the previous pact that dated to 2000, county administrator Pat Yoder said, adding that an updated agreement reflecting current sheriff’s department administrators is in place. The new contract reflects a five-year agreement with …

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency has issued a statement in which it is estimated about half of all cases of shingles occur in men and women 60 years of age and older. Consequently, the agency is recommending people in that age group consider getting vaccinated. The department may be able to help people who are older than 60 years …

Two experienced candidates have offered their services to fill a vacancy on the Sturgis City Commission. Meeting last week’s application deadline were Jeff Mullins and Steven Shevick. Both are residents of Precinct 1, located on the city’s southeast side. Each is vying to succeed Michael Austermann, who resigned Oct. 14. Mullins was appointed to Sturgis Planning Commission earlier this year …

The Michigan Department of Corrections is revising rates for inmate phone calls after the Federal Communications Commission decided to reduce the cost of jail and prison phone calls. Corrections Department spokesman Chris Gautz tells The Detroit News officials are working to determine how the change will impact revenue. The department last year generated $11.5 million from inmate calls. The money …

Students and others will be able to take an online virtual tour of Michigan’s Capitol building. The website to be unveiled Monday is being billed as the first for a state Capitol created using Google’s Streetview technology. It is being integrated with 360-degree YouTube videos and an interactive, 3-D tour of the governor’s office. The Michigan State Capitol Commission will …

An employee at a Sturgis Township business was the victim of an armed robbery last week. Sheriff’s department officials said the agency was summoned shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday to the Citgo gas station on U.S. 12 at Balk Road in response to an armed robbery. No other information was available from the department.