Government

Deputies from St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department engaged in a vehicle pursuit over the weekend. According to a department media release, deputies attempted to stop a vehicle Sunday on Broadway Road, near Krull Road in Fabius Township, for multiple traffic violations. The pursuit was ended on Coon Hollow Road, near Avery Road, where deputies lost sight of the vehicle. However, …

A fire Monday afternoon destroyed a garage, its contents and heavily damaged a home in the 300 block of Florence Street in Constantine. Fire personnel were called to the home just before 6 p.m. Firefighters arrived to find the garage completely engulfed in flames, which were spreading through the home and endangering nearby residences. Crews were able to contain the …

Sturgis police will seek several charges against a 47-year-old Sturgis man after he fled from officers. About 3:30 p.m. Monday, police were called to Family Video on South Centerville Road regarding a man passed out in a vehicle. Police said they found the man mumbling incoherently. Once he was awakened, he drove away from police. Officers located the car behind …

A 23-year-old Three Rivers man was arrested last week following a one-vehicle crash in Nottawa Township. St. Joseph County Sheriff ’s deputies said the man’s pickup truck struck a guard rail Thursday on Covered Bridge Road, went over the rail, then collided with a base supporting an overhanging bridge sign. Deputies said the base sustained significant damage. The driver suffered …

Remonumentation contract agreements with three different companies highlight the agenda for today’s St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners meeting. The contracts are likely to be signed with Mostrom and Associates, Car and Associates, and Keiser Land Surveying. Also on the agenda is the county’s annual equalization report. In addition, a Nottawa Park Campground attendant agreement with Denise Franklin, and an …

A federal appeals court has upheld a judge’s ruling that bars a central Michigan city from enforcing a bans on charity collection bins. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Monday upheld a Grand Rapids federal judge’s 2014 decision to issue a temporary restraining order against the city of St. Johns. The group Planet Aid sued the …

Sometimes fate taps you on the shoulder and you’re forced to make a split-second decision. For Muskegon County Sheriff’s Lt. Mark Burns, that moment came two weeks ago. “It was my turn and it was my time to take action,” Burns told The Muskegon Chronicle ( http://bit.ly/1F0OKVo ) talking about an incident involving a fellow law enforcement officer he’s credited …

Motorists passing through downtown Mendon have discovered work on a major infrastructure-improvement project has already started. The five-month, $4.1 million task began Monday last week. The Michigan Department of Transportation has routed traffic one-way through the village, resulting in a detour for westbound traffic on M-60. The 1.1-mile reconstruction, which runs the length of the village limits, has been on …

The February unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by seven-tenths of a percent compared to a month earlier. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed St. Joseph County’s 4.5 percent February unemployment rate was less than January’s 5.2 percent. February’s unemployment rate was 2.3 percent less than the same month a year …

A 20-year-old Constantine man escaped injury last week after the vehicle he was driving went off the roadway and struck a tree in Sherman Township. Deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff Department were dispatched at 5 p.m. Wednesday to Balk Road, where they found Jason Gagliardo. He told police he was traveling north on Balk Road when he swerved …