Government

Deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department are investigating a breaking-and-entering incident that took place last week in Lockport Township. Investigators were called May 25 to the 56000 block of North Main Street. The victim told authorities that a number of items were stolen, including two boats and an undisclosed quantity of power tools.

Michigan crossed a threshold in the COVID-19 pandemic Tuesday with a lifting of certain restrictions at outdoor events and inside bars and restaurants. Masks no longer are required outdoors, and capacity limits are extinguished at outdoor sports events and concerts. Restaurants and bars can operate indoors at 50% capacity and can stay open past 11 p.m. There’s no limit on …

The U.S. Postal Service wants to raise rates on first-class stamps from 55 cents to 58 cents as part of a host of price hikes and service changes designed to reduce debt for the beleaguered agency. The request for the changes, which would take effect Aug. 29, was filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission. It includes price hikes for first-class …

April’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County dropped by three-tenths of a percent from March. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget was released last week. It showed St. Joseph County’s unemployment rate fell from 4.9 percent in March to 4.6 percent in April. The rate was 28.9 percent a year earlier, as April …

State Rep. Steve Carra recently introduced a resolution calling for services to remain accessible to the public at Michigan Secretary of State offices. Carra said the appointment system does not work for everyone, especially someone who needs services on short notice. He added that if secretary of state offices do not resume a walk-in option, then the appointment system should …

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday loosened COVID-19 workplace safety rules so fully vaccinated employees can go without a mask and disregard distancing requirements. Industry-specific regulations were rescinded. Restaurants and bars, for instance, can reopen pool tables and dance floors. Cleaning standards were softened. As expected, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration also lifted a requirement that employers prohibit …

Michigan’s main funds will take in an estimated $3.5 billion more in taxes than previously forecast thanks to increased consumer spending of federal stimulus checks and other coronavirus relief funds, state officials said Friday. The big surplus, spread over this fiscal year and next, will give Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Republican-controlled Legislature additional budget flexibility at a time $6.5 …

Michigan will fully lift outdoor capacity limits on June 1 and, starting July 1, end indoor gathering caps that were put in place to curb COVID-19, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday in a major loosening of economic restrictions. The state has limited occupancy in restaurants and other venues since March 2020, when the coronavirus hit. The announcement, which includes raising …

People in Michigan who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 don’t need to wear a mask any longer, and people who aren’t vaccinated don’t have to wear one outdoors, officials said Friday, noting that the state’s indoor mask requirement will expire in July. The announcement from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state health department came a day after the Centers for …

Michigan health officials on Wednesday urged primary care physicians to enroll to administer COVID-19 vaccines, as the state prepared to quickly begin vaccinating 12- to 15-year-olds following U.S. authorization. “The most important thing we can do right now is to make vaccines available for whenever someone is ready,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive and chief health deputy, …