Government

The man accused of setting the fire that destroyed a Kalamazoo adult store was arraigned Friday. 41-year-old Mitchell Hapner has been charged with one count of arson and one count of fleeing and eluding police. Hapner has told police he torched Hollywood Nights in an effort to eradicate  pornography from his neighborhood. Bond for Hapner was set at $250,000. Owners of the store …

The village of Constantine has reached an agreement with Rexam for a refund of 87 1/2 percent of a tax abatement the company owes the village. The village agreed to a 12 1/2 percent reduction, including a waiver of any penalties and interest, dropping the amount it is owed from $280,000 to a little more than $252,000. Abatements were granted …

Cass County Sheriff’s deputies responded this week to a collision between a passenger vehicle and a plow truck. The incident occurred at 12:12 a.m. Thursday on U.S. 12, just east of Cassopolis Road in Mason Township. Deputies said an eastbound car driven by 39-year-old Erek Szymanski, of Mishawaka, crossed the centerline after the driver fell asleep. His vehicle struck a …

Gray wolves in the western Great Lakes region are protected by federal law once more. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is publishing a rule Friday designating wolves in Michigan and Wisconsin as “endangered” and those in Minnesota as “threatened.” The rule complies with a federal judge’s order in December that overruled the agency’s earlier decision to revoke wolves’ protected …

University of Michigan officials say they’ll take action against six fraternities and sororities involved in the vandalism of two ski reports in Gaylord and Harbor Springs. Members of the campus community are condemning the events that took place Jan. 16 to 18 at Treetops and Boyne resorts, where students collectively caused nearly $125,000 in damage. They say the students’ poor …

A suspect is in custody after an adult bookstore was burned down in Kalamazoo. The Hollywood Nights store caught on fire late Wednesday afternoon and was largely destroyed. After the fire was deemed suspicious police began looking for leads and tracked a vehicle from the scene to Comstock  where a chase began at around 8:30 Wednesday night. The 41-year-old male suspect crashed …

A gathering of municipal and county leaders concluded that St. Joseph County’s economic growth is being hampered by a lack of workers willing to take on entry-level manufacturing. The four leaders were a part of Tuesday’s State of the Area event, sponsored by the Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce. The forum featured St. Joseph County Administrator Pat Yoder, Three …

An amended contract between St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners and the county’s E-911 Telecommunicators’ Association was approved Tuesday by commissioners. According to terms of the amendment, new hires will be required to undergo telecommunications training and be paid $12.88 an hour during training; upon completion of training, full-time employees will be placed on the current wage scale; and benefits …

The St. Joseph County-based River Country Tourism Council has unveiled a new logo that helps identify the region designated River Country. Rose Szwed, marketing manager for River Country Tourism Council, said the logo was inspired largely by confusion on the exact area covered in describing River Country. Outside of St. Joseph County, for example, there is a River Country in …

The federal government and local partners are contributing $13.6 million into an initiative to boost water quality in the St. Joseph River Watershed, which covers 210 miles in Michigan and Indiana. U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters of Michigan, and Joe Donnelly of Indiana, on Monday announced details of the project, which includes $6.8 million public investment that is …