Government

Michigan on Monday surpassed a 55% COVID-19 vaccination rate, reaching a milestone that will lead to the automatic easing of in-person work restrictions in two weeks. Employers currently must prohibit onsite work if employees’ jobs can feasibly be done remotely. The state anticipates lifting the rule on May 24, said COVID-19 workplace safety director Sean Egan. The 55% benchmark is …

The St. Joseph County Commission on Aging is pleased to announce that Alex Kelley is the new Life Enrichment Coordinator for the COA. Kelley, a Sherwood resident, is a familiar face to COA members as she has been the receptionist at the Oaks Enrichment Center in Sturgis since May 2018. Kelley, who attended Burr Oak High School and Glen Oaks …

A Schoolcraft couple died in a 2-car crash Friday afternoon. The victims were identified as Joel Shaffer, age 83, and his wife, Dolores Shaffer, age 84. State police say the couple was eastbound on X Y Avenue, just south of Schoolcraft, when they collided with a southbound SUV on US-131. The names of the SUV driver, along with the passenger, …

Michigan said late Friday that 54% of adults ages 16 and up have gotten at least one COVID-19 shot, a roughly 2.5 percentage point jump after factoring in people who were vaccinated outside the state or at federal facilities. The addition of nearly 227,000 residents to the state’s count put Michigan close to a 55% benchmark Gov. Gretchen says is needed to …

A suspect is being sought, following a shooting incident in Constantine Wednesday evening. The incident took place shortly after 8pm at the Constantine Little League fields near Meadow Lane. A 38-year-old Cassopolis man was reportedly shot multiple times. He was airlifted to Memorial Hospital in South Bend. The major crime scene task force is investigating.

Sheriff’s deputies investigated a single-vehicle crash that claimed the life of a Sturgis man. Randy Caruthers, age 49, died after the pickup he was driving collided into a tree around 5 a.m. Tuesday in Florence Township, sheriff Mark Lillywhite said. Investigators said Caruthers was driving a Ford F-150 eastbound on Featherstone Road when he lost control of the vehicle in …

Recreational marijuana facilities will continue operating in Constantine, as voters decided Tuesday to support a measure retaining that option. By a margin of 396 to 74, voters opposed a request that would have amended two sections of the village ordinance related to the issue. The amended ordinance would have banned all components of recreational marijuana. In essence, the 396 “no” …

Voters in the village of White Pigeon overwhelmingly endorsed a request to renew a millage to financially support ambulance service. The final vote was 102 in favor of the renewal to 26 opposed. The request centered on 0.35 mills originally established in 2017. The fraction of a mill generates slightly more than $11,000 annually and is dedicated specifically to Emergent …

Michigan late Tuesday lifted an outdoor mask requirement except in gatherings of at least 100 people and in organized contact sports, and said teen athletes no longer must undergo regular COVID-19 testing if they are fully vaccinated. Under a revised pandemic order that takes effect Thursday, the state health department also eased outdoor event sizes and said vaccinated people are …

Two men have been convicted in the 2019 torture-slaying of a northern Indiana woman whose body was found inside a trash bin dumped in southern Michigan. An Elkhart County jury found Donald Owen Jr., 22, and Mario Angulo Jr., 20, guilty of murder Thursday in the October 2019 and killing of 31-year-old Kimberly Dyer at a house in Elkhart. The …