Government

Officials from the city of Sturgis wish to pass along that due to the recent inclement weather, utility bills will be estimated for the month of January. Bills for water, sewer and electric will be estimated based on past usage. When meters are read this month, the difference between estimated bill and actual usage will be included in the February …

Police say a convicted killer who made a brazen escape from a Michigan prison has been captured in Indiana. Indiana State Police Sgt. Ron Galaviz says Michael David Elliot was captured Monday evening in LaPorte County, Indiana. Galaviz says a sheriff’s deputy investigating a vehicle theft spotted the stolen automobile and tried to make a stop. The suspect ran, but …

A state environmental official says initial tests haven’t found noxious chemicals in the air or water near a northern Indiana fiberglass factory that caught fire over the weekend. Firefighters continued monitoring the smoldering blaze at the Lami-Plast factory in Elkhart on Monday, a day after it went up in flames and some nearby homes were evacuated. A bulldozer was brought …

The December unemployment rate in St. Joseph County increased by one-tenth 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 7.3 percent December unemployment rate was more than November’s 7.2 percent. December’s unemployment rate was three-tenths of a percent less than the same month …

A 41-year-old man from Niles was arrested last week, following an incident of aggravated domestic violence in Florence Township. State police said the man was involved in an incident with a 47-year-old Three Rivers woman at a residence on Constantine Road. The suspect had fled the scene prior to police arrival, but was located a short distance away. The man, …

With the March 31 deadline for mandatory health insurance approaching, the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency is offering answers to questions people may have about the matter. Steve Todd, health officer for the tri-county health department, said the agency has nine staff members who have met the Medicare/Medicaid training requirements. As certified application counselors, the nine staff members are available …

Some well-known names throughout St. Joseph County are preparing for a first-of-its-kind event in the name of a fundraiser for a child-welfare agency. Eight couples are expected to take part in the inaugural Dancing With the St. Joseph County Stars event March 7 at Glen Oaks Community College’s Nora Hagen Theatre. Organizers are trying to get word out early on, …

The St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit gathered 28 marijuana plants and made five arrests during a raid in Sturgis this week. SCAN members executed a search warrant Tuesday at a residence in the 600 block of Jefferson Street, where an additional quantity of marijuana was packaged and appeared to be ready for sale. Arrested were three women, ages 45, …

Electronics and jewelry were reported missing following a breaking-and-entering incident Wednesday in Sturgis. The victim told police the break-in occurred between 4 and 6 p.m. and access was gained by forced entry through a back door at a residence in the 400 block of Center Street.

A 39-year-old Sturgis man was charged with felony retail fraud and felon in possession of a firearm following his alleged role in a retail-theft incident earlier this month at the Three Rivers Walmart. The arrest was made in Sturgis Township in the 25000 block of U.S. 12. The St. Joseph County Area Narcotics unit and the St. Joseph County Special …