Government

The Sturgis Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire early Wednesday at 204 North Centreville Road. All occupants were outside the home when firefighters arrived, with flames and heavy smoke in the front half of the residence. The structure appears to be a total loss due to heavy heat, smoke, and water damage. The cause of the fire is …

The parents of a 12-year-old boy who died following a southwestern Michigan crash where his 14-year-old friend was behind the wheel say the two had had sneaked out in the middle of the night for a joy ride. The Cass County sheriff’s department says the 14-year-old boy was speeding along a snow-slicked road about 2 a.m. Tuesday in Milton Township …

The St. Joseph County Sheriff Department investigated a breaking-and-entering incident earlier this month in Colon Township. According to a department media release, a residence and pole barn in the 29000 block of Spring Creek Road were burglarized. The break-in occurred between 7 p.m. Dec. 19 and 1 p.m. Dec. 20. The victim told police numerous power tools were taken.

Sturgis Police attempted to stop a black Jeep in the 400 block of North Lakeview late Sunday morning for a driver’s license violation. The driver of the Jeep refused to stop and police pursued the vehicle to the area of Glen Oaks Community College on Shimmel Road. There, the driver of the Jeep drove off of the roadway to the …

Sturgis city manager Mike Hughes said the municipality has been rated a “Five-Star Community” for the second consecutive year for its positive entrepreneurial climate. In addition to receiving the five-star designation, which is the highest ranking awarded, the city also received recognition as a 2013 “Best Practice Community.” The city is one of only eight communities in the state to …

The Michigan Department of Transportation has identified two bridges in St. Joseph County that will be replaced in the coming year. Spans over the Rocky River on Floating Bridge Road and Pulver Road, both in Flowerfield Township, will be dismantled and replaced in 2014. The tasks were made official when members of the St. Joseph County Road Commission Board recently …

Members of the Fabius and Park townships fire boards have agreed to fund a second-shift staff member. The boards agreed earlier this month to man its station from 3 to 11 p.m. in hopes of reducing response times. The cost is expected to be shy of $40,000, but officials from both townships noted several money-saving steps undertaken by the fire …

The village of Centreville is expected to have its own police department in place starting in mid-February. Village officials  have voted to not renew a contract with the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department and will instead oversee its own law-enforcement agency. The county had been providing police coverage since the 1990s, but Centreville village officials agreed it would be cheaper …

The Coldwater Post of the Michigan State Police will soon have a new canine unit on staff. Trooper Jereme Miller and his German shepherd, Dakota, will begin their service after the new year. The Coldwater post services the White Pigeon detachment. Miller and Dakota are one of 49 canine teams with the state police. They recently completed a 14-week training …

The cause of a weekend fire that killed an 11-month-old girl remains under investigation by authorities from the Michigan State Police and the Sturgis Fire Department. No new details were available Tuesday regarding the Sunday morning fire at the Gateway Court apartment where an 11-month-old girl perished as a result of the blaze. The fire started in the master bedroom …