Government

Three Rivers Community Schools chose four people from a field of six candidates to its board of education. Newcomers Melissa Bliss and Ben Karle will join incumbents Julia Awe and Anne Riopel to six-year terms on the board. Meanwhile, incumbent Fred Barclay was unsuccessful in his bid for re-election to White Pigeon Community Schools Board of Education. Instead, Jeff Baechler …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warned Wednesday that Michigan has more confirmed daily cases of the coronavirus than ever, noting a sharp increase since the state Supreme Court invalidated her sweeping orders earlier this month. The number of COVID-19 cases had been gradually rising for months prior to the Oct. 2 ruling, from a seven-day average of 119 in June to 984 — …

Unemployed Michiganders can get an extra six weeks of benefits under a bipartisan bill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law Tuesday. Whitmer signed Senate Bills 886 and 991 codifying part of her now-void executive orders expanding unemployment benefits to Michiganders from 20 to 26 weeks until the end of the year. The Michigan Supreme Court on Oct. 2 ruled the 1945 law from which …

A Sturgis man died from multiple gunshot wounds following an incident Friday in Sturgis. Police said officers were called around 5:30 p.m. to a residence in the 500 block of North Prospect Street in response to a shooting. According to authorities, officers found a 33-year-old man who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to Sturgis Hospital, where he …

A 1945 law repeatedly used by Gov. Gretcher Whitmer to respond to the coronavirus pandemic was declared unconstitutional Friday by the Michigan Supreme Court, a striking decision that puts months of restrictions in jeopardy while COVID-19 continues to flare up around the state. The opinion is an extraordinary development in a monthslong conflict between Whitmer, a Democrat, and Republicans who …

A Kalamazoo pastor who has criticized police over their handling of protests has lost his seat on a community police review board. Members of the Citizens Public Safety Review and Appeal Board must be “impartial and perform their duties without bias,” City Manager Jim Ritsema said. The Rev. Nathan Dannison’s service won’t be extended when his term ends next week. …

St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners plans to hold an in-person commission meeting next month. During their executive committee meeting earlier this week, county administrator Teresa Doehring and commissioners targeted Oct. 6 as their first in-person board meeting since Feb. 18. Doerhing said the spacious commissioners’ room would allow up to 35 people to attend while still safely observe social …

An auto-theft ring originating in LaGrange County was broken up by authorities and three St. Joseph County residents have been arrested. An investigation by LaGrange County, Shipshewana Police Department and Michigan State Police led to the arrest of Kyle Miller, 33, of White Pigeon; Joshua Webb, 31, of Constantine and 26-year-old Katie Ann Shephard of Three Rivers. They were arrested …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday that gyms can reopen after 5 1/2 months of closure and additional organized sports can resume if masks are worn — lifting some coronavirus restrictions that lasted longer in Michigan than in many states. The order, which takes effect next Wednesday, allows for the reopening of fitness centers and indoor pools in a swath of the …

Michigan on Friday crossed the threshold of 100,000 cases of the coronavirus confirmed since March. Deaths related to COVID-19 reached 6,446 after six more were recorded, the state health department said. Most people usually recover from the virus. It can cause mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. But for some, …