Government

Two Sturgis residents asked members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners if they would be willing to meet one-on-one to discuss plans for a proposed senior center in Sturgis. Lois Ware and Bob Holt said they weren’t happy with the lack of answers during past meetings with representatives from the county’s Commission on Aging. They said the proposal …

The St. Joseph County Board of commissioners Tuesday postponed a work session slated to take place Monday with representatives from Holland-based 2 Fish Company, a marketing firm in line to potentially help the county promote itself to Chicago-area residents as a retirement destination. County officials agreed incoming administrator J. Patrick Yoder should be in attendance when the meeting takes place. …

State Police say while Michigan traffic crashes and injuries were down in 2012, fatalities increased 5 percent over 2011 from 889 to 936. According to the department’s Criminal Justice Information Center, the number of traffic crashes fell 4 percent to 273,891 from 284,049 in 2011. Injuries were down 2 percent to 70,519 from 71,796 in 2011. Motorcyclist fatalities were up …

Michigan had a tenth-of-a-percent gain in population from July 2011 to July 2012, according to U.S. Census data. Estimated figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau show Michigan will gain 6,559 new residents since July last year, pushing its population to more than 9.8 million. It would be Michigan’s first net increase since 2004. Locally, St. Joseph County is on …

Various tools, a 50-inch flat screen television, and a computer and accessories were reported taken earlier this month from a residence in White Pigeon Township. Michigan State Police investigators said the incident likely occurred between 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. March 4 at a residence on Dickinson Road. Details about access to the residence were not indicated in a department …

Officials from the Michigan State Police Fire Investigation unit have determined faulty kitchen appliances were the cause of a March 8 fire that destroyed two businesses in downtown Colon. Sgt. Scott LeRoy said the investigation traced appliances in the rear of Curly’s bar as the source of the fire, which destroyed the business and an adjacent real estate office to …

Steve Chadwick, a biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, will be the keynote speaker at Wednesday’s St. Joseph County Conservation District annual meeting. Chadwick will focus on the disease EHD and its impact on the whitetail deer population. Tickets for the event, which includes dinner, are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. The dinner and program …

A 35-year-old Sturgis man was taken into custody after he was apprehended during a home invasion last week. According to Sturgis Police, the man entered a home in the 200 block of Jean Street around 1:40 a.m. Friday through its back door. Upon arrival, police apprehended the man in the living room of the residence. He was charged with burglary, …

A 61-year-old White Pigeon man died late Sunday morning while working at White Pigeon Paper Company. The man was identified as Robert Knight. Police were called after workers reported that an employee was missing, and it was feared that he had fallen into a vat. It is undetermined if Knight died of natural causes or work related. An autopsy is …

A University of Oklahoma official says the starting quarterback for Oklahoma’s national championship teams in 1974 and 1975 is one of two men killed when a small plane slammed into a house in northern Indiana. St. Joseph County Coroner Randy Magdalinski identified the victims of Sunday’s crash as 60-year-old Steven Davis and 58-year-old Wesley Caves, both of Tulsa, Okla. The …