Government

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, …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday urged Michigan residents to get the flu vaccine to ease the load on the health system if there is a surge of coronavirus cases during the fall and winter influenza season, announcing the state wants at least 1 million more people vaccinated. She received a flu shot during a news conference to “show how easy …

A young woman who was declared dead at her suburban Detroit home opened her eyes at a funeral home as she was about to embalmed, a lawyer said Monday. “They would have begun draining her blood to be very, very frank about it,” Geoffrey Fieger told WXYZ-TV. The Southfield fire department acknowledged it was involved in a bizarre set of …

A Bronson man was airlifted from the scene of a two-vehicle accident over the weekend in Sherman Township, and died Monday at Bronson Methodist Hospital. Sheriff’s deputies were called around 11:30 Saturday morning to an area on North Centreville Road near Featherstone Road. Upon arrival, they found a 2005 GMC Canyon driven southbound by a 53-year-old Sturgis man had rear-ended …

Longtime Republican Rep. Fred Upton defeated a primary challenger in his district in southwestern Michigan. The 17-term lawmaker will take on Jon Hoadley in the general election. Upton beat real estate agent Elena Oelke in the 6th Congressional District’s GOP primary on Tuesday, by a margin of 63 to 37 percent. Hoadley, a state legislator, defeated Jen Richardson of Kalamazoo, …

St. Joseph County will have a new prosecutor starting in 2021. Lockport Township resident David Marvin claimed a one-sided victory over incumbent John McDonough during Tuesday’s primary election. Though final numbers have not been canvassed, Marvin’s unofficial win was by a 4-to-1 margin, as he claimed 82 percent of the votes. Marvin, the son of longtime St. Joseph County Clerk …

A Three Rivers resident is one step closer to replacing Aaron Miller for 59th District state representative. St. Joseph County numbers show Steve Carra finished atop the five-person race to replace the term-limited Miller. Carra claimed 34 percent of the vote in St. Joseph County, handily topping the second-highest vote getter, Jack Coleman, who earned 24 percent of the vote. …

St. Joseph County’s incumbent sheriff Mark Lillywhite looks as if he’ll be returning to the post for four more years. The Republican candidate, who took office Feb. 1 to finish the 11 months left on Brad Balk’s term, was challenged by Florence Township resident Gordon Evilsizor. Lillywhite, a Three Rivers resident, had more than 80 percent of the vote Tuesday. …