Government

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has agreed to settle a lawsuit over a ban on so-called ballot selfies. Joel Crookston, a voter in the Kalamazoo area, sued in 2016 to try to stop Michigan’s ban on taking photos of marked ballots or publicly exposing them. Lawyers won’t talk about the deal until details are filed in federal court on May …

A Three Rivers native is one of Michigan State Police’s newly hired troopers. Alex Sussdorf will soon report to work after graduating last week from the 135th Trooper Recruit School. Sussdorf is assigned to the Niles post, which covers Berrien and Cass counties. The Marshall post, which serves St. Joseph, Branch and Calhoun counties, will obtain five of the newest …

Michigan’s fishing season is underway, which means it’s time to renew your license if you haven’t already done so. The state Department of Natural Resources says all 2019 fishing licenses are good for all species and are valid through March 31, 2020. Anglers can choose from eight options. The resident annual license costs $26. The nonresident annual license sells for …

Officers in western Michigan have fatally shot a man who threatened them during an attempted arrest. Michigan State Police say 37-year-old Thomas Verile Jr. of Scotts was shot Thursday morning at a home outside Kalamazoo after he threatened officers, saying he had a weapon. Police said in a news release that preliminary information indicated several officers fired shots at Verile, …

Nominations to three different boards were approved Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. Michael Wilson and Cathy Knapp were named alternate appointments to the Workforce Development Board for Michigan Works Southwest. The terms end Sept. 30 next year. Seven people were re-appointed to the St. Joseph County Transportation Authority Board. They are: Allen Balog, Charles Thompson, Sarah …

Organizers of an annual community festival in Centreville were given some good news Tuesday. The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved a request to use the courthouse property for the two-day Covered Bridge Days. The annual celebration of the village that serves as the county seat is July 12 and 13. The festival for many years has used the …

Two Elkhart police officers who were caught on video repeatedly punching a handcuffed man have been placed on unpaid administrative leave. A federal grand jury last month indicted Cory Newland and Joshua Titus of the Elkhart Police Department on a charge of depriving Mario Ledesma of his rights through excessive force. Police video shows them punching Ledesma after he spat …

Michigan Department of Transportation has launched a new, online dashboard to make information about the condition of all bridges on state and local road systems easily accessible to the public. Replacing a more limited version from 2018, the Michigan Bridge Conditions dashboard is now online, providing data on more than 11,000 bridges across the state. Matt Chynoweth, head of the …

The city of Three Rivers will soon begin looking for a new member to join its city commission. During last week’s meeting, Norm Stutesman announced he will be moving out of the city and as a result will be forced to vacate his seat. His resignation becomes effective Monday. Stutesman joined the seven-member commission in January 2017 to replace Diane …

A state police patrol car was struck and a trooper injured over the weekend during an incident on ice-covered I-94 in Calhoun County. According to a department media release, the trooper was investigating an accident at 4:15 a.m. Saturday near mile marker 92 in the eastbound lane. The trooper was on the shoulder of the freeway investigating a one-vehicle crash, …