Politics

Klinger Lake resident Paul Watters, a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, joined state Rep. Aaron Miller on the House floor Tuesday to mark the 71st anniversary of the allied victory in Europe over the Axis forces. VE Day occurred May 8, 1945, when Germany surrendered. Watters served in the Pacific Theatre of Operations during the war and was …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners will see at least two new faces starting in 2017, as commissioners Robin Baker and Rick Shaffer have decided to not seek re-election. White Pigeon’s Dan Czajkowski, 60, is running unopposed and will replace Baker to the two-year term as District 4 representative. Four contestants are competing to replace Shaffer as commissioner of …

Constantine municipal officials have approved a pay raise for elected leaders in office after the November election. Village manager Mark Honeysett said the raise for the village president and trustees is the first in 18 years. The president’s monthly pay was adjusted from $75 to $100, and per-meeting pay was raised from $100 to $125. Monthly salary for the village’s …

State Rep. Aaron Miller has voted for a legislative package to institute sweeping reforms for Detroit Public Schools. Miller, who serves on the House Committee on Appropriations, said without the changes, DPS could go bankrupt, leaving the state responsible for more than $3 billion in debt. He said the finances of the new Community District will be under strict state …

A request for 2.5 additional mills sought by the St. Joseph Road Commission was turned down by a margin of nearly 5-to-1 Tuesday. The unofficial tally shows 4,544 votes against the request and 961 in favor. The request for what would have amounted to about $5.4 million a year for a 10-year period was a fair question to let the …

Mendon Community Schools’ request to renew 18 non-homestead operating mills was endorsed by more than two-thirds of the voters who participated in Tuesday’s election. The unofficial total shows 339 votes in support and 149 opposed. At stake was more than $900,000 in annual funding, a substantial portion of the district’s $5.3 million budget. Board of education president Regina Schinker said …

Voters in Kalamazoo County have approved a five-year renewal of a millage that will fund public transit through 2021. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports unofficial results of Tuesday’s vote included 11,650 in favor of the tax and 8,417 against the measure. The Kalamazoo County Transportation Authority had sought approval of the property tax to fund public transit, including the Metro County …

State Rep. Aaron Miller has praised bipartisan passage of the House budget for the coming fiscal year, noting every school in St. Joseph and Cass counties will receive the maximum per-pupil increase in state funding. Miller, who serves as chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State Police, said all schools in the 59th House District will receive a $120 …

The state of Michigan won’t enforce a law that blocks local government officials from talking about a ballot question before an election, under a deal approved Thursday by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge John Corbett O’Meara stopped the law in February with a preliminary injunction, saying the so-called gag order was vague and violated free speech rights. Now, nearly …

State Reps. Aaron Miller and Eric Leutheuser recently presented a legislative tribute to the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency in the Capitol rotunda after the agency was recognized with an award during National Health Week. Miller and Leutheuser presented the tribute to Rebecca Burns, health officer for Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph County, and Jim Cook, emergency preparedness coordinator for the tri-county agency, …