Politics

Legislation by state Rep. Matt Lori allowing rifles to be used for hunting in the southern Lower Peninsula with special cartridges is now a new rule initiated by the Natural Resources Commission. The NRC approved the order in response to a bill introduced by Lori. Rifles have not been permitted for hunting in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula …

State Rep. Matt Lori said the equity gap that exists between larger and smaller school districts was narrowed this week, with House approval of Bill 5314, which establishes the School-Aid Fund for the coming fiscal year. Besides adding $50 in per-pupil funding for all students, the bill also designates another $125 per pupil for smaller schools, closing the equity gap …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has approved an out-of-state travel request for a circuit court employee. At the request of Judge Paul Stutesman, commissioners agreed to the plan for court administrator Kathryn Griffin to attend the National Association for Court Management’s annual conference in Scottsdale, Ariz. The six-day event takes place next month. As president of Michigan’s NACM, …

St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners agreed Tuesday to cover a six-digit dollar amount request from Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. The commission unanimously approved an allocation in excess of $168,000 to the agency. What was labeled a one-time request for the funds from CMH sparked a lengthy discussion by commissioners. The five-member panel criticized state legislators for …

St. Joseph County’s grant writer, Lindsay Oswald, has announced details of a $200,000 Brownfield Assessment grant received through the Environmental Protection Agency. The funds will be used for countywide, petroleum assessment of brownfield properties. Oswald explained that a brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of …

Action by the state’s elected leaders and money are key solutions to improving the condition of roads in St. Joseph County and the rest of the state. The solution was detailed Thursday by Christopher Bolt, engineer-manager of the St. Joseph County Road Commission. The Centreville-based agency staged a first-of-its-kind “road summit” that drew more than 60 people to Centreville. Bolt …

White Pigeon village officials have agreed to spend about $2,600 to replace damaged and faded street signs. During Wednesday’s village council meeting, the seven-member panel heard president Dan Czajkowski explain that many of the village’s signs are difficult to read because of their age and years-long effects of the elements. He said it is a matter of safety that the …

A formality approved Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners allows certain employees in about 12 different departments to work a four-day week. The memorandum of understanding between the county board and AFSCME general unit gives department heads the option of allowing their employees to work four, 10-hour days instead of five, eight-hour days. Human resources director Elishia …

White Pigeon village officials have deferred a matter regarding outdoor, wood-burning boilers until more information can be gathered by a council member and zoning official. A month after village council member Shireen Cline raised health-related concerns about the devices, the panel on Wednesday agreed to have Cline meet with Doug Kuhlman, zoning administrator for the village. The two will review …

Two unrelated matters of business were approved Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. Commissioners endorsed an agreement with Florida-based MGT of America for cost-allocation plan services. County administrator Pat Yoder said the agreement is geared toward the county’s Friend of the Court and Juvenile Court departments to reimburse their expenses through the state. Also, the employment of …