Politics

A light agenda awaits the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners this afternoon. Items under new business are an agreement for renewing a cost-allocation plan; a request to offer AFLAC insurance through payroll deduction; and a request to fill a vacant finance accounting clerk position. Also, Commissioner Rick Shaffer is expected to be nominated to the Templene Lake Board. The …

Officials from the city of Sturgis have approved a letter of intent with St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners regarding the development of a senior center. The proposed center is slated to be built on property adjacent to the Doyle Community Center and would be leased to the county for a token $1 annually. County Commission members over the past …

Members of the Michigan House approved legislation allowing veterans to receive a special designation on their driver’s license or state ID cards, state Rep. Matt Lori announced Thursday. With more than 650,000 veterans living in Michigan, Lori anticipates the legislation will keep veterans from having to secure paperwork to prove their military service. Lori, a Constantine-area resident, said veterans deserve …

Despite the lack of a quorum at Tuesday’s monthly Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services of St. Joseph County meeting, a group of about a dozen adults with developmental disabilities showed up to question a reduction in the hours of service they receive from the agency. It marks the second consecutive month CMH clients have attended the monthly board …

The positions of clerk and treasurer in Constantine will continue to be elected by village residents. A special vote Tuesday on whether to adopt an ordinance to change the current method yielded a result of 86 people against the measure to 42 in favor of the proposal. The turnout represented 8 percent of the village’s 1,569 registered voters. The village …

The elimination of its office manager and removing a proposed 3-percent raise to village employees from the table were two steps taken recently by the White Pigeon Village Council. The cuts were part of a money-saving measure the village is taking to help balance a $61,000 shortfall in its projected debts versus revenues. Carol Gilbert, who has served as office …

The village of Constantine is one of 34 municipalities in Michigan to receive a portion of $15 million to help eliminate blight in the community. Recipients of the Michigan Blight Elimination Program were announced last week. Constantine officials applied for a portion of the grant money to demolish an abandoned structure at 1005 S. Washington St. The allocation for the …

State Rep. Matt Lori was named by House Speaker Jase Bolger to Gov. Rick Snyder’s newly created Mental Health and Wellness Commission. The six-member commission will advise the Michigan Department of Community Health on strengthening the state’s mental-health system. Their advisory role includes considering the best solutions for education, public safety, veterans independence and service delivery. Lori, a Constantine-area resident …

A proposal to market St. Joseph County as an attractive retirement option for residents in Chicago and its suburban communities was explained during a presentation Thursday. Addressing a crowd of about 40 people – comprised primarily of city, village and township leaders from throughout the county – St. Joseph County Commissioner Don Eaton explained details of a potential marketing agreement …

A quarterly report from the Economic Development Corporation board chairman of Southwest Michigan First provided St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners detailed information about the three-month period that concluded at the end of December. Ken Jones, who attended the county’s executive committee meeting last week, said 28 consultations resulted in three company announcements, 202 new jobs created, 801 jobs retained …