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Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer won a second four-year term in Tuesday’s election, defeating Republican challenger Tudor Dixon in the battleground state where abortion had become a key issue. Whitmer was first elected in 2018 after years in the Legislature and has since become a leading voice in the Democratic Party, delivering the party’s response to former President Donald Trump’s …

Voters in battleground Michigan enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution, joining reliably Democratic California and Vermont in taking that step. An anti-abortion measure in Kentucky was too early to call. The Tuesday ballot measures came months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion it guaranteed to women nationwide. The decision in June has led to near-total …

Almost 50 percent of St. Joseph County’s 41,889 registered voters took part in Tuesday’s general election. County Clerk Lindsay Oswald said the figure is likely the highest turnout for a mid-term election. Voters in Flowerfield Township agreed Tuesday to support an increase of nearly 1 mill for a 10-year period to fund fire-protection and ambulance services. The request was approved, …

A number of local entities, including the villages of Burr Oak, Centreville and Constantine, featured uncontested races. In Colon, six trustee candidates vied for three seats to Colon Village Council. Winners were Jodi Gross, Dillon Baker and Marvel Delp. They were challenged by David Senkewitz, Donald D’Water and Thomas Whitford. Gross and Delp are incumbents. In Three Rivers, Lucas Allen …

A trio of candidates ran for one partial-term membership to the Three Rivers Community Schools Board of Education. The three, Jack Coleman, Nichole Cover and Anne Riopel, were write-in candidates and the winner had not been determined as of late Tuesday night. The term expires at the end of 2024. Meanwhile, five people ran for four seats to Centreville Public …

Republican Rick Shaffer will return to serve two years as a member of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. In the only contested race to the seven-member board, Shaffer fended off Democrat Erin Schultes for the newly created Precinct 1, which comprises Lockport and Florence townships, and the city of Three Rivers.

A Sturgis felon will spend at least five years in prison for leading authorities on a high-speed chase that included a stretch of roadway in downtown Sturgis. Dylan Brand, 27, was sentenced last week by St. Joseph County Circuit Judge Paul Stutesman to a period of five up to 17 years. Brand turned down a plea bargain for a five-year …

In light of the resignation of Kenneth Linn, Fabius Township Board members last week appointed Dan Wilkins to serve as its new supervisor. Wilkins has served as a trustee for eight years and is the vice chair of the township planning commission. Wilkins’ appointment was made during a special meeting Friday, a meeting called to accept the resignation of Linn. …

September’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by one-tenth of a percent from August. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed St. Joseph County’s unemployment rate fell from 4.2 percent in August to 4.1 percent in September. Meanwhile, Cass County experienced a drop in its unemployment figures from August to September. Its …

A 6-month-old child died this week in a two-vehicle crash involving an alleged drunken driver in Mendon Township. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said deputies were called around 7 a.m. Tuesday to the intersection of M-60 and Angevine Road. Investigators said 30-year-old Samantha Adams, of Mendon, was driving a westbound vehicle on M-60 but was stopped waiting for oncoming traffic to clear …