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Elected officials in a conservative Michigan county who gave themselves bonuses of $65,000 with federal COVID-19 relief aid said they will return the money following days of criticism. Shiawassee County commissioners acted after the prosecutor said the payments were illegal, The Argus-Press reported. The Michigan Constitution bars additional compensation for elected officials “after services had already been rendered,” prosecutor Scott Koerner said Friday. …

Members of the Constantine Village Council have approved an engineering service agreement for its proposed waste-treatment plant. Company officials from engineers Fleis & VandenBrink said the village’s new sewer plant is expected to be in operation by January 2024. Engineer Jeff Pugh said engineering and legal expenses for the new plant could cost up to $1 million in the next …

Josh LaFluer was appointed Monday to serve as a trustee on the Constantine Village Council. LaFluer fills a vacancy left by the June resignation of Joe Faulkner. LaFluer previously served as a trustee and did not seek re-election when his term ended in November 2020. Village manager Mark Honeysett said in the general law village act, there is no prescribed …

The Three Rivers Police Department has provided an update regarding a wheelchair-versus-SUV fatal collision. The victim has been identified as 49-year-old Three Rivers resident Tony Hoyt. Hoyt was in a wheelchair in an area along Millard Street, where his wheelchair was struck by a sport-utility vehicle Monday evening around 6:30 p.m. Hoyt was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Health …

A Sturgis man died following a collision involving a motorcycle and a pickup in Florence Township. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said deputies were called at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to an area on Lutz Road near Dickinson Road in Florence Township. Investigators said a Ford F150 was being driven southbound on Lutz Road before attempting to make a turn at Dickinson Road. …

Focusing on the state of the agency, and its many road, bridge and maintenance projects, St. Joseph County Road Commission Managing Director John Lindsey provided annual reports from 2019 and 2020 Tuesday before the county board of commissioners. Highlights from 2019 included upgrading a one-mile stretch of Constantine Road from Mintdale to Featherstone roads on the border of Constantine and …

New coronavirus cases spiked in Michigan during the week ending July 18, rising 23.1 percent as more than 1,600 cases were reported. St. Joseph County reported eight cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 12 cases and no deaths. Throughout the pandemic, St. Joseph County has reported 6,276 cases and 101 deaths. Throughout Michigan, …

A vehicle was stolen this week from the property of a residence in Mottville Township, authorities said. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said deputies were called to the 69000 block of Union Street, where the victim reported that a 1998 Dodge Ram was stolen around 3 p.m. Monday. The vehicle is gray and features a Michigan license plate of ELM9007.

Demolition of a longtime Park Township icon started Monday. Work crews began removing what’s left of the former Parkville dam from the Portage River. The process involved a backhoe and its bucket used to knock down the first of four concrete walls near the mouth of the mill race. Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials said the project is expected …

Officers from the Three Rivers Police Department and Three Rivers Fire Department were dispatched to Millard Street and Erie for a SUV vs motorized wheelchair accident Monday evening at 6:38pm. The wheelchair rider was transported via ambulance to Three Rivers Health and then on to Kalamazoo. The rider later died at the hospital. An Accident Investigator from the Michigan State …