News

Sturgis city hall will be open five days a week beginning Aug. 24. Vice mayor Jon Good said city residents deserve to have accessibility to city hall for a full week. For several years, city hall has been closed on Tuesdays. City manager Mike Hughes said the initial closure was an effort to save money by not filling the positions …

A motion hearing for Wade Allen, a Sturgis resident accused of murdering and dismembering his girlfriend in May 2019, was continued Wednesday. St. Joseph County Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman said the delay, which could stretch into early August, is necessary for him to review transcripts from the previous two hearings involving Allen’s case. The case against the 35-year-old Allen …

A pickup was stolen earlier this week from a business in White Pigeon Township. State police troopers responded to R.E. Miller and Sons Trucking in the 69000 block of U.S. 131, where they were told a three-quarter-ton, 1990 Dodge pickup was stolen sometime between 6 p.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. Wednesday. The body of the truck is red, and it …

State Rep. Aaron Miller has supported a plan to rectify an error that contributed to the COVID-related deaths of nearly 2,000 nursing-home residents. The legislative plan requires the state’s Health and Human Services Department, along with the state department for Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, to complete an evaluation and report of the current policies regarding COVID-19 patients and nursing homes …

The issue of a letter requesting the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners dismiss prosecutor John McDonough was discussed briefly during its meeting Tuesday. Board chairman Dennis Allen, however, said the letter would be brought up during Wednesday’s 8 a.m. executive committee meeting and there would be in-depth discourse at that time. Colon Township resident Tadd Davis, who co-authored the …

St. Joseph County Intermediate School District continues to work on plans for the next school year, putting its focus on what to do if the region remains in Phase 4 of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “Safe Start” plan. Currently, the ISD is considering a hybrid in-person and virtual model. ISD superintendent Teresa Belote said the agency is building plans related to …

For now, it appears Sturgis Public Schools students will have two options for education when school resumes Aug. 24. Superintendent Art Ebert said one proposal is to participate in on-campus learning. The other is to use technology from home to fulfill learning requirements. The final decision will likely be dictated by at what phase the region is in as the …

Indiana will have a statewide face mask mandate starting next week, joining many other states in similar orders aimed at slowing the coronavirus spread, Gov. Eric Holcomb said Wednesday. The Indiana order will take effect Monday (July 27, 2020) and apply to anyone ages 8 and older in any indoor public or business areas and at outdoor public spaces when …

A letter signed by several county residents, including State Rep. Aaron Miller, seeks the resignation of county prosecutor John McDonough. The two-page letter was delivered Monday via email to the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. Over the course of the seven-paragraph letter, co-authored by Miller and Colon Township’s Tadd Davis, McDonough was referenced as demonstrating “continual lack of leadership, …

Here’s an update on St. Joseph County’s 2020 Census returns. Through July 16, Burr Oak has the best return rate, at 69.6 percent. It is followed by Three Rivers, at 67.8 percent. The rest of the county shows White Pigeon’s response rate at 66.9 percent, Mendon at 66.7 percent, Sturgis at 66.2 percent, Centreville and Constantine at 62.9 percent, and …