News

The city of Sturgis community development department will resume issuance of building permits and inspections for all construction projects, effective immediately. Under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order, construction work in the state can resume today. Building-permit applications submitted prior to or during the stay-home order will be processed and city staff will contact residents as necessary. In addition, inspection of …

The Republican-led Michigan Legislature sued Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday, asking a judge to declare invalid and unenforceable her stay-at-home order and other measures issued to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit, filed in the state Court of Claims, says a 1945 law that gives the governor broad emergency powers to order such restrictions governs local, not statewide, declarations like …

Guns cannot be banned from Michigan’s Capitol unless legislators change state law, an official who helps oversee the building said Wednesday, less than a week after some protesters armed with rifles shouted at lawmakers inside the Senate chamber. John Truscott, vice chairman of the Michigan State Capitol Commission, said he received “early indications” from the panel’s lawyer that “we do …

Demario Shelton, 32, of Three Rivers, has been sentenced to a minimum 53 months to 40 years prison for last year’s robbery of the Three Rivers branch of Century Bank and Trust. Shelton was sentenced Friday by Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman after pleading guilty to bank robbery. On Nov. 18, police were dispatched to the West Broadway Street location …

The St. Joseph County United Way annual golf outing has been moved to a new date. Executive director Kelly Hostetler said the fundraiser was supposed to take place Friday but will instead be Aug. 14 at St. Joe Valley Golf Course. The 10 a.m. shotgun start will feature a scramble format, lunch, appetizers and awards. Cost to participate is $65 …

In what could be a precedent-setting situation, Sturgis High School plans to hold a graduation ceremony for the class of 2020, but not until well into the summer. Principal Nicholas Herblet said a survey was given to the senior class and out of 138 responses, 83 percent voted to have a graduation ceremony July 19. Herblet said the ceremony will …

The Centreville school board last week denied a request from the St. Joseph County Intermediate School District for support in moving forward with a 2020 Wide Area Network project. The proposal would have allowed the district to purchase and own its own fiber-optic-cable network. Ben Daugherty, director of information services for the St. Joseph County Intermediate School District, presented the …

Unless Gov. Whitmer says otherwise, there’s going to be a holiday celebration in Colon this summer. Pam Gilbert, president of the Colon Area Chamber of Commerce, said planning for the village’s annual Fourth of July celebration is continuing. Gilbert explained it’s easier to keep planning and cancel if circumstances warrant than it is to not plan and decide last minute …

Various tools were stolen from a storage unit this week in Lockport Township. The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department said the incident occurred overnight between Saturday and Sunday in the 57000 block of North Main Street. Access was gained through forced entry.

Two men, one from Three Rivers the other from Sturgis, were injured during a collision Monday in Cass County’s Newberg Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called at 2 p.m. to the intersection of M-60 and Corey Lake Road. Investigators found that a car driven by 23-year-old Three Rivers resident Tyelar Nelson was heading south on Corey Lake Road …