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Michigan voters are free to take a picture of their ballot before they leave a voting booth. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has settled a 2016 lawsuit that challenged a ban on so-called ballot selfies. The ban on displaying completed ballots has been around since 1891. Benson’s office and Joel Crookston, a voter in the Kalamazoo area, reached a deal …

Two St. Joseph County school districts were given a green light by their respective voters Tuesday, as ballot requests in White Pigeon and Sturgis school districts were successful. Unofficial results show White Pigeon’s request for renewal of 1 mill – originally approved in 2014 – passed with little room to spare, 263 yes votes to 254 opposed. White Pigeon Community …

A building was burglarized last weekend in Three Rivers. Sheriff’s deputies said they were called shortly before 6 a.m. Saturday to the 59000 block of U.S. 131 in response to a breaking-and-entering incident. Upon arriving to work, an employee found an overhead door open. Upon looking further in the building, the employee observed that someone removed the exterior metal then …

Two people were arrested after the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team executed a search warrant Saturday at a residence in Calvin Township. County officials said detectives arrived Saturday at a residence in the 21000 block of Calvin Hill Street on suspicion that the use and sale of methamphetamine was taking place there. Upon further investigation, detectives located several bags of …

A Kalamazoo man was arrested by Sturgis police after a chase that started on South Centerville Road earlier this week. Police attempted to stop a vehicle near Wade Street for speeding at 90 miles per hour. The 18-year-old driver fled, driving east on Fawn River Road then heading into a field near Silver Creek and Halsey Square roads, and drove …

Michigan’s Board of Education has selected Kalamazoo Public Schools Superintendent Michael Rice to be the next state superintendent. The board voted 5-3 for Rice on Tuesday after conducting final interviews with three candidates. Once a contract is signed, he will lead the state Department of Education, starting in July and making $216,000 a year. Board members say they liked Rice’s …

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is threatening to veto Senate-passed auto insurance legislation if it gets to her desk in its current form. The Democrat said Tuesday the bill headed toward the House “creates more problems than it solves.” The Senate earlier Tuesday approved a bill that would eliminate Michigan’s unique system requiring drivers to buy unlimited medical coverage for crash …

Voters in two St. Joseph County school districts will have the opportunity today to vote on ballot questions. White Pigeon Community Schools will have a millage renewal request before voters, while Sturgis Public Schools is asking for an additional one and three-quarter mills. White Pigeon Superintendent Jon Keyer said the district is seeking one mill for five years and is …

The St. Joseph Sheriff’s Department is investigating a shooting that occurred Monday in the 68000 block of Plumb School Road in Fawn River Township. Because the matter is an ongoing investigation, authorities are not releasing additional information.

Two major routes in Cass and Van Buren counties will be partially closed through the end of the month as Michigan Department of Transportation crews work on repaving. MDOT’s Nick Schirripa said the project started Monday and involves seven miles of M-40 and M-51, including M-40 from Marcellus Highway north to the Cass/Van Buren county line, and on M-51 from …