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A 46-year-old southwestern Michigan man has been charged with murder in connection with the 2016 death of his 2-year-old stepdaughter. Lance Reeves was denied bond by a Cass County judge Friday during the Dowagiac man’s arraignment on charges of open murder and child abuse. The judge entered a not guilty plea for Reeves. It wasn’t immediately clear if he has …

A northern Indiana city is looking at an expansion of part of its sewer system that could costs millions of dollars in the coming years. The Elkhart Truth reports that utility engineer Tory Irwin said a sanitary sewer line serving an area north of the Indiana toll road along Cassopolis Street is at capacity. The problem could clog up new …

County commissioners on Wednesday named Centreville-area resident Vince Mifsud to the St. Joseph County Road Commission Board. The move means 12-year member Rick Anderson is now off the board that oversees the Centreville-based agency. Commissioner Allen Balog objected to the motion and voted against replacing Anderson with Mifsud. He said Anderson provides experience and knowledge that is critical to the …

A Berrien County man this week lost control of his vehicle due to icy roads, resulting in a two-vehicle accident in Cass County’s Penn Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to M-60 near Calvin Center Road, where a car driven by 67-year-old Miguel Guerrero had lost control and his vehicle slid across the centerline, …

St. Joseph County commissioners this week agreed to appropriate its annual financial commitment to Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services of St. Joseph County. The 2019 allotment was $257,268. The obligation will be fulfilled in quarterly payments of $64,317, according to county administrator Teresa Doehring. She said the appropriation is a budgeted item.

Jury selection is set to begin in the trial of a man charged with killing six strangers in southwestern Michigan nearly three years ago. Jason Dalton is charged with murder and attempted murder. He’s accused of shooting eight people in three locations in the Kalamazoo area in February 2016 while he was picking up riders for Uber. Police quoted Dalton …

Dennis Allen will continue to serve as chairman of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners for a second consecutive year. During Wednesday’s commission meeting, Allen was nominated and unanimously approved to fill the seat as head of the five-member board. Commissioners also agreed on Allen Balog to serve as vice-chair. Allen, a Centreville resident who represents Lockport, Nottawa, Florence …

Rick Snyder, in the final days of his role as Michigan governor, signed a supplemental appropriations bill that included $3.4 million in capital-outlay funding for Glen Oaks Community College. The funding requires a 50/50 institution match. Glen Oaks President David Devier said the funds will enable the school to begin planning for what work will be completed as a result …

The Sturgis Area Community Foundation recently completed its 2018 competitive grant program with the issuance of nearly $60,000 returned to the community. Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services received $2,000 to assist with the “Domestic Violence in the Workplace” project. Meanwhile, Sturgis Historical Society and its “Windows to our Past” films project, was given $24,900. The St. Joseph County Intermediate School …

Fourteen people took advantage of the 11th annual New Year’s Eve Free Ride Home program over a six-hour period ending at 4 a.m. Tuesday. Offered by the St. Joseph County Transportation Authority in conjunction with more than a dozen business sponsors, Free Ride Home saw 11 passengers picked up by the Three Rivers-based bus and three passengers boarded the Sturgis-based …