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A graduating senior at Michigan State University has used parking tickets to decorate her green graduation cap in the form of a Spartan block “S.” Kaila Davidson, who graduates Saturday, got 10 parking tickets during her senior year. The tickets are paid off. Davidson says she was going to throw them away, but she “figured, why not do something fun …

High school students in southwestern Michigan have taken top honors statewide for the school’s campaign to stop distracted driving and boost seat belt use. The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning says Thursday that students at Sturgis High School were recognized for their efforts to educate classmates. The “Strive For a Safer Drive” campaign is presented by the safety office …

A man who got a new trial after being convicted in the death of his half brother in southwestern Michigan is awaiting sentencing after being convicted again. The Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph reports a Van Buren County last week convicted 37-year-old Antonio Lewis of second-degree murder in the death of Ivory Shaver. WSJM-AM reports sentencing is scheduled for June 13. …

Members of the St. Joseph County Road Commission have two weeks before they’ll regroup and take a deeper look at the lopsided defeat the agency suffered this week. By a margin of nearly 5-to-1, a request for an additional 2.5 mills over a 10-year period was turned down Tuesday. Agency officials said they hope to get a better understanding of …

Registration for a first-of-its-kind competition in St. Joseph County opened this week. Bill Johnson, manager of the St. Joseph County Grange Fair, said the “River Country Has Talent” competition will involve eight local community celebrations after a kickoff weekend June 3-4 at the Centreville-based fairgrounds. At stake is $1,500 to the winner and $500 each to the two runners-up. Johnson …

St. Joseph County’s longtime medical examiner was recognized by members of the county commission during their meeting this week. A proclamation honoring John Robertson was approved by commissioners Tuesday. Commissioner Rick Shaffer read the proclamation. It commended Robertson for his personal commitment of time and energy required to responsibly perform a public duty, and for the unselfish sacrifices he demonstrated …

U.S. safety regulators are expanding a recall of Takata air bags, already the largest recall in U.S. history. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday that it’s adding up to 40 million air bags to the ongoing recall of 28.8 million air bags made by Japanese supplier Takata Corp. Inflators inside the air bags can explode with too much …

A request for 2.5 additional mills sought by the St. Joseph Road Commission was turned down by a margin of nearly 5-to-1 Tuesday. The unofficial tally shows 4,544 votes against the request and 961 in favor. The request for what would have amounted to about $5.4 million a year for a 10-year period was a fair question to let the …

Mendon Community Schools’ request to renew 18 non-homestead operating mills was endorsed by more than two-thirds of the voters who participated in Tuesday’s election. The unofficial total shows 339 votes in support and 149 opposed. At stake was more than $900,000 in annual funding, a substantial portion of the district’s $5.3 million budget. Board of education president Regina Schinker said …

A 16-year-old Edwardsburg girl was killed in a two-vehicle collision Tuesday morning in Cass County. Sheriff Joe Underwood said deputies were called at 11:40 a.m. to the intersection of Pine Lake Street and Dailey Road in Jefferson Township. Witnesses told investigators a pick-up driven by Jeffrey Jackson, 25, of Niles, disregarded a stop sign as Jackson was traveling east on …