News

The windows on certain Michigan State Police cars automatically roll down in high temperatures, one of the key changes after two dogs died of heat stroke in Livingston County in 2013, the department said. Michigan State Police publicly confirmed the deaths this week — more than two years later — in response to a WDIV-TV report about a lawsuit related …

St. Joseph County’s animal control director position is being overseen by the sheriff’s department while a search for a successor to Tom Miller continues. Two matters related to animal control took place during Tuesday’s county commission meeting. First, commissioners endorsed a request to fill the position of animal control officer/facility supervisor. Later, it was announced that longtime employee Brooke Bingaman …

State Rep. Aaron Miller this week voted in favor of a $1.2 billion legislative package to fix Michigan’s transportation system, including a bill he introduced that increases the use of competitive bidding for local road and bridge projects. Miller said House Bill 4610 expands the use of competitive bidding to keep the costs of road and bridge repair more affordable …

An Elkhart-based company was selected Tuesday to lead a sewer infrastructure project at a county park in Fawn River Township. Commissioners accepted the lowest of three bids, which was submitted by C&E Excavating for almost $104,000. County administrator Pat Yoder said he will have a meeting next week with company officials to go over the full scope of the project. …

Police are releasing no new information about two murders that occurred late this summer in St. Joseph County, but officials continue to investigate the two separate homicides. St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough this week said police are awaiting results from the Michigan State Police crime lab regarding evidence collected at both scenes. About 4 a.m. Aug. 31, the body …

Colon Elementary School will be the location of a benefit magic show Saturday. Five acts over the course of an hour will take part in the fourth annual “Sharing the Magic” event, which will help address a critical need at the Colon Food Pantry. Event organizer Rick Fisher said admission to the show is a box or can of a …

Twenty-three people were recognized Tuesday by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners for their milestone anniversaries as county employees. Leading the group was former clerk Pattie Bender, acknowledged for 45 years of employment before she retired June 30. Next was deputy county clerk Sandy Bowen for 40 years, followed by victim services coordinator Linda Baker for three decades of …

State officials are urging Michigan’s poultry owners to watch for signs of bird flu during the fall migration season. Migrating birds carry diseases that could spread to poultry operations if the wild birds mingle with domestic ones. Poultry across much of the nation was hit with a bird flu virus this past spring, one of the biggest animal health disasters …

A funeral will be held this weekend for an airman from western Michigan who was one of two U.S. military personnel killed last week in a helicopter crash in Kabul, Afghanistan. Services for 38-year-old Master Sgt. Gregory Kuhse of Kalamazoo are set to take place Saturday at Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes. The visitation begins at 11 a.m. and the …

A man stabbed and slashed two emergency medical technicians who were helping an injured woman along a Detroit street early Tuesday, seriously wounding their faces and hands before fleeing the scene, authorities said. Police were still searching for the assailant hours after the attack, which happened around 12:30 a.m. EMTs Kelly Adams and Alfredo Rojas responded to a 911 call …