News

A tired Michigan Legislature had to meet all night and into the morning, until it gave approval to a proposal asking voters to increase the state sales tax by a penny to pay for better roads.  Under the package, most of the revenue would come from a one percent increase in the Michigan sales tax. Other revenue would come from …

A 10-year-old boy was fatally injured while driving an all-terrain vehicle on private land in St. Joseph County. The sheriff’s department says the crash happened about 3:20 p.m.  Wednesday in Nottawa Township, about 10 miles north of Sturgis. It says that Dakota Yoder was driving fast when his four-wheel vehicle flipped on top of him in a field. It says emergency …

During their final meeting of 2014 Tuesday, the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners made reappointments to six different panels. Returning for three-year terms to the Animal Control Advisory Board are Suzanne Lee, Laura Barley and Rick Shaffer. John Bippus was approved to continue on as a member of the St. Joseph County Road Commission Board. Bippus, who is currently …

Residents of the Maple Crest Motel in Sturgis were displaced after a fire Tuesday night. Sturgis Fire officials said heavy smoke was coming from the roof of the building when they arrived on the scene around 6:45 p.m. Four units suffered severe damage from the fire, which appears to have started in an attic area. Residents in other units were …

A garage was damaged in a hit-and-run incident reported Monday in White Pigeon Township. State police were called to the 68000 block of Klinger Lake Road to investigate. The property owner said the incident occurred within the past week. The vehicle struck the garage then proceeded south on Klinger Lake Road, according to investigators.

A 29-year-old Cassopolis woman was injured after she was involved in a three-vehicle accident Wednesday morning in Cass County. Sheriff’s department officials said Ryan Rosalee Deckard, failed to slow down as she approached two vehicles that had stopped for a school bus shortly before 7:30 a.m. on M-60 in Newberg Township. Deckard drove into the back of a vehicle driven …

Strong player support pushed sales of Michigan Lottery tickets to a record of nearly $2.6 billion in the 2014 fiscal year, the 10th straight year of $2 billion-plus sales. Lottery officials say sales this year eclipsed by 4.8 percent the previous record of just under $2.48 billion set in 2013. The record sales were due primarily to a 10.5 percent increase in …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners has agreed to provide additional funding to support a proposed trail project designed to run between Three Rivers and Fabius Township. At the request of Lindsay Oswald, a member of the River Country Recreational Authority, the commission committed $23,400. Coupled with $5,000 offered by the city of Three Rivers Tuesday, the proposed trail …

A Michigan State Police trooper was involved in a crash Friday on Youngs Prairie Road near Constantine. While on routine patrol, the trooper attempted to turn around to pursue a vehicle that matched the description of a car involved in armed robberies in Cass County, Lt. James Colman said in a media release. The officer lost control of the vehicle …

The employment of Teresa Doehring as human resources director was formalized Tuesday, when the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners agreed to terms of her contract. The 40-year-old Doehring, a Mendon resident, will be paid $65,000 annually and given four weeks of vacation time. She begins the job Jan. 6. Doehring replaces Elishia Arver, who stepped down from the post …