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St. Joseph County commissioners agreed Tuesday to renew for 2017 the board’s contract for services with MSU Extension. Commissioners approved terms of the contract, though, with the exception of language and action related to the extension’s educator position. At the request of Commissioner John Dobberteen, the $39,300 allocation for educator was pulled and the rest of the agreement was subsequently …

The St. Joseph County Board of Canvassers has completed its election-related duties, and tallies from last week’s general election are now official. In Constantine, six village trustee seats went to three candidates and three write-ins. The elected seats went to Willy Harder, Cathy Piper and Richard Larrance. Joining the board through write-in votes are Rita Ganus, Kenda Cartagena and Anthony …

St. Joseph County’s government website will soon have a new, fresher look, but some aspects of the update were questioned by a county resident Tuesday. Prior to commissioners approving a $34,200 expense for Sturgis-based eStudio Design Content Marketing to handle the upgrade, Nottawa Township resident Tammy Rigby expressed her concerns about the matter. Rigby’s concerns centered on the cost to …

Deputies from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department were called to a Sturgis Township residence early Tuesday in response to a home invasion in progress. The incident took place at 2:40 a.m. Tuesday in the 29000 block of U.S. 12. The caller reported that two males fled from the house, eastbound into a wooded area. They were apprehended without incident, …

St. Joseph County’s lone remaining representative in the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s volleyball tournament lost Tuesday. The Mendon Hornets were in the Class D “Elite Eight” for the fifth consecutive year and went up against Plymouth Christian at Climax-Scotts High School. Mendon, however, fell in four sets, keeping it from advancing to the “Final Four” at Kellogg Arena in …

State Police investigators recovered a variety of stolen items last week in Branch County. According to a department media release, troopers were following up on the theft of a 2006 Jeep Commander taken Wednesday from the city of Bronson. The following day, troopers recovered the Jeep, along with a stolen Basstracker fiberglass boat and boat trailer, near Orland and Whipple …

CINCINNATI, OH – The alarm clock went off early for the Kalamazoo Wings (6-6-0-1) on Tuesday as they tangled with the Cincinnati Cyclones for a 10:30 am start at the US Bank Arena. The Cyclones defeated the K-Wings 3-0 last Friday at Wings Event Center. A busy first period saw both teams put 10 shots on the board but ended …

Authorities say that about 200 pigs got loose after a truck heading to Indiana was involved in a crash on a foggy southwestern Michigan roadway. Bob Dykhuis tells The Holland Sentinel that the tractor-trailer owned by Dykhuis Farms Inc. was carrying about 2,000 young pigs when it crashed  Tuesday morning in Allegan County’s Manlius Township. There were no immediate reports …

The Michigan State Police plan to change how troopers record the race of drivers during traffic stops following a complaint from the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan. MLive.com reports that the agency is making the change so officers’ electronic daily records no longer default to “unknown” for the driver’s race, attempting to get more accurate data. The ACLU had …

Thanksgiving is a week from Thursday, yet the stores are already getting ready for Christmas. It would be nice if we could appreciate these special days at a slower pace. It’s unfortunate that, when we think of Thanksgiving, we think more about Black Friday than about the day when we should be reflecting on things for which we are thankful. …