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A few major issues from 2016 were brought before the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners during their inaugural meeting of 2017 last week. Tuesday’s commission meeting, the first for three of the board’s five members, afforded Jared Hoffmaster and a few other county residents an opportunity to keep some key topics at the forefront. Hoffmaster, a Fabius Township resident, …

A Centreville High School counselor had the opportunity last week to witness what may go in the presidential annals as a historical footnote. Sarah Dickman was a party Friday to what was described as the final official event in which Michelle Obama participated as first lady. The program, which took place at the White House, was the “School Counselor of …

Brampton, Ontario – The Kalamazoo Wings (14-17-0-3) are off to a great start in 2017. Starting with their 5-3 win over the Brampton Beast on New Year’s Eve, the K-Wings find themselves on a three game winning streak with all the wins coming against the Beast. On Friday, the K-Wings jumped out to a three-goal lead in route to a …

Authorities say one person has been killed after a fire broke out in a senior apartment complex. Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officials say the woman was rescued early Saturday from a seventh-floor balcony of the nine-story Crosstown Parkway Senior Community Apartments building. She was taken to a hospital, where she died. Fire officials say the blaze was contained to …

Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation to let Michigan motorists drive faster on at least 1,500 miles of rural highways as long as safety studies say the higher speed limits are OK. The bill enacted Thursday authorizes a 75 mph speed limit on 600 miles of freeways and a 65 mph limit on 900 miles of other roads. The limits …

It’s likely to be harder to sue local governments in Michigan over a fall on a defective sidewalk. Gov. Rick Snyder this week signed a law that gives local governments some extra protection: the so-called open-and-obvious defense that’s long been available to private businesses. Under the defense, a local government can argue that a defect in a sidewalk or other …

Members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners this week approved three grants. The first accepted Tuesday was an $80,000 federal allocation through the Bryne Justice Assistance Program, administered by Michigan State Police. The funds will cover operations, including salary, related to 45th Circuit Court’s DWI/Drug Court program. Next, commissioners approved a $10,000 federal grant bestowed through the Michigan …

Colon municipal officials have started the process of hiring a village manager. Village president Diane Downs said a 90-day period has passed during which village residents had the opportunity to express comments relevant to the issue. Now, the position is being advertised through various channels, including the Michigan Municipal League. Downs said the village has allocated between $45,000 and $60,000 …

St. Joseph County’s two hospitals have welcomed their 2017 New Year’s babies. Three Rivers Health recorded its first birth of the year Tuesday morning. Parents Joshua Jones and Alysha Newman, a Constantine native, welcomed daughter Taylor Jones. She arrived two weeks before her due date. Meanwhile, Sturgis Hospital saw its first birth of 2017 just a few hours earlier, at …

Happy New Year! My name is Whiskers and I am a big, beautiful orange and white male cat. I am about 2 years old and have a very pink nose. I am friendly but do like to be the Big Guy in the house so would probably do best in a home of my own. Please come in to see …