Former Sturgis man dies in Florida

The former owner of a jewelry store in Sturgis was shot and killed at his business in Florida earlier this week.

Investigators from West Palm Beach said John Lauseng (LAW-sing) was ambushed by two men as he arrived at his jewelry store. Police said following a brief scuffle, Lauseng was shot in the back as he attempted to flee the store through an exit at the rear of the store.

He staggered to a nearby gas station, where he collapsed and later died at a local hospital, police said. The suspects remain at large and a motive was not immediately identified.

Lauseng lived in Sturgis until 2001. He operated a jewelry store in the 1200 block of South Nottawa Road.

Child dies in crash

One person was killed, and three were seriously injured, in a single vehicle crash Sunday afternoon on Lutz Road, near Fairchild Road, south of Three Rivers. According to State Police, a 4-year-old boy, identified as Dominic Cannon, died in the crash, when the car left the road and struck a tree. The injured occupants were 28-year-old Gary Cannon, 28-year-old Rikki Cannon, and Jaydon Everett, age 5. All of the victims are from the Three Rivers area. They were taken to Bronson Methodist Hospital for treatment.

Jackson: Formal offer for Bippus

Municipal officials from Jackson are poised to make a formal offer to Joe Bippus to become city manager.

Bippus, who currently serves as Three Rivers city manager, was identified last week as Jackson’s choice for the job. Jackson officials said a contract offer was to be presented to Bippus Thursday after hammering out details of the contract during a work session Wednesday night.

Bippus, 44, currently makes about $90,000 a year. The Jackson position was advertising a salary between $110,000 and $120,000 annually.

Constantine – Riverfront acquisition

The village of Constantine has agreed to pursue a land-acquisition grant in order to secure 3-1/2 acres of riverfront property.

Council members earlier this week agreed to seek from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund 75 percent of the value of the property in question. The land is owned by Water Street resident Aaron Cullifer, and the state grant would pay him three quarters of the $27,000 value of the property.

Village Manager Mark Honeysett said the village must come up with a 25 percent match in order to secure the land, which abuts the east end of Riverview Park and would be developed as an extension of Riverview Park and its existing boardwalk.

Honeysett said the grant would require a survey of the property, closing costs and fees involved with transferring ownership of the property. He noted, however, that the grant application will include those expenses and as a result, would pose little out-of-pocket expenses for the village.

Update – TR hotel property

Three Rivers Mayor Al Balog inquired Tuesday about the status of the former Three Rivers Inn. Balog said he wasn’t sure if the former hotel had passed various inspections since it has reopened recently after being closed a number of years.

Fire Chief Dan Tomlinson told Balog that plumbing, mechanical, electrical and building inspections of the Broadway Street property all yielded positive results. Tomlinson added that the fire-suppression system also is in compliance with local codes.

Tomlinson further noted that an outstanding water bill has been reconciled and the operators of the business have been cooperative in working with city officials. He said it is operating as a hotel, and appears to be drawing tenants who pay for accommodations by the week.

More clean-up money for Essex property

Three Rivers city officials on Tuesday agreed to add $16,000 leftover from last year’s spring pick-up to a pool of $240,000 devoted toward cleaning scrap piles at the abandoned Essex Wire property.

Municipal officials had debated whether to earmark the city’s $16,000 toward a future clean-up effort or use it to enhance the clean-up effort at the Essex site.

Commissioner Daryl Griffith voted against the plan, indicating he would rather see the $16,000 be used toward a city clean-up event.

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