Government

Fire damaged or destroyed at least five homes in Kalamazoo, including one where an 84-year-old woman had lived for more than four decades, authorities said Wednesday. The woman was not injured, the Department of Public Safety said. The other properties were vacant. The fires were reported around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. Kalamazoo, which was under a 7 p.m. curfew, has been …

A 21-year-old Dowagiac man died in a single-vehicle accident last weekend in Cass County’s Volinia Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called at 6:18 a.m. Saturday to Church Street, east of Lawrence Road. Authorities said Michael Mortimore was a passenger in a pickup driven by Austin Price, 21, also of Dowagiac. The vehicle was heading east on Church Street …

Police officers in Kalamazoo were outnumbered 50-to-1 before using tear gas and chemical spray in the wee hours Tuesday to get rid of protesters and stop damage at downtown businesses, authorities said. “It was not our community’s finest hour,” said Karianne Thomas, chief of public safety. She said peaceful protests Monday over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis turned …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lifted Michigan’s nearly 10-week coronavirus stay-at-home order Monday, letting restaurants reopen to dine-in customers next week and immediately easing limits on outdoor gatherings while keeping social-distancing rules intact. The governor moved regions comprising 93% of the state’s population to phase 4 — “improving” — two weeks after she announced that northern Michigan could advance to that stage. …

The identities of a victim and suspect involved in a May 21 incident in Three Rivers have been released by Three Rivers Police. Det. Sam Smallcombe said 59-year-old James May of Three Rivers died during the incident. The suspect was 21-year-old Mohammad Abuhaltam, also a Three Rivers resident. Police were called at 9:43 a.m. to the 300 block of Middle …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer hinted Friday that she will soon reopen more regions of Michigan, expressing optimism as long as the rate of new coronavirus cases continues downward and testing increases. She did not specify when she may act, alluding to an announcement on additional areas in “coming days.” Her administration will discuss the issue internally Saturday. The governor’s stay-at-home order …

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s husband urged a business to get his boat in the water in time for Memorial Day weekend, according to social media posts, while she was publicly telling cooped-up residents to resist flocking to popular vacation areas during the coronavirus pandemic. Personal Facebook posts from NorthShore Dock owner Tad Dowker are no longer available. But The Detroit …

Sheriff’s deputies were called last week to investigate separate incidents of destruction of property. Deputies responded Tuesday to the 58000 block of U.S. 131 in Fabius Township, where forced entry into a barn was attempted. The building sustained minor damage. The second incident was an unrelated property-damage complaint in the 300 block of South Second Street in the village of …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday extended Michigan’s stay-at-home order by slightly more than two additional weeks, through June 12, while keeping theaters, gyms and other places of public accommodation closed until at least then. A day after a judge ruled in her favor in a lawsuit filed by the Republican-led Legislature, the Democratic governor also extended her coronavirus emergency declaration through June 19. Both …

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer prevailed Thursday in a high-stakes challenge by Republican lawmakers who sued over her authority to declare emergencies and order sweeping restrictions during the coronavirus outbreak. A 1945 law cited by Whitmer, a Democrat, is not limited to regional emergencies and can have no end date, said Judge Cynthia Stephens of the Court of Claims. The opinion …