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The director of public safety for the city of Sturgis was honored at a recent city commission meeting for saving lives during a fire. Mayor Robert Hile said Geoff Smith, the first to arrive at the scene, found two adults and a baby on the second floor and no way for them to escape. Using a neighbor’s ladder, Smith rescued …

St. Joseph County road commissioners learned recently that there has been no confirmation about when the widening and reconstruction project on Wait Road in Sherman Township will begin. The start date initially was set for April 1, but was delayed due to the COVID- 19 shutdown, said John Lindsey, managing director of the commission. Furthermore, work on U.S. 131 in …

Sturgis High School officials said in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the school’s band program in 2021, plans are underway to build a Sturgis Music Walk of Fame. The proposed walk is expected to be developed outside the band room doors. The school’s band and orchestra programs are planning a fundraiser that involves the purchase of brick pavers, through …

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday said she was closing indoor seating in bars in parts of the state, including a city with a bar that has been linked to a rising number of infections. Whitmer also signed a bill allowing bars and restaurants to sell to-go cocktails in an effort to help those businesses. Bars won’t have to close …

Indiana will keep capacity limits in place for restaurants, bars and entertainment venues because of worries about a possible increase in coronavirus cases across the state, Gov. Eric Holcomb said Wednesday. The state’s reopening plan had called for those restrictions to be lifted this weekend, but Holcomb said he would keep them in place until at least July 18. The …

The Constantine Village Council voted recently to allow Fawn River Cultivation Company, pending approval of legalities, to add a medical-marijuana provisioning center at its site. Located at 621 Industrial Drive, the company currently has permits for growing and processing. Company president Dominic Iemma said he was applying for an abandoned permit granted previously to another facility but not renewed by …

A policy for the conversion of private roads to public roads was approved last month by the St. Joseph County Road Commission. Managing director John Lindsey said the agency fields questions regularly from people inquiring about converting roads. He explained requirements and specifications guarantee that roads constructed in accordance with them will require a minimum of maintenance costs. In addition, …

Sturgis Area Community Foundation was awarded a $70,000 grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund in support of expanding the fresh-food initiative throughout St. Joseph County. The initiative currently provides fresh produce, dairy products, baked goods and meat at six community locations throughout St. Joseph County. Under normal conditions, each distribution event typically serves up to 150 households per site, …

A St. Joseph County man, who stole a Jeep and led authorities on a pursuit in the city of Hillsdale, has entered into a plea bargain in 1st Judicial Circuit Court in Hillsdale County. Michael Mercer, 23, of Three Rivers, appeared in court last month, facing charges of receiving and concealing stolen property; third-degree fleeing/eluding police; felonious assault; resisting arrest; …

Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency Health Officer Rebecca Burns shared grim news during the agency’s monthly meeting last week. She said St. Joseph County experienced 50 new cases of COVID-19 between June 17 and 24. For comparison, there were 17 in Branch County and six in Hillsdale County over the same time period. On June 24, St. Joseph County reported …