Government

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law a $106 million plan Tuesday that will provide relief to businesses and fund efforts to fight the economic impact of the coronavirus. Though the plan was a collaborative effort between the governor and the legislature, Whitmer told reporters that the legislature strayed from the original agreement and that the $465 million plan the legislature …

A Sturgis woman faces numerous charges after she managed to escape from handcuffs and drive a patrol car from the scene of an accident. Sheriff Mark Lillywhite said authorities responded to a property-damage accident shortly after 3 a.m. Monday on Lutz Road near Hoshel Road. The 25-year-old driver was subsequently arrested for operating while intoxicated. While deputies searched the vehicle …

State police arrested a Branch County man after he held two people against their will earlier this week. Troopers were called around 9 p.m. Sunday to a residence on Stoney Point Drive in Gilead Township. Investigators found a woman and her boyfriend went to her ex-boyfriend’s residence to retrieve personal belongings. Authorities said while the woman and her new boyfriend …

Four exceptions were made to the county’s hiring freeze Dec. 15. St. Joseph County commissioners granted permission for District Court to fill two deputy clerk positions, Juvenile Court to fill its director/referee position and treasurer’s office to hire a deputy treasurer. In a separate matter, the board heard from emergency services director Erin Goff regarding an update on the 2020 …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration on Friday lifted a prohibition on in-person instruction at Michigan high schools and said movie theaters and other entertainment venues can reopen with capacity restrictions following a decline in coronavirus cases. Universities and colleges can let students return to campus next month, with a voluntary commitment to wait until Jan. 18 to restart face-to-face classes. Indoor …

St. Joseph County officials said goodbye to the dean of the five-member county commission board Tuesday. Allen Balog is wrapping up his 10th year on the panel. That follows a four-year tenure as mayor of the Three Rivers City Commission. A resolution recognizing Balog and his contributions to the county board was approved by commissioners. Balog, a 64-year-old Three Rivers …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration reported progress Tuesday in the fight against the coronavirus, saying new cases continue to decline and Michigan has seen no spike related to Thanksgiving travel. Officials warned, though, that the case rate remains high. Whitmer, a Democrat, said “hope is on the horizon” now that a vaccine is being distributed. She again urged the Republican-led Legislature …

Michigan expects to receive about 257,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines initially if the federal government authorizes them for emergency use this month, enough to immunize roughly 128,000 residents, a top doctor said Thursday. The priority remains frontline health care workers and people living and working in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief …

Michigan drivers could renew their licenses more frequently online or by mail instead of having to go to a secretary of state branch office under bipartisan legislation that received unanimous Senate approval on Thursday. Residents now can renew their driver’s license or state ID card by mail or the internet once, for a four-year term, but must go in person …

A person with a disabled vehicle who stepped into U.S. 131 was killed Thursday in western Michigan, causing traffic backups that led to more crashes that killed two more people, police said. The crashes occurred on northbound lanes in Allegan County, between Martin and Bradley, roughly 30 miles south of Grand Rapids. The first incident occurred shortly before noon. “A …