Government

COVID-19 update on county commission agenda

Three items of new business will be discussed by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners today. During their twice-a-month meeting at 5 o’clock, commissioners will consider approving a grant for animal control. Other agenda items center on an Emergency Management/COVID-19 update from Emergency Management Services director Erin Goff and potential approval of a COVID-19 Preparedness and Response plan. The …

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Whitmer: Retail businesses in northern Michigan can reopen

Restaurants, bars and other retail businesses can reopen in much of northern Michigan starting Friday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday — a key step for the tourism-dependent region before the Memorial Day weekend and summer season. Bars and restaurants, which have only been able to do pickup and delivery, will have to limit capacity to 50%. Groups will be required …

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Prosecutor arrested after crash: I had ‘coughing fit’

The St. Joseph County prosecutor, who is accused of drunken driving, told police that he crashed into a fence after a “coughing fit,” according to a 911 call. The incident involving county prosecutor John McDonough occurred Monday in Lockport Township, on the north side of Three Rivers. “Hey, this is John McDonough. I had a coughing fit and went off …

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Whitmer hopes schools can reopen, forms advisory council

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Friday it is her “hope” that K-12 schools can reopen for in-person instruction in the fall and created an advisory council to recommend ways to ensure a safe and equitable return. The governor, who closed schools in March to curb the coronavirus, stopped short of saying schools definitely will be allowed to reopen in late August …

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Michigan projects ‘staggering’ drop in tax revenues

Michigan will confront multibillion-dollar declines in tax revenue and record-high enrollment in government health insurance programs — a double whammy from the coronavirus pandemic that may lead to major cuts in services. Legislative experts and top officials in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration agreed to revised budget estimates Friday after hearing economic forecasts. The steep downward revision from revenue estimates issued just four …

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St. Joseph County prosecutor arrested

St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough was arrested last evening following a one-car crash on Lovers Lane in Lockport Township on the north side of Three Rivers. According to Sheriff Mark Lillywhite, deputies arrived on scene to find a black SUV parked on the north side of the road. There was damage to the vehicle and a property owner’s fence.  …

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Whitmer: Goal is to test 450,000 residents for virus in May

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Monday that she wants 450,000 Michiganders to be tested for the coronavirus this month, an average of nearly 15,000 a day, a critical goal because social-distancing cannot go on indefinitely until a vaccine is developed. Testing is on the rise. Tests first surpassed 10,000 in a day less than two weeks ago and stayed above that …

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Gov. Whitmer delays expiration of driver’s licenses, IDs

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has delayed the expiration of Michigan driver’s licenses and state ID cards until late July amid the lingering coronavirus pandemic. An executive order Whitmer signed Friday extends until July 31 the expiration date of state ID cards, valid driver’s licenses and operator endorsements that expired or were set to expire between Feb. 1 and June 30. A previous order …

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Whitmer restarts manufacturing, extends stay-home to May 28

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Thursday that auto and other manufacturing workers can return to the job next week, further easing her stay-at-home order while extending it through May 28 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Manufacturers — which account for 19% of the state’s economy — can resume operations on Monday, which is key for auto parts makers a week …

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Michigan Legislature sues to block Whitmer’s virus orders

The Republican-led Michigan Legislature sued Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday, asking a judge to declare invalid and unenforceable her stay-at-home order and other measures issued to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit, filed in the state Court of Claims, says a 1945 law that gives the governor broad emergency powers to order such restrictions governs local, not statewide, declarations like …

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