Government

Officials from the Michigan Department of Transportation have issued an update on progress of the U.S. 131 Constantine bypass project. MDOT’s Nick Schirripa said the $18 million undertaking remains within budget and on target for completion in late November. Work on the 4.9-mile bypass started in February. Schirripa said crews are currently setting bridge beams and building piers for the …

The Sturgis Police Department is reporting the theft of playground equipment from Langrick Park. According to a department media release, the animal-shaped attraction is for small children and is supported by a metal spring. The toy and its spring base were taken from the park, police said.

A number of items were stolen last week from a residence in Sherman Township. Michigan State Police investigators said the break-in occurred between 6 and 11 a.m. July 3 in the 22000 block of Featherstone Road. A department media release did not indicate the manner in which access was gained.

Motorists are advised to be on the lookout for Adopt-A-Highway volunteers who will begin the second of three sessions picking up litter along state highways beginning this weekend. Participants in the Michigan Department of Transportation Adopt-A-Highway program will be clearing highway roadsides any day between Saturday and the end of next week. In 2012, Adopt-A-Highway volunteer groups reported collecting about …

The St Joseph County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the theft of two trailers from an outside storage lot in the 24000 block of Findley Road in Nottawa Township. It was reported that the gate to the lot was observed open Friday last week and the lock had been removed from the gate. Two days later, it was noticed that the …

The Michigan Department of Transportation has issued a press release, noting East Main Street lane closures in the village of Centreville. The agency said lane closures for resurfacing will be in place through late August on eastbound and westbound M-86 in Centreville, from Nottawa Street to Shimmel Road. The closure is expected to be in place through the end of …

St. Joseph County Sheriff Brad Balk is advising citizens that the public access at Prairie Lake in Sherman Township is open and the no-wake restriction has been lifted. According to a department press release, the lake’s water level has rescinded and, as a result, reduced the likelihood of damage to property. The restrictions had been in place since Tuesday last …

Here’s a reminder that a golf outing to benefit fundraiser for a Three Rivers police officer takes place Wednesday. Staged in honor of T.J. Baker, a past “Investigator of the Year” recipient by county prosecutor John McDonough, the event will take place at Island Hills Golf Club in Centreville. Though rosters are full for the event, organizers are asking the …

The Constantine Fire Department has four newly certified firefighters. Three firefighters, John Hofmeister, Blake Piper and Chris Huddleston, completed the 2013 St Joseph County Fire Academy in June and were presented last week with Firefighter I and II certificates from the Michigan Firefighters Training Council. Also completing a Firefighter II course at Edwardsburg Fire Department and receiving his Firefighter II …

Authorities in rural western Michigan say an arson fire has destroyed a historic covered wooden bridge that has spanned the Flat River since the 19th century. The Ionia County sheriff’s department says the fire was reported about 5:10 a.m. Sunday on Whites Bridge It was built in 1869 in Keene Township, about 15 miles east of Grand Rapids. There’s no …