Politics

St. Joseph County’s Parks and Recreation Department is pursuing a grant that would offset the purchase cost of a 135-acre piece of land in Burr Oak Township. Parks and Recreation Department Director John Pence said the property is on the north side of Lafayette Road, between Big Hill and Plumb School roads. Members of the county’s board of commissioners Tuesday …

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners and human resources director Elishia Arver have reached an employment agreement that will see the 5 1/2-year employee remain in her current position. The deal was made official during Tuesday’s board of commissioners meeting. Arver had turned in her letter of resignation earlier this month to county administrator Pat Yoder. Arver said she …

There’s some good news for county government and municipalities facing road-budget shortfalls in St. Joseph and Cass counties, as the Michigan Legislature has approved $215 million in supplemental road funding. State Rep. Matt Lori said $100 million of the emergency funds will go to county and municipal governments to deal with deficits as a result of the inordinate amount of …

The city of Sturgis has reached an agreement to purchase the Wood Motel and its property. Located near the high-profile intersection of Chicago and Centerville roads, the parcel is being acquired in part through a community development block grant, according to city manager Mike Hughes. The city plans to demolish the single-level motel and, according to terms of the grant, …

St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners was asked to consider allocating funds to help townships repair crumbling roads. Del Martin, a Fabius Township resident, urged the five-member panel last week to dedicate money from its delinquent-tax fund and spread the wealth to all 16 townships in the county. Martin said a modest amount of even $50,000 to each township would …

The five candidates seeking to replace Matt Lori as 59th District state representative gathered during a forum at the St. Joseph County Bar Association earlier this week. John Bippus, Aaron Miller, Mike Mroz, Roger Rathburn and Bob Still were guests of the bar association and afforded the opportunity to discuss their candidacies. ‘ The primary election is not until August, …

Legislation that could make it easier for telephone companies to end landline service has been approved by the Michigan House of Representatives. The bill removes the role of the Michigan Public Service Commission in any effort by a phone company in abandoning a local exchange. Instead, the bill leaves the regulatory role up to the Federal Communications Commission. The Senate-approved …

A number of local and statewide issues will be discussed Tuesday during a “Community Conversation” in Sturgis. The 90-minute program starts at 11:30 a.m. at Sturges-Young Auditorium and is hosted by the Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with The Center for Michigan. Organizers said the event looks to offer a forum for community members to discuss pressing issues …

State Rep. Matt Lori has commended the Michigan House of Representatives for approving a package of bills to remove the word “retarded” and various iterations from Michigan state law. The eight-bill package, including Lori’s House Bill 5345, puts Michigan in line with all but six other states that have removed the word from their law books. Lori, who serves on …

State Sen. Bruce Caswell announced he will not seek re-election later this year. The 64-year-old Caswell said his tenure will end Dec. 31. He took over the position from Cameron Brown starting in January 2011. Caswell, a retired superintendent of Pittsford Area Schools, had turned in his petition to run again. However, Caswell said he will withdraw his petition and …