Local News Archives

Berrien County’s 911 Telecommunicator of the Year is Melissa Hensley. During a meeting of the Berrien County Board of Commissioners this week, Hensley received the honor with the 911 Advisory Board’s Jack Fisher saying she helped save

Juris Silenieks of Grand Rapids is Southwestern Michigan’s new cross country coach. SMC made the announcement Friday as it works to get the new Roadrunners cross country team up and running after it was disbanded 25 years

State Senator Kim LaSata and state Representative Brad Paquette are teaming up for a joint office hour. The two lawmakers will be at Wonderland Cinema and Cafe in Niles this coming Tuesday to chat with residents. The

From the Associated Press — Michigan State University is planning to increase in-person classes and open dorms starting in January, but will skip spring break. MSU President Samuel Stanley Jr. said in a letter Thursday to students,

From the Associated Press — Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed into law legal protections for Michigan businesses and other employers that are sued by infected people despite having followed all coronavirus safety protocols. She also codified rules

Benton Harbor will receive a $5.6 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to remove lead water lines. The grant will also support a study to optimize the city’s lead corrosion control treatment to improve public health

COVID-19 didn’t stop the South Haven Rotary from observing a tradition by planting trees at a local park this year. On Wednesday, Rotarians planted two trees in Stanley Johnston Park on the city’s north side. City Manager

COVID-19 cases are on the rise almost everywhere, but the share of new cases in rural Michigan counties is outpacing the new caseload in metro counties. According to an analysis by The Daily Yonder, nearly 70% of

Spectrum Health has made an anti-racism pledge as part of its ongoing effort to eliminate structural racism and promote social equity. The organization announced this month it’s also made Martin Luther King Junior Day a paid holiday

Berrien County Undersheriff Chuck Heit gives high marks to a new law just signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. He briefed the Berrien County Board of Commissioners on Thursday regarding Senate Bill 321. The bill expands the eligibility

The Michigan Department of Transportation has announced a couple of roads will be closed as it gets to work on the completion of US-31 to I-94 in Benton Township. MDOT says there will be total closures of

(Detroit, MI – AP) – A federal appeals court has suspended a decision that would allow groups to offer free or reduced price rides to polling places in Michigan. The court issued a stay to allow the

(Lansing, MI – AP) – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is launching a four-day bus tour across Michigan with Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential campaign before the November 3 election. No passengers will actually be on the bus, due to

Less than two weeks from this year’s election, and a huge number of voters are requesting to vote absentee according to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. “More than three million Michigan citizens have requested their ballot,” said

A donation of $250,000 has been announced for Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates by the Consumers Energy Foundation. Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates is a program run by Youth Solutions. It helps students graduate high school and then seek

The Michigan Harvest Gathering food drive is underway, this year virtually due to COVID. The annual effort kicked off on Tuesday as the Food Bank Council of Michigan announced a goal of 3 million meals and $330,000

Congressman Fred Upton has announced a $3.3 million federal grant to help roll out high-speed broadband in southwest Michigan. He joined U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Wednesday to discuss the grant coming from the ReConnect

Celebration Cinema in Benton Harbor is reopening this weekend. The Grand Rapids-based theater chain says the Benton Harbor location will be open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and add days and hours of operation as staffing is

From the Associated Press — A chiropractor in western Michigan is challenging the state’s mask rule, saying Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s health department has no authority to make masks mandatory. It’s one of the first lawsuits since the

COVID-19 cases continue to rise faster than any other time this year. Governor Whitmer says it can be traced back to three weeks ago when the Michigan Supreme Court tossed out her executive orders. “Since that time,

Some charges that appeared in the city’s monthly bills caught the attention of Benton Harbor City Commissioners during a meeting on Monday. They questioned why the accounts payable listing showed nearly $29,000 in charges related to trash

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission is helping Van Buren and Cass counties draft their next parks plans, and the public is invited to get involved. Senior planner Marcy Hamilton tells WSJM News surveys are now online seeking

With Halloween just about here, St. Joseph Today is challenging downtown businesses to show off the best pumpkin decorations they can. St. Joe Today Operations Manager Daniele Crevier tells WSJM News Pumpkins on Parade will run from

The Benton Harbor City Clerk’s Office is notifying voters of a polling place change for the November 3 election. It says the polling location for Ward One has been moved from the Benton Harbor High School library

Michigan is reporting 1,586 additional cases of COVID-19 for Tuesday. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says there’s been a total of 149,392 cases of the illness in the state since the pandemic started. 22

Unit 1 of the Cook Nuclear Plant is back online following its refueling outage. The unit connected to the transmission grid at 4:13 pm Monday after a 30 day outage. This particular outage was notably shorter than

The Andrews University Wind Symphony is planning a socially distanced concert for this month. Songs of the Sea will be presented on Saturday, October 24 at the Howard Performing Arts Center. The program will be livestreamed so

Everyone is being urged to get a flu vaccine as the winter approaches during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bronson Healthcare says it’s important to get the flu shot every fall, but this year it’s all the more important.

Cases of COVID-19 in Berrien County have been showing a marked increase. Berrien County Health Department Communications Manager Gillian Conrad tells us we’re experiencing rates of cases the county has not seen for the entire pandemic. “We

A suspect has pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the shooting death of a Dowagiac man back in January. The Cass County Prosecutor’s Office says Justin Carlton entered the plea on Monday in the death of