Local News Archives

Enrollment at Southwestern Michigan College is up this year. SMC says it’s managed to buck enrollment trends being seen at many other community colleges in Michigan. It’s one of just seven community colleges in the state with

The voter participation rate among Lake Michigan College students has doubled in the past four years. LMC says a report has found the voting rate among students was 17% for the 2014 midterm elections, and 35% in

Time is running out to apply for Michigan’s Home Heating Credit this year. Michigan Department of Treasury spokesperson Ron Leix tells WSJM News the credit goes to low income or disabled residents to help them cover their

The Berrien County Trial Court’s Family Division has opened a new waiting room just for children. The new kid-friendly waiting area for children attending their own Child Protective Services proceedings is located on the fourth floor of

(Lansing, MI – AP) – A Michigan judge has struck down a new requirement that makes it harder to initiate ballot drives by limiting the number of signatures that can be counted from a single congressional district.

The re-election campaign for Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Detroit is promoting T-shirts with a slogan calling for Donald Trump’s impeachment that include a two-letter acronym for a profanity she used in reference to the president early this

Several fire departments responded to the scene of a hotel fire in New Buffalo Friday night. The fire broke out around 7 p.m at the Harbor Grand Hotel on West Water Street. The New Buffalo Fire Department

Low-income communities of color — like Flint, Michigan or Newark, New Jersey — are much more likely than white, more affluent towns to suffer with polluted water for years, according to a new report. The study, called

A new case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis has been confirmed in Berrien County. The Berrien County Health Department’s Nikki Britten tells WSJM News this brings the total for the county to two. “The confirmation of that case

Come 2021, there will be a new commemorative coin available to support FIRST Robotics programs around the country. That’s thanks to a bill sponsored in the U.S. House by Congressman Fred Upton. He tells WSJM News the

From the Associated Press — Tests confirm two Mexican gray wolf pups at southern Michigan zoo have died of a rare mosquito-borne virus as health officials work to curb the spread of the virus in people and

A flash flood watch is in effect for Berrien and Cass counties from the National Weather Service office in northern Indiana. Forecasters say widespread rainfall totals of 1.5 to 2″ with locally higher amounts in the watch

Berrien County Board of Commissioners chairman Mac Elliott says Special Counsel John Dewane will have the freedom to “follow the arrow wherever it points” in his investigation into allegations Commissioner Terri Sue Freehling failed to fully disclose

Lakeshore Public Schools Board of Education vice president Mike Welch has died. Superintendent Philip Freeman says Welch passed after battling a long illness. In a statement, Freeman says the district “will be forever grateful for the leadership,

State health officials are going to conduct aerial spraying to kill mosquitoes in high risk areas for Eastern Equine Encephalitis this weekend. The spraying will take place in several southwest Michigan counties, covering a total of about

The U.S. Department of Education is out with the list of the 2019 National Blue Ribbon Schools, and New Buffalo Senior High School is among those being honored. It is one of 13 schools in the state

There is a new case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in Berrien County, bringing the total of confirmed human cases to two. A deer has also tested positive for EEE according to the Berrien County Health Department. Carrie

Michigan has a new favorite Halloween candy. The website candystore.com tracks candy purchases by state, and says Starburst has taken over in Michigan for candy corn, which had been at the top for the past several years.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the Cora Lamping Center for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence is telling everyone what they can do to help. Center supervisor Salena Jonjevis tells WSJM News everyone would just

A Marine Corps veteran who is walking all the way around Lake Michigan to raise money for fighting suicides among veterans is now in southwest Michigan. Travis Snyder arrived in St. Joseph Thursday. He started his journey

Berrien County Administrator Bill Wolf is calling for a state investigation into the conduct of local elected officials. Following the Berrien County Board of Commissioners vote Thursday to appoint a special counsel to look into disclosure and

The Berrien County Board of Commissioners has appointed former Judge John Dewane as a special counsel to look into disclosure and conflict of interest issues surrounding commissioners following a recent investigation into Commissioner Teri Freehling. On Wednesday,

Congressman Fred Upton is working with other members of the House to come up with a plan that could lower prescription drug costs. He tells WSJM News House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week issued a plan of

A two-count felony warrant is now active for the suspect in a shooting Monday night in the city of Benton Harbor. Public Safety officials say they’ve as yet been unable to find 23-year-old Uriah Beauford, who is

A long-time southwest Michigan company is changing hands. Paw Paw Wine Distributors is being sold to three buyers after being family-owned since 1943. The first products distributed by the firm were locally made wines from Paw Paw,

A 24-year-old Benton Harbor woman is in stable condition at Spectrum Health Lakeland after being shot at a home in the 800 block of Lavette late Wednesday night around 11:30. Benton Harbor Public Safety detectives say a

Legal marijuana businesses in the 33 states that allow it, including Michigan, are cash-only. That’s because of the federal prohibition on marijuana, which makes it illegal for those establishments to use banks. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel

From the Associated press — The owner of a northern Michigan vape shop is suing to stop Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s ban on flavored electronic cigarettes, contending the emergency rules are illegal and will force him to close

Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency has announced a new partnership with job searching social network LinkedIn to help clients find new employment. Unemployment Insurance Agency Deputy Director Kimberly Berry tells WSJM News Michigan is part of a three-state

Michigan Works is getting ready for the next Manufacturing Day in Berrien and Van Buren counties, and this year, they’re doing it a little bit differently. Michigan Works Sector Relations Coordinator Erin Venno tells WSJM News for