Local News Archives

The victims in a deadly motel fire on Saturday have been honored with a vigil. Mourners gathered on Wednesday night at the Cosmo Extended Stay Motel on M-139 in Sodus Township where a fire killed 26-year-old Kiarre

You may be glad that the Coloma Glad-Peach Festival is here. The 51st annual event starts Thursday in downtown Coloma with the opening of the carnival. Festival Secretary Maureen Saltzman tells WSJM News things really get going

Congressman Fred Upton is hoping to hold hearings on the PFAS contamination found in the water system serving Parchment and Cooper Township in Kalamazoo County. He tells WSJM News making sure such a problem doesn’t happen again

Andrews University will hold its summer graduation ceremonies this weekend. Graduation coordinator Dalary Payne tells WSJM News there will be 305 students receiving degrees. It’s a diverse bunch. “There are 49 countries represented by the graduates this

With FBI fugitive Antwan “Tank” Mims now in custody, police have a whole lot of work still to do. Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety Director Dan McGinnis tells WSJM News catching Mims for two murders in

Next Tuesday is the National Night Out and the first ever held in Allegan County. You’re invited to Saugatuck’s Coghlin Park Tuesday, August 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. for food and drink, giveaways, and demonstrations of

We will get to vote on a constitutional change regarding how congressional and state legislative districts are drawn. The Michigan Supreme Court issued a ruling around 10:30 Tuesday night dismissing a lawsuit challenging the ballot proposal from

Caught. The FBI says Antwan “Tank” Mims of Benton Harbor is in custody after being added to the bureau’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list earlier this summer for two murders on March 25. Mims was arrested just

Buchanan’s summer Thrill on the Hill is this weekend. The fun actually starts Thursday at 4 p.m. with a giant Slip and Slide set up on the big hill downtown. You can pay $5 to ride an

Election workers in Berrien County have been busy this last dew weeks preparing for next Tuesday’s primaries. Berrien County Clerk Sharon Tyler tells WSJM News voters should know there are some new machines in place. “The difference

A new effort is being launched by a bi-partisan group in Congress to get some procedural rules changed so more can get done. Spearheaded by the Problem Solvers group, Congressman Fred Upton tells WSJM News the “Break

The Red Cross of Southwest Michigan continues to provide a shelter in St. Joseph for residents displaced by a Saturday motel fire. The Cosmo Extended Stay Motel on M-139 in Sodus Township was evacuated due to the

From the Associated Press — A Michigan appeals court has ruled certain statements made to police by an Uber driver charged with killing six people and wounding two others in southwestern Michigan cannot be used at trial. The

From the Associated Press — Tests of a groundwater well in southwestern Michigan show chemical contamination levels far above federal guidelines. MLive reports Tuesday that levels of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid of more than 900 parts per trillion and perfluorooctanoic

Next Tuesday will bring the 35th annual Police National Night Out as local police departments look to mingle with the public and establish good relations. St. Joseph Township Police Officer Rick Knapp tells WSJM News there will

This year’s summer auction of property tax-foreclosed properties by Berrien County is one of the most successful ever in terms of selling parcels of land that had homes or vacant businesses. Treasurer Bret Witkowski says they had

With the state of emergency declared this past weekend in Kalamazoo County for PFAS in the drinking water in the city of Parchment and Cooper Township along with the discovery of the chemicals in northern Kent County,

Banking will get a little more convenient for Honor Credit Union members in Buchanan next year, as currently their closest branches are in Niles and Berrien Springs. The financial institution is announcing plans to open a branch

Gun violence prevention groups have signed onto a letter demanding Secretary of State Mike Pompeo block online publication — set for this Wednesday — of instructions on how to make a plastic gun with a 3D printer.

State Senator Tonya Schuitmaker has endorsed Aric Nesbitt in the race for Michigan Senate in the 26th District. Schuitmaker currently occupies that post and is being term-limited out of office. She tells WSJM News Nesbitt, a former

Countryside Academy is mourning the loss of three of its students following Saturday’s deadly fire at a motel in Sodus Township. Six people — 26-year-old Kiarre Curtis and five of her children — were killed in the

Bond has been denied for the suspect in a Dowagiac shooting on Sunday. The Cass County Prosecutor’s office tells us 24-year-old Rolandis Russell shot and killed 42-year-old Fabian Wesaw following a fight at the Beeson Street Bar

Police in Bridgman are asking for the public’s help as they investigate a dog bite on Sunday. The Bridgman Police Department says on its Facebook page the attack happened around 6:20 p.m. on Lake Street near Toth

Housing permits for single family home construction have increased nearly 4% in Michigan during the first half of this year, but production is not meeting the demand. Bob Filka is the CEO of the Home Builders Association

Michigan’s new water crisis is coming from a chemical used in manufacturing, fire suppression foam and other uses. PFAS has turned up in wells north of Grand Rapids, near Kellogg Airport in Battle Creek, and has now

As wildfires continue to burn across multiple states out west, some assistance is being provided by Michigan. It comes in the form of a firetruck, which is stationed at the Carr Fire in northern California. Dan Laux,

Residents of the city of Parchment and Cooper Township in Kalamazoo County are not being allowed to drink or use the tap water due to the discovery of PFAS contamination in Parchment’s water. Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley

State Representative Kim LaSata has received the endorsement of the man she is running to replace in the Michigan Senate’s 21st District. State Senator John Proos tells WSJM News he’s backing LaSata because he believes her priorities

WSJM News has learned that Cass County Treasurer Linda Pruett has died. Pruett passed away Sunday evening. She had been in office since 2002. No details surrounding her passing have yet been released by Cass County officials,

The Southwest Michigan Association of Realtors has chipped in to help spruce up downtown Watervliet. It’s given the city a $3,500 Placemaking Grant to purchase a two-faced Victorian-style exterior post clock for the area. The clock will