Local News Archives

There will not be any public art on the sidewalks in the city of St. Joseph next year. The program is being paused for a year, partly due to the retirement of communications director Susan Solon, and

Anyone interested in learning more about police work will soon have a chance to take part in a Michigan State Police Citizens Academy. Trooper Alan Fitzpatrick of the Paw Paw post tells WSJM News the next academy

Antwan “Tank” Mims is back in southwest Michigan after spending some time on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list this summer for a double murder at a party on March 25. He is expected to be

From the Associated Press — A medical marijuana business plans to build a headquarters for its state operations in southern Michigan. The Battle Creek Enquirer reports Michigan Pure Med plans to break ground this fall on a growing

School districts around Berrien County have seen their revenues jump dramatically since the closure of a property tax loophole last year. Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski tells WSJM News legislation from state Representatives Dave Pagel and Kim

Congressman Fred Upton has announced a couple of grants for Berrien and Van Buren counties. His office tells us the first USDA Rural Development grant in Berrien is $95,000 for the village of Baroda. It will be

Cornerstone Alliance is looking at all options to help Benton Township replace the Target store in the Fairplain Plaza, which closed earlier this year. To that end, they’ve hired an organization called The Retail Coach to study

Michigan’s OK2Say student safety tip line continues to receive a large number of calls and texts, even though it’s the summer. The Michigan Attorney General’s office tells us OK2Say received 510 tips in July. The most common

Applications are now being accepted by the Cass County Treasurer Appointment Committee for that post. It became open with the death of Treasurer Linda Pruett in late July. Probate Judge Susan Dobrich, County Clerk Monica McMichael and

Applications to open a medical marijuana business in Benton Harbor will become available on September 1. That’s following a meeting this past week of the city commission. The commission previously had set the application date about a

An ongoing study on the future development of the riverfront in St. Joseph and Benton Harbor will result in some workshops to seek public input next month. At this week’s Benton Harbor City Commission meeting, commissioners heard

Cornerstone Alliance is making an aggressive push to bring more retailers to Benton Township. Cornerstone President Rob Cleveland tells WSJM News the group has hired The Retail Coach, a national retail recruitment and development firm, hoping to

The Michigan State Police post in Niles and the Niles Police Department are the first law enforcement agencies in Berrien County to be picked for a statewide program to help identify vulnerable adults or impaired children. MSP

A new 14 by 12 foot mural has been painted on the outside brick wall of the St. Joseph Welcome Center downtown. St. Joseph Today’s Amy Zapal tells WSJM News the organization hired Houston-based artist Anat Ronen

With the failure this week of a road millage in Van Buren County, it’s back to the drawing board for the road commission. The body had asked voters for an additional three mills for 12 years to

The Michigan Department of Transportation has updated its Drive website to be more user friendly. Spokesperson Nick Schirripa tells WSJM News MDOT recently discontinued the MI Drive phone app, and redesigned the website to work better with

A couple of new principals have been hired at Niles Community Schools. Superintendent Dan Applegate tells us the district has hired Jeron Blood as the new Ballard Elementary principal and Jennifer Shabazz as the principal of Northside

A medical marijuana producer out of Colorado could soon own the vacant Alreco Industrial property in Benton Harbor. Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski tells us NoBo Partners recently came to the Berrien County Land Bank with an

The local response to the PFAS contamination in Parchment and Cooper Township in Kalamazoo County is getting high marks from Congressman Fred Upton. He tells WSJM News when the harmful chemical was detected at high levels in

A new report looks at the effects immigrant entrepreneurs have on Michigan’s economy. The Michigan League for Public Policy report says immigrants account for 12% of business owners in the state, and 20% of Main Street business

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission is hoping to attract public interest in its efforts to improve the Ox Creek Watershed. It tells us a new website has been launched specifically for the Ox Creek Watershed Improvement Plan,

Michigan’s Longest Garage Sale is underway this weekend. Taking place through Sunday, the US-12 Heritage Trail Garage Sale is a series of sales taking place all the way from New Buffalo to Detroit. The Southwest Michigan Planning

The number of concussions suffered by high school athletes in Michigan continues to fall. In its third annual report, the Michigan High School Athletic Association says concussions were down 10% in the most recent school year compared

The Michigan Department of Treasury is warning all students to watch out for loan and scholarship scams. Acting Deputy State Treasurer Anne Wohlfert tells WSJM News this is the time of year when many college-bound students are

Set for this Sunday is the 16th annual Maytag IronMan 70.3 Steelhead, an endurance triathlon that starts at Jean Klock Park in Benton Harbor. Race Director Mike Ryan tells WSJM News about 2,000 people will take part

The Berrien County Land Bank is hoping to close a deal soon with a buyer for the vacant Alreco industrial property in Benton Harbor. Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski tells WSJM News the land bank has received

A move is in the works for Berrien County Cancer Service. Organization CEO Nancy Church tells WSJM News they’re relocating from their building on Red Arrow Highway near Stevensville to the second floor of the Marie Yeager

From the Associated Press– A January trial date has been set in the case of an Uber driver charged with killing six people in Michigan after a prosecutor said he won’t appeal a decision that keeps a

The University of Michigan marching band will perform at Lakeshore High School next month. The Lakeshore Excellence Foundation tells us Lakeshore High School will host the U of M band on September 1, before the university band

The Berrien County Youth Fair gets underway Monday in Berrien Springs. This year’s theme is “Passport to Adventure,” and the first day of the fair features several animal judging events including horses, goats, cats, and rabbits. The