Local News Archives

A man is hospitalized after falling on the ice under the Bi-Centennial Bridge on Main Street overnight between St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. The U.S. Coast Guard had to go into the water in cold water ice

Michigan is one of the top states in the country for craft breweries, and brewers are meeting in Kalamazoo this week for the Michigan Brewers Guild Annual Conference. Guild Executive Director Scott Graham spoke with Michigan News

From the Associated Press — Officials plan to divide $25,000 into small grants to support local river, stream and creek cleanups in Michigan. The state Department of Environmental Quality and Great Lakes Commission are offering the grants to

Applications for the Heart of Cook grants are now available. The Berrien Community Foundation tells us Heart of Cook is a program funded by Indiana Michigan Power’s Cook nuclear plant to help non-profit programs in southwest Michigan

Don’t drive a snowmobile on ice. That’s the advice of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Law Enforcement Division Lieutenant Tom Wanless spoke with WSJM News about snowmobile safety. “There’s never really a great time to operate

A replacement for the federal DACA program could be coming by the end of the month. That’s according to Congressman Fred Upton, who tells WSJM News a meeting this week on immigration reform with President Trump was

Drivers on I-94 and I-196 are having an easier time seeing Michigan Department of Transportation plows this winter. In addition to the flashing yellow lights, flashing green lights have been added to the trucks. MDOT’s Jeff Cranson

Lake Michigan College is planning a week filled with activities to mark Martin Luther King Day starting next Monday. LMC Diversity Consultant Danny Sledge tells WSJM News it is important for an institution of learning like LMC

St. Joseph City Commissioners are considering ways they can get the public more involved in local committees and boards. At this week’s meeting, Commissioner Peggy Getty said she would like to see different city boards receive attention

Federal tax reform has eliminated the personal exemption at the state level, and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley have developed a proposal to restore the exemption. Calley spoke with Michigan News Network about

The Michigan Department of Transportation and Michigan State Police are teaming up to reduce the number of people who drive onto the wrong ramp and cause high speed head-on crashes that usually result in fatalities. MDOT Traffic

A new poll shows fixing Michigan’s roads and other infrastructure is the top problem facing the state. EPIC-MRA President Bernie Porn told Michigan News Network the poll shows an alarming number of Michiganders are worried about fresh

January is School Board Recognition Month, and Berrien RESA Superintendent Kevin Ivers is calling on everyone to salute their school board. Ivers tells WSJM News school board members put in countless hours of work attending meetings and

Brace yourself for the coming of some new potholes. Van Buren County Road Commission Engineer Manager Larry Hummel tells WSJM News when the snow melts, his crews can always expect to find new things to be patched.

The Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education starts off a new year with a new president. Marletta Seats was picked for the post at the board’s re-organizational meeting Tuesday. Seats told WSJM News the new board

The Van Buren County Trial Court is set to graduate eight enrollees from the Swift and Sure Sanctions Probation Program this Thursday. Van Buren County Specialty Courts Administrator Rachel Lindley tells WSJM News Swift and Sure is

The St. Joseph Department of Public Works has been able to save thousands of dollars in recent years thanks to work done to increase energy efficiency. Public Works Director Tom MacDonald told city commissioners this week the

Martin Luther King Day is this coming Monday, and the United Way of Southwest Michigan is encouraging everyone to do some community service for the occasion. The United Way’s Julee Laurent tells WSJM News the organization has

The explosion in flu cases reported in some parts of the United States this winter hasn’t quite come to Michigan, although flue cases have been up. Berrien County Health Department spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News there

Heading into the new year, the west Michigan economy is on solid footing. That’s according to a new report out of Grand Valley State University. Economist Dr. Brian Long told Michigan News Network this week many areas

Police have identified the victim of a weekend murder in Benton Harbor. Public Safety Chief Dan McGimnnis tells WSJM News 38-year-old Novena P. Mathis of Benton Harbor was found dead in her car on at Hayward Wells

U.S. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan is making self driving cars a priority this year. His bill to advance the development and deployment of self driving vehicles was approved by the Commerce Committee in October and he’s

A 40-year-old Edwardsburg woman is dead after crashing her vehicle into a tree in Jefferson Township in Cass County. The sheriff’s department tells WSJM News Jennifer Johnson was killed just before 7 last night in the crash

From the Associated Press — A federal judge says some Michigan lawmakers must sit for interviews about a law that bans straight-party voting. The questions will be limited to what they might have said about their motives to

From the Associated Press — Governor Rick Snyder’s administration is proposing legislation so taxpayers can continue claiming Michigan’s personal exemption in the wake of the federal tax overhaul, and also is calling for a large state exemption

Michigan rang in 2018 with a 35 cent hike to the minimum wage, but some say that doesn’t go far enough and want voters to have the final word. This week marked the last of three scheduled

The Red Cross is hoping more people will step forward to make a blood donation after recent severe weather caused a major drop. Spokesperson Todd Kulman tells WSJM News the situation is dire. “We’ve certainly seen our

Property inspections are about to begin in the city of St. Joseph. Code Enforcement Officer Joan Ross tells WSJM News staff goes around checking each property every five years. “We look at each house or structure starting

With the annual Consumer Electronics Show underway in Las Vegas this week, Whirlpool is showing off some new tech. The appliance maker tells us it’s using the event to showcase its Apple Watch and Honeywell thermometer compatibility.

Indiana Michigan Power is warning customers about the latest phone scam. The company’s Tracy Warner tells WSJM News I&M was flooded with calls Monday from customers who said they received calls supposedly from the utility. “Basically, someone