Local News Archives

There is a proposal in the works in the state Senate to do away with Michigan’s income tax.  Senator Aric Nesbitt of Lawton is behind the idea to zero out the 4.25% income tax by reducing it

Another area educator is moving on to a new post. South Haven High School principal Jerry Sardina has been selected as the new superintendent of the Iron Mountain School District in the Upper Peninsula. Sardina was selected

A suburban Detroit family is safely back on land after their rented jetskis capsized in Lake Michigan off the coast of South Haven. A nearby sailboat helped pluck an adult male and a child from the water,

It’s pretty short notice, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a forum tonight regarding the decommissioning of the Palisades nuclear power plant following it’s planned closure in 2022. The public meeting will start at 6 p.m.

Southwestern Michigan College needs a new president, and it’s going to start by looking within. At a meeting this week of the SMC Board of Trustees, the vote was six to one to do an internal search

A package of legislation intended to make Michigan water supplies safer has been introduced in the state Senate. One bill in the package would require periodic testing of water for lead at child care facilities, colleges and

With the most recent mass shootings still on everyone’s mind, Congressman Fred Upton is expecting the U.S. House to talk about legislation to reduce gun violence when it gets back to work next month. He tells us

A survey has been put online by Benton Harbor Area Schools asking the community for feedback regarding the state’s latest proposal to improve the district. This is following a presentation last week by the Michigan Department of

Michigan State Police detective sergeant Kevin Conklin will soon be retiring from that agency after 24 years to take a new job. He’s been selected to be the next Van Buren County undersheriff by Sheriff Dan Abbott,

Benton Harbor City Commissioners have updated the rules that govern their meetings. At a Monday session, the body updated its rules on the recommendation of the legislative committee. Commissioner Sharon Henderson said the amendments have been in

A Buchanan man is facing four charges of second-degree murder for a crash this month that killed four people. Berrien County Prosecutor Mike Sepic says in addition to those, 54-year-old Dub Collins is also facing drunk driving

Video Playback Not Supported <iframe class=’wpb_videoplayer video-single-player-iframe’ allowfullscreen scrolling=’no’ width=’600′ height=’330′ frameborder=’0′ src=’https://www.wsjm.com/wp-content/plugins/wpb-video/wpb-video-embed/wpb-video-embed.php?blogid=321&id=68278&flag_call=singleVideo&playerid=fbqwxde&player_slug=wsjm-com-stories&chkFlagFrom=meta_insert_video’></iframe> Kinexus Group in Benton Harbor is praising the “Going Pro” job training program from the Michigan government. The program seeks to help companies hire

The I-196 Business Loop in South Haven, also known as Broadway and LaGrange avenues, has been the topic of a proposed road diet by city officials for about two years. The road is owned and maintained by

You may have seen billboards featuring the phrase “Going Pro” and wondered what it is. It’s the rebranding by the Whitmer administration of the job training program launched by the state under former Governor Rick Snyder seeking

Those living along Dunkley Avenue or who have to drive along it in South Haven will be getting some relief fairly soon. The City Council this week was given four options to deal with the flooding issue

From the Associated Press — Justin Amash has left the Republican Party over his opposition to President Donald Trump, and Democrats are celebrating. The Michigan congressman’s departure means a three-way race in his politically shifting Grand Rapids-area

The Benton Harbor City Commission has given final approval to nearly $1 million in street repairs for this year. At a Monday meeting, a bid of $990,000 was approved for Kalin Construction to do the 2019 street

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is seeking some college students to serve on her office’s new Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force. The force is intended to make recommendations for improving voter engagement among college students. Benson

A woman who walked all the way around Lake Michigan and wrote a book about the experience will be making a presentation in Bridgman on Thursday. Loreen Niewenhuis took the trek in 2009, and has since toured

A new campaign to educate the public about marijuana has been launched by the Berrien County Health Department. Spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News The Dirt on Weed features a new website, billboards, radio ads, social media

From the Associated Press — Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has appointed a former U.S. homeland security official to oversee the state’s efforts related to immigration. Fayrouz Saad worked at the Department of Homeland Security during Barack Obama’s

Thirteen months is all it took for the Humane Society of Southwestern Michigan to pay off its mortgage loan on the new Yeager Family Pet Shelter. The organization says on June 9, 2018, the debt was over

UPDATE: The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office says the search has ended for 84-year-old Chuck Hazard of Grand Junction. He had last been seen around 4:20 a.m. Saturday in the Hastings area, and had admitted he was

Gas prices are up over last week in just one state: Michigan. Triple-A says the statewide average rose 6¢ a gallon over the past week to $2.70, with Ann Arbor’s $2.79 being the highest and Traverse City’s

Police are asking for help trying to find a missing 84-year-old Grand Junction man with dementia. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office says Chuck Hazard was last seen in the Hastings area between Kalamazoo and Lansing around

There will be no charges filed in the July 28, 2018 fire at the Cosmo Extended Stay motel in Benton Township that killed a woman and five of her children between the ages of 2 and 10.

A grand reopening of the historic Chapin Mansion in Niles will be held this coming week now that a rehabilitation project for the landmark is complete. Niles History Center Director Christina Arseneau tells WSJM News improvements have

Three people are in the Cass County Jail thanks to a sheriff’s department K-9. Faust tracked a 19-year-old man from Edwardsburg, a 30-year-old Niles woman, and a third suspect about four-and-a-half miles from a home in the