Local News Archives

All six candidates in the race for mayor of Benton Harbor will be in the studios of News/Talk 94.9 WSJM on Monday for a town hall forum. We will broadcast it live from 7 to 8 a.m.,

Four finalists will be in St. Joseph next week to be interviewed for the superintendent job for St. Joseph Public Schools. The position is opening up with the departure this summer of Ann Cardon to be the

(Michigan City, IN – AP) – An inmate who escaped Wednesday from the grounds of the Indiana State Prison has been captured. The Indiana Department of Correction says 39-year-old Travis Hornett was apprehended without incident shortly after

Berrien County is holding a pesticide collection event this month. Farmers, greenhouse operators, golf course staff, and gardeners are welcome to drop off unwanted and outdated pesticides at the Clean Sweep Collection site in Benton Harbor on

There will be a vigil this Friday in South Haven to bring attention to the treatment of migrant and refugee families along the southern U.S. border. Pastor Ron VanLente of First United Methodist Church in South Haven

From the Associated Press — Two young people who were charged after the gravesite of former President Gerald Ford and first lady Betty Ford in western Michigan was defaced could see their records wiped clean. Kent County

Oronoko Township officials have had enough of a vacant and dilapidated apartment building on North Lemon Creek Road. Township Supervisor Mike Hildebrand tells us the township has sent a demolition notice to the owners of the building

The United Way of Southwest Michigan is taking nominations for its annual volunteer awards. Volunteer United Manager Julee Laurent tells WSJM News the organization gives out three volunteer awards each fall. “One is the Margaret B. Upton

Police are looking for an escaped prison inmate in Michigan City, Indiana. Media in South Bend are reporting Travis Hornett escaped from a work detail on the prison grounds at the Indiana State Prison. He was wearing

A new environmental protection and conservation effort is being launched by Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate, with Congressman Fred Upton of St Joseph named a House vice chair of the new Roosevelt Conservation Caucus. The

Bangor Mayor Darren Williams will be honored Friday morning by Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Clement for completing the Van Buren County Swift and Sure Sanctions Probation Program three years ago. Williams has struggled with drug addiction

The Van Buren Conservation District and the Southwest by Southwest Corner CISMA are preparing for a series of workshops on a tree disease that has popped up in the region. The CISMA’s Nor Serocki tells WSJM News

The American Red Cross has issued an urgent call for blood and platelet donations. Red Cross Communications Manager Todd Kulman says there is less than a three-day supply of most blood types and less than two-days of

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says new monthly high water level records were set on Lake Superior, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario in June. Chief hydrologist Keith Kompoltowicz tells WSJM News the other Great Lakes are

A proposed rate increase from Indiana Michigan Power is getting pushback from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Her office says Nessel last week filed a notice of intervention as I&M seeks to raise electric rates by 18.9%

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has met once again with members of the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education. Her office says a meeting took place between the administration and school trustees Tuesday. A joint statement was then

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed legislation intended to help farmers affected by wet conditions this year. State Representative Beth Griffin of Mattawan tells us the plan provides $15 million to private lenders so they can provide low-interest

Taking place throughout the summer at the Region IV Area Agency on Aging are classes on managing different aspects of getting older. The agency’s Tara Gillette tells WSJM News one-time sessions, each focused on a different topic,

It’s been two weekends since the South Haven Downtown Parking Loop started. The trolley car looking busses have taken the anxiety of find a parking space in downtown away. Scott Reinert of the South Haven Van Buren

Heads up if you need to travel from South Haven toward Benton Harbor and St. Joseph this week. The Michigan Department of Transportation will be completely closing southbound I-196 at Exit 7 for Hagar Shore Road to

State Representative Pauline Wendzel is preparing to hold her first town hall meeting next week with a focus on auto insurance reform, road funding, and where the state budget currently stands. The Watervliet Republican says it felt

From the Associated Press — An association representing oil refineries is launching a television ad in four potential swing states criticizing President Donald Trump’s moves to expand the use of ethanol in gasoline. The American Fuel and

Pedal pubs are gaining in popularity across the country, and a pair of northern Indiana sisters have their eyes on St. Joseph as a possible location for a new franchise. Shellie Kermin and Julie McGinnis laid out

It was an extremely well-behaved Fourth of July celebration in St. Joseph last week. Public Safety Director Steve Neubecker says despite all the activity downtown, things from a law enforcement standpoint were calm. He was joined by

The United Way of Southwest Michigan is planning for the next Whirlpool Rock the Boat cardboard boat races this month. Spokesperson Jennifer Tomshack tells WSJM News the event features teams racing boats made of cardboard in the

From the Associated Press — A western Michigan Christian college is becoming a university. Calvin College officials say the Grand Rapids school will officially become Calvin University on Wednesday. The date coincides with the birthday of 16th-century

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is advising everyone how to be safe at fairs this summer. With so many county fairs taking place around the state, the department says swine flu becomes a concern.

The results are in, and Kevin “Boomerang” Bartz of Niles is this year’s winner at the International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship in Eau Claire. The contest was held Saturday at the Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm, and the 53-year-old

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=66266&flag_call=singleVideo&playerid=fbqwxde&player_slug=wsjm-com-stories&chkFlagFrom=meta_insert_video’></iframe> Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is in the middle of a 12-stop tour around the state hearing experiences of elder abuse. She and state

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is in the middle of a 12-stop tour around the state hearing experiences of elder abuse. She and state Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein were at the Berrien County Health Department Monday