Local News Archives

The Rotary Club of St. Joseph-Benton Harbor has announced its new leadership for the year. At a ceremony at the Hilton Garden Inn in Benton Harbor on Monday, the Rotary officially welcomed new President Brandi Smith. She

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is pressuring Michigan lawmakers to approve a budget that addresses the state’s infrastructure needs while still meeting educational obligations. At a press conference Tuesday, Whitmer said the Legislature is dragging its feet on the

The Benton Township Police Department is investigating a Tuesday shooting. It says officers were sent to the Blossom Acres housing development shortly after 3 p.m. on a report of a shooting victim. While on the way, they

The Berrien County Health Department has issued e-coli advisories about three beaches. They are Weko Beach in Bridgman, Cherry Beach in Chikaming Township, and Warren Dunes in Sawyer. Swimming is not recommended while the advisory is in

The city of St. Joseph is preparing for its annual Fourth of July fireworks show, although this year’s spectacle will not actually be on the Fourth of July. The event is slated for Wednesday, July 3. This

The wound and hyperbaric medicine program at Bronson South Haven Hospital has received a new distinction by being named a President’s Circle Center of Excellence by Healogics, which is the country’s biggest provider of advanced wound care.

From the Associated Press — The Michigan Supreme Court has agreed to take up a major lower court decision that allows Michigan tax dollars to flow to private schools. A coalition of public school groups and the

The city of St. Joseph is working with Whirlpool to provide a safer way for employees to cross Upton Drive from a parking lot to their workplace each day. At a Monday meeting, city commissioners moved forward

From the Associated Press — A Florida prison inmate has been charged with murder in the strangling of a woman in southwest Michigan more than three decades ago. Prosecutors charged 49-year-old Robert James Waite last week in

A growing movement in Michigan and around the world aims to ensure communities are able to serve the needs of people of all ages. Eight cities and towns in the state are members of the AARP Network

Set for next year is a reconstruction project for parts of Kingsley, Orchard, and Morton Streets in St. Joseph. City commissioners approved awarding the engineering contract to Abonmarche on Monday for $345,000. Plans are still being drafted,

A groundbreaking on the next YouthBuild project in Benton Harbor will be held this Thursday. Part of Kinexus, YouthBuild is a program that teaches construction skills to students between the ages of 16 and 24 while helping

State Representative Beth Griffin of Mattawan wants the state of Michigan to keep up its efforts to find PFAS in community water supplies. She’s introduced legislation that would make the state’s PFAS action response team a permanent

The Michigan Department of Transportation is among the agencies scrambling to cope with issues created by the heavy rain southwest Michigan has been experiencing lately. MDOT spokesperson Nick Schirripa tells WSJM News the latest problem is the

From the Associated Press — The state of Michigan is launching a $2 million educational campaign to boost the state’s low recycling rate. The “Know It Before You Throw It” initiative was announced Monday at a recycling

A rate hike could be coming to customers of Indiana Michigan Power as it plans a major investment in the Cook nuclear power plant and other work to improve electric transmission reliability. I&M spokesperson Tracy Warner tells

Another meeting between members of the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education and the administration of Governor Gretchen Whitmer is set for this Wednesday. The two have been going back and forth regarding what to do

From the Associated Press — The University of Michigan says it’s received two separate, $10 million gifts designed to benefit a campus library as well as its business school and film and television department. The Ann Arbor

South Bend Mayor and Democratic presidential primary candidate Pete Buttigieg wants the U.S. Justice Department to look into the police shooting of Eric Logan. Logan was shot and killed by a white South Bend police officer who

Violence has flared again in South Bend, where presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg is mayor, and a Niles man is among its victims. The St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit says 27-year-old Brandon Williams of Niles died after

Despite progress in child outcomes since 1990, a new report reveals serious racial and ethnic disparities persist in Michigan and other states. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2019 Kids Count Data Book ranks the state 32nd overall

The Berrien County Parks Department has been awarded a grant to help pay for a new beach mat at Rocky Gap County Park. At a meeting of the Berrien County Board of Commissioners this month, the Berrien

Police are investigating a shooting late on Saturday in Benton Township. The Benton Township Police Department says it happened in the 100 block of Quince at the Blossom Acres housing development just before midnight. Police were sent

Anyone who would like to learn how they could help someone experiencing a drug overdose will have a chance to do so this coming week in Niles. Denise Peters with the Niles-Buchanan branch of the YMCA of

Indiana Michigan Power has announced its next solar farm, and this one will be its biggest. I&M spokesperson Schnee Garrett tells WSJM News the facility in South Bend will be near the Indiana Toll Road and about

The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs says the number of opioid prescriptions dispensed in Michigan is going down. LARA says the rate was down 15% in 2018 from 2017. It credits the drop with the

The Berrien County Parks Department has received a donation of eight adult and six child-sized mountain bikes for use at Love Creek County Park. The bikes come courtesy of Whirlpool Corporation and the Bike Michiana Coalition. They’ll

The Cass County Sheriff’s Department says a Friday night shooting in Vandalia was in self-defense. Police responded to a home in the 62,000 block of Cass Avenue in Vandalia around 10 p.m. after getting a call that

A Marcellus man is recovering after he was shot in Cass County on Friday night. The Cass County Sheriff’s Department says 22-year-old Tyler Blentlinger was at a bonfire in the backyard of a home in the 300