Local News Archives

The Alliance for the Great Lakes is offering everyone a chance to take a pledge to avoid using plastic on this Fourth of July. Spokesperson Jennifer Caddick tells WSJM News plastic in the lakes is a major

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says construction of a second Great Lakes navigation lock for large freighters will be included in its 2020 budget request to the Trump administration. Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Sugrue of the agency’s

Michigan State Police are reminding everyone to be prepared for emergencies ahead of Independence Day. MSP First Lieutenant Gabriel Covey tells WSJM News all drivers should keep an emergency kit in their vehicle. “Include things like water,

The July 4th holiday is typically one of the deadliest on the road, with 42% of all fatal crashes last year in Michigan over the holiday involving alcohol. Triple A’s John Pecchio says the costs of drunk

From the Associated Press — Detroit sports fans can now represent their professional teams while on the go. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed a law on Monday allowing license plates that bear the logos of the Detroit Tigers,

New bike safety laws will take effect in Michigan in about three months. The measures were prompted by the bicycle tragedy in Kalamazoo in June 2016 when a man who was high on drugs plowed into a

It’s more expensive this week than last to fill up as we hit the Independence Day holiday. The latest survey from Triple-A Michigan notes our average gas price in the state is up about 9¢ a gallon

A photo contest is being held by the West Michigan Tourist Association as it prepares to put together its 2019 West Michigan Carefree Travel Guide. The association tells us it wants photos that depict the beauty of

The storm that blew through southwest Michigan Sunday evening cooled things down nicely, but also nearly killed a man as he was on an inflatable boat in South Haven. Police were called to North Beach around 7:15

There have been some clear changes in Berrien County’s employment picture since the end of the Great Recession. The latest economic outlook report from the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research takes a look at such trends throughout

Benton Harbor Public Safety continues to look for suspects in a pair of shootings early Sunday morning that killed two people and have two others hospitalized at Lakeland in St. Joseph. 22-year-old Andre Sanders was killed in

When kids age out of foster care in Michigan, what do they do if they want to go to college? Fundraising efforts have been underway for the past several years through Fostering Futures to raise scholarship money

The St. Joseph High School football team is going to team up to fight cancer this year, and there are ways you can help. The Team Up Against Cancer campaign’s Regina Ciaravino tells WSJM News the Bears

A second local governmental unit is on record opposing a bill from state Senator John Proos to exempt utilities from paying personal property taxes on new equipment, including transmission lines and power generation devices like solar farms

One person is dead and three others are hospitalized at Lakeland in St. Joseph following a pair of overnight shootings in Benton Harbor. Authorities don’t know if the shootings are connected. In the first, public safety officers

High marks for Lake Michigan College President Trevor Kubatzke. At a meeting this week, the LMC Board of Trustees gave Kubatzke a positive performance evaluation. President Michael Lindley told WSJM News since Kubatzke came on in April

$185,000 in scholarships will be handed out by the Berrien Community Foundation in the 2018-2019 academic year. The foundation announced the scholarship recipients at a reception last week. Foundation Program Manager Susan Matheny tells WSJM News the

Watervliet has a new city manager. His name is Tyler Dotson, and he comes from Blissfield, Michigan. Dotson is working a set of goals he would like to accomplish for the city. He tells us building relationships

A group of people who became stuck in a lift near South Haven Saturday afternoon are now safe thanks to South Haven Area Emergency Services. SHAES tells us a power outage caused the group to be caught

The latest book of foreclosed properties set to be auctioned off by the Berrien County Treasurer’s office is now available. Treasurer Bret Witkowski tells WSJM News the new book has 183 properties, of which 181 were foreclosed

How big of a problem is gerrymandering in Michigan? According to a new report from the Citizen’s Research Council of Michigan, it’s a significant one. “Quantifying The Level of Gerrymandering In Michigan” finds the practice goes back

St. Joseph Public Schools Trustees are pleased with district Superintendent Ann Cardon. At meeting this week, the board of education approved Cardon’s annual performance evaluation and extended her contract through June 30, 2021. Board President Amy Porritt

We pay more for car insurance in Michigan than any other state, and a new report finds a big factor to that is 20% of Michigan drivers are getting behind the wheel without any insurance at all.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Department says one man was arrested following a shooting incident in Vandalia Friday afternoon. It tells us deputies responded to a call about shots being fired around 2:40. They learned there had been

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department tells us two men are in custody after a chase with deputies on Friday. It started in the 47,000 block of 27th Street in Almena Township when a sheriff’s deputy pulled

Retiring Lake Michigan College Trustee Judy Truesdell has been saluted for her years of service by the LMC Board of Trustees. At a meeting this week, the board sent Truesdell off with a resolution commending and thanking

Governor Rick Snyder has signed legislation from state Senator John Proos designed to reward Michigan students who take STEM classes and to inform them about the jobs available in their areas. Proos tells WSJM News one bill

July is Craft Beer Month, a chance for Michigan’s quickly growing craft beer industry to showcase its strength and for distributors to celebrate locally-made brews. Bud Distributing Sales Manager Jenna Podjan tells WSJM News the Dowagiac-based company’s

The 33rd annual Eau Claire Cherry Festival will be held on Wednesday, the Fourth of July. The festival’s Cindy Glassman Cantrell tells us the downtown area of Eau Claire is shut down for the fun, which is

The Berrien County Health Department has activated a heat alert for this entire weekend, warning everyone to take steps to keep themselves healthy and safe. Spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News you need to be sure to