Local News Archives

Michigan State Police have begun Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign for Labor Day. It started Wednesday, and now extra police patrols are out on the roads watching out for drunk drivers. The three week Labor

The Berrien County Parks Department is planning its next meeting to hear from the public on its five year parks plan. The department says the plan covers the developments planned at all county parks from 2020 through

Rolling into St. Joseph this coming week will be the YMCA’s Veggie Van, courtesy of Spectrum Health Lakeland. Spectrum’s Kelsey Haynes tells WSJM News the Veggie Van is a mobile farmer’s market loaded up with fresh fruits

State officials are proposing the creation of a Community Engagement and Advisory Committee to be tasked with assessing problems at Benton Harbor Area Schools and then coming up with recommendations to fix them. At a Friday meeting

From the Associated Press — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is spending $3.7 million to remove copper mining waste rock from a Lake Superior harbor where it threatens an important fish spawning area. Waste known as stamp

Local experts say the latest changes to federal immigration laws would have damaging ripple effects on Michigan’s immigrant families. Under the new rule, legal immigrants who are applying for green card status would be denied if they’ve

Berrien County Sheriff’s Deputy Kelly Laesch has received an award for her work on behalf of the community as the sheriff’s department crime prevention coordinator. The department says Laesch got the Joe D. Sutton Call to Justice

Berrien County property owners are being reminded their summer tax bills are due soon. Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski tells WSJM News all but two taxing units in the county have a due date of September 16

From the Associated Press — Off-road vehicle enthusiasts can explore Michigan’s 3,700 miles of trails and five “scramble” areas that are open to them for no charge this weekend. All rules pertaining to ORVs still apply. But

Police have an arson and assault suspect locked up in the Van Buren County Jail. South Haven police and county sheriff’s deputies were called to a car fire on Center Street in Bangor early Friday morning, and

Several state officials, including new state Superintendent Michael Rice, will be in Benton Harbor today for a meeting with the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education. Rice is on record opposing the Whitmer administration’s proposal to

From the Associated Press — Michigan’s attorney general has approved $1.3 million in compensation for a 61-year-old man who spent nearly three decades in prison before being exonerated in the arson-related deaths of his wife and two

It’s back to school time, and while parents are buying backpacks, pencils, and notebooks for their kids, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is also hoping they’ll add vaccinations to their checklists. Spokesperson Lynn Sutfin

The Berrien County Board of Commissioners has approved its operational objectives for 2019 and 2020. The document was approved unanimously at a Thursday meeting. It comes out of strategic planning sessions held in the early part of

Some big purchases have been authorized by the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education as it prepares the district for a new school year. At a meeting on Tuesday, the board approved more than $900,000 of

The Better Business Bureau in west Michigan is warning everyone about buying tickets for an upcoming R&B wine tasting event being advertised for August 23 in Paw Paw. The BBB says the event is one of many

South Haven’s Salute to Veterans Weekend starts this Friday at 6 p.m. with a Veterans Service at the Masonic Lodge on Center Street, and it’s open to the public. Then Saturday brings the Veterans Boat Parade. Jeff

Police are asking for help finding a 49-year-old Niles woman who hasn’t been seen since late May. The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department says Rebecca Percy is white, about five-feet tall, 140 pounds, with blue eyes and brown

A town hall meeting is coming up Monday at Holland City Hall held by state Representative Mary Whiteford of Casco Township. She says the main focus will be on road funding. “The governor’s talked about it a

If you’re among those in the Benton Harbor and St. Joseph area really missing Arby’s, mark Monday, August 26 on your calendar. That’s the opening day for the fast food chain’s return to the Twin Cities after

By Doug Cunningham Bishop Paul J. Bradley of the Archdiocese of Kalamazoo says a day of prayer for peace and an end to violence observed by 59 parishes throughout southwestern Michigan was to focus attention on how

Police are looking for a suspect in an early morning shooting in Benton Township. The shooting happened after 2 a.m. in the 1100 block of Highland Avenue, near the Blossom Acres Housing complex. Police were called to

Set for September 7 is a 5K run in Benton Township to benefit two Berrien County non-profits. Marianne Groth with the SWMI RACERS tells WSJM News it’s the third annual Run for Hope and Recovery. “The main

The Van Buren County Board of Commissioners is poised to approve a request from the local county judges to cover up a couple of murals at the courthouse that depict topless women. The committee of the whole

The demand for lighthouse tours in St. Joseph has been up this year. In fact, the Heritage Museum and Cultural Center says there has been a record number of tours. The museum’s Kate Ulrey tells WSJM News

A new online map showing the progress made in fighting invasive species around the state has been launched by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The DNR’s Joanne Foreman tells WSJM News the map gives you a

Two Allegan County men are looking at 20 years in prison for a scheme that ripped off an elderly Holland man of nearly $300,000. The U.S. Attorney in Grand Rapids says 55-year-old James Black and 24-year-old Tyler

Michigan’s wine industry is dealing with the problem of illegal shipments. New data from the Michigan Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association finds almost one-third of all the bottles of wine shipped into the state in the first

The second annual National Veteran Workforce Development Conference is taking place today through Friday at the Crown Plaza in Detroit. The conference represents all different aspects of veteran services with experts in the field to provide educational

You can help raise money for the St. Joseph High School football program on Thursday between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. simply by going over to the high school and driving a car for a few minutes.