Local News Archives

The Berrien County Board of Commissioners is urging everyone to fill out their census forms this year. A big push is being made statewide to get out the census message, and commissioners paused for a moment ahead

Berrien County Parks Director Brian Bailey is retiring. He made the announcement to staff this week, and tells WSJM News after nearly 30 years with the county, it’s time to step down. “I’ve had a good run

From the Associated Press — The state of Michigan has agreed to pay $80 million to settle a class-action lawsuit on behalf of male teens who said they were sexually assaulted in prison while housed with adults.

Four people are facing charges following a drug raid in Benton Harbor this week. The Southwest Enforcement Team says officers executed a search warrant at a unit of the Harbor Towers Apartments complex on East Wall Street

Congressman Fred Upton’s decision to seek another term in this year’s elections was influenced by the prominence of Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primaries. According to the Associated Press, Upton says downballot Democrats would be harmed

A bill to address the nursing shortage in Michigan is now before the state Senate after being approved by the House. Representative Mary Whiteford of Casco Township is the main sponsor, and it allows the state to

A Paw Paw family is working to raise $60,000 to pay for surgery for their four-year-old son to fix a birth defect called microtia that left the outer part of his right ear underdeveloped. Roy Collins is

The state Senate has rejected the appointment by Governor Whitmer of former Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell to serve as the chairman of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission, which regulates hunting and fishing. In committee this week,

The Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education has voted to honor former basketball coach Paul Wilhite by having his name placed on the high school gym floor. Wilhite was a coach for the school for 35

From the Associated Press — Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration is asking for a quick court ruling on the legality of Michigan’s Medicaid work requirements. The state hopes to avoid sending notices to more than 80,000 people

A Dowagiac man is headed to jail after resisting a police officer who was trying to arrest him for an outstanding warrant. The Cass County Prosecutor’s Office says 26-year-old Travis Fletcher was found guilty by a jury

The Michigan Department of Education has approved a waiver for Berrien County school districts to start the next academic year before Labor Day. Berrien RESA Superintendent Kevin Ivers tells WSJM News a hearing was held Tuesday night

The Berrien County Health Department is hard at work staying on top of all the most recent novel coronavirus developments. Spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News they are constantly on calls with both state and federal officials.

St. Joseph Today is busy planning for the next March Mannequins event, which is now slated for Friday, March 13 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in downtown St. Joseph. St. Joe Today’s Daniele Crevier tells WSJM News

We could be just days away from placing legal sports bets in Michigan. Since Governor Whitmer signed the gambling expansion bills, state regulators have been working on the details of what it will take to bring sports

Expect to see and hear a lot in the next few weeks as the state launches its largest promotion effort in history to get people to fill out the 2020 Census. Kerry Ebersole Singh is the director

A Van Buren County Sheriff’s deputy had to act very quickly Tuesday evening to save the life of a Paw Paw-area man who was about to jump off the M-40 overpass onto I-94. The deputy was responding

From the Associated Press — The federal government has awarded grants totaling more than $1.8 million for projects designed to reduce nutrient pollution that helps cause harmful algae blooms in the Great Lakes. The U.S. Environmental Protection

The Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education has appointed Dashuna Robinson to fill a vacancy on the body. The board interviewed two candidates for the remainder of former Trustee Patricia Rush’s term on Tuesday night. Robinson

Tuition is going up at Southwestern Michigan College for the next academic year. The SMC Board of Trustees met on Monday and agreed to a 1.8% tuition increase for in-district students and a 2% increase for in-state

When voters in Van Buren County head to the polls on March 10 to cast their ballots in the presidential primary, they’ll also be asked to approve a millage renewal for local roads. The Van Buren County

A contest to find a new logo for the Dr. Lawless International Dark-Sky Park is underway in Cass County. The Cass County Parks Department says Lawless Park got the Dark Sky designation from the International Dark Sky

The Trump administration is considering a rule that would allow trains carrying a potentially dangerous substance to travel through Michigan and other states. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is reviewing hundreds of public comments about

A stream gage will be put into the St. Joseph River in the city of St. Joseph this year to give officials more accurate data about the water level in the river and the volume of the

A Mattawan woman is facing a felony embezzlement charge as Michigan State Police accuse her of stealing money from the Paw Paw Eagles Club while employed as its secretary. Sixty-nine-year-old Susan Ryan was arraigned Tuesday in district

From the Associated Press — Michigan officials say the state’s 108,000-acre Pigeon River Country State Forest is getting a nearly 600-acre addition. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently announced a land deal valued at more than

The city of St. Joseph will look into other options to shoreline revetment plans to protect three homes, two in the 900 block of Lions Park Drive and one in the 200 block of First Street. The

Congressman Fred Upton is seeking reelection. His campaign announced on Monday he’s seeking another term in the November election. Upton issued a statement, saying “There is unfinished business we have to complete – Cures 2.0, fighting the

The Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education will hold a special meeting on Tuesday to interview the candidates for a vacancy on the body. Dashuna Robinson and Roosevelt Bell have put in applications to fill out