Local News Archives

Coming up this Saturday is the big Blossomtime Parade through St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. Parade President Anna Abdelnour tells us the event attracts as many as 200,000 people to the area each year. She expects this

Van Buren County Animal Control is looking to adopt all of its pooches this Saturday with another Empty the Shelters event. Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department Operations Lieutenant Jim Charon tells WSJM News the Bissell Pet Foundation

While police in southwest Michigan work to educate the public about the dangers of opioids and also collect unneeded opioid prescriptions, Congressman Fred Upton is thinking federal legislation. He tells WSJM News he’s hoping for quick passage

Breweries are experimenting with a new type of beer. It’s a beer infused with marijuana. While recreational marijuana is on the ballot here in Michigan in November, state Senator Rick Jones doesn’t want to wait before tackling

Berrien County Prosecutor Michael Sepic is calling on state lawmakers to fix a hole in the election code that resulted in the conviction of Benton Township activist Edward Pinkney for election fraud being tossed by the Michigan

The Paw Paw High School student accused of plotting an attack on his school in March will not be tried as an adult. The decision to keep the case in juvenile court in Van Buren County was

Share the road. That’s the message from Secretary of State Ruth Johnson during the Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Johnson has been riding motorcycles since she was 12 and says drivers need to watch out for motorcycles. She

A 23-year-old Hartford Township man has died from several injuries he suffered when he rolled his car and was thrown from it in Keeler Township. The crash happened around 7 last night on County Road 362 east

A South Haven teacher has been honored by the Rotary Club for her work with local students. The Rotary tells us Andrea Jeiger was given the club’s Education and Service Award at a fundraiser this past Saturday.

Berrien RESA Superintendent Kevin Ivers has received a positive performance evaluation from the RESA Board of Education. At a retreat this week, RESA Trustees used an evaluation tool from the Michigan Association of School Boards to rate

Addiction experts are hoping to better educate the public about the nation’s opioid epidemic to help reduce the number of deaths. At a forum at St. Joseph Township Hall Wednesday, Berrien County Health Department Substance Abuse Prevention

Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley has announced the launch of a new website to draw attention to issues with the Soo Locks. The locks, located between Lake Huron and Lake Superior, allow ships to travel between Lake Superior

A Berrien County substitute teacher is getting some recognition for her entry into a video contest. Lauren Mott teaches grades K through 12 at Bridgman and River Valley Schools. She tells us she came to the area

May is National Drug Court Month and in celebration, the Van Buren County Drug Treatment Court will have guest speakers this Friday that will address the impact of drug courts in our area. Speakers will include the

State Representative Mary Whiteford of Casco Township has introduced legislation intended to benefit patients getting prescriptions filled. She tells WSJM News under current rules, pharmacists are not allowed to tell a patient the true cost of their

Everything is back to normal at the Benton Township Walmart after a brief evacuation this morning. The Benton Township Fire Department and Michigan Gas Utilities were called out to the store around 8 a.m. on a report

For the most part April car sales are off about 5%. While it wasn’t a great month, Edmunds.com analyst Jessica Caldwell told Michigan News Network this week it wasn’t terrible either. “April is a solid month, certainly

There is some infighting amongst Democrats running for governor. Gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed is challenging the validity of opponent Shri Thanedar’s ballot petition signatures. El-Sayed filed his complaint Tuesday, hours after Thanedar announced his own complaint saying

A new poll shows Michigan residents want the state to invest in higher education to keep tuition low, and that more than 80% believe their child will receive at least a four-year college degree. The survey was

A drug take-back event this past Saturday resulted in more than 966 pounds of unneeded prescription medications being collected across the state. Michigan State Police tell us the agency’s 30 posts served as drop-off locations for people

It’s Wine Month in Michigan with many activities throughout the state. How are Michigan’s vineyards doing though after an unusually cold April? That question was put to Janelle Jagman of the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council.

Set for this month is the grand opening of the new Pilgrim Haven Natural Area near South Haven. Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy President Peter Ter Louw tells WSJM News the 27 acre parcel of land along Lake

A Bloomingdale-based company is planning to invest $12 million in the expansion of broadband internet in Van Buren County over the next few years. Bloomingdale Communications General Manager Steve Shults tells WSJM News the company is rolling

Congressman Fred Upton says “everyone,” including President Trump, deserves some credit for recent improvements in the relations between North and South Korea. Upton tells WSJM News he was pleased to see this past weekend’s developments. “Some very

From the Associated Press — A man who was under the influence of drugs has been convicted of second-degree murder in a crash that killed five bicyclists in southwestern Michigan. The verdict against Charles Pickett was returned Tuesday

The Cass County Sheriff’s Department is investigating after a 73-year-old man was killed while cutting wood on Tuesday. The department tells us the accident happened around noon in the 58,000 block of White Temple Road in Penn

The Michigan Supreme Court has thrown out the conviction of a Benton Harbor activist who was charged with forgery after submitting petitions to recall a mayor. Edward Pinkney was sentenced to at least 30 months in prison

Everyone will have a chance to learn more about the opioid epidemic at a meeting planned for Wednesday in St. Joseph Township. St. Joe Township Police Officer Rick Knapp tells WSJM News the neighborhood watch program is

From the Associated Press — Michigan election officials are reviewing a letter that requests an investigation into Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s eligibility to run for governor. The state Bureau of Elections received a letter from Pamela Nelson last week.