Local News Archives

After about three and a half years on the job, Louis Csokasy is stepping down from the Berrien County Road Commission as its managing director. He tells WSJM News he’ll be 70 in July and the time

A murder is under investigation by the Michigan State Police in Cass County. A 32-year-old Elkhart man is in custody and accused of stabbing a 59-year-old man to death in Mason Township last night. Troopers were sent

Property inspections in the city of St. Joseph have begun for the year. City Chief Building Official Cecil Derringer says the staff is in place to go property by property looking for violations for their owners to

From the Associated Press — Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly says he told members of the Detroit area’s Arab-American and Latino communities that he is committed to keeping the country safe without targeting anyone based on a

The city of St. Joseph continues efforts to have a dilapidated house on Niles Avenue torn down. Last week, the city’s Property Maintenance Board of Appeals granted the owner of the home near the AT&T store a

A convoy of trucks has left Michigan for Kansas and Texas to help relief efforts following some devastating fires there. You may have spotted some of those trucks over the weekend after they left the Thumb region.

St. Joseph could become just the second city in Michigan to have a playground that caters to special needs children. That’s after the city commission Monday night approved the concept for Riverview Park. They heard from Craig

This is the last week property owners behind on their 2014 taxes will have to pay up. Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski tells us 5 p.m. Friday is the deadline to get that money in or sign

The Trump administration could be reducing the ranks of international students at American universities. Among them is Western Michigan University, which currently has about 1,000 such students in Kalamazoo. President Dr. John Dunn tells WKZO News there are

From the Associated Press — Michigan and the city of Flint have agreed to replace thousands of home water lines under a sweeping deal to settle a lawsuit over lead-contaminated water in the troubled city. A court filing

For many, summer has begun, and that’s because Monday was Oberon Day. That’s the day each spring when Kalamazoo’s Bell’s Brewery unleashes its latest batch of Oberon beer on to the world. Brewery Founder Larry Bell tells

US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly will be visiting metro Detroit today. No official schedule yet has been released, but Kelly is expected to meet with Arab-American leaders, who say they plan to press him on President

We’re paying 8¢ less a gallon in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph to fill up than a week ago. Triple-A Michigan says our average price stands at $2.26 to start the week. The statewide average is down

Coming up this week is a hospitality jobs fair at Lake Michigan College. Organized by Kinexus, the fair will include more than 50 employers in the hospitality industry seeking to hire people right now. Kinexus Director of Business

State Representative Beth Griffin, of Mattawan, is introducing legislation that directs Michigan’s Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Commission to develop a new curriculum for high school students about the dangers of opioids. Griffin says young people should

Animal Planet is currently running a contest in which the public can vote on which animal shelter should receive $50,000 for renovations, and one of the five finalists is the Al-Van Humane Society in South Haven. The

Indiana Michigan Power is currently working on a project to reduce the number of power outages customers in its Michigan service area experience. This week, we reported Michigan ranks fourth in the nation for annual power outages,

Set for next week is the second annual Health and Wellness Fest at Andrews University. Throughout Wednesday and Thursday, the Berrien Springs university will hold cooking schools, a 5K walk, a wellness Chapel, and screenings of documentaries around

Police officers in South Haven are not planning to start checking into the immigration status of locals. Chief Natalie Thompson on Thursday issued a statement reassuring anyone who might fear having their immigration status checked by the

State Senator John Proos is pushing for passage of a bill that would enable people who live in border communities to use the services of libraries just over the state line. He tells us Michigan needs to

One person is dead following a single-vehicle crash in Benton Harbor Saturday afternoon. The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety responded to the scene on Paw Paw Avenue around 1 p.m. The driver of the vehicle was

In a new video, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow urges Michigan residents to “stand up for the Great Lakes.” That’s after the Trump administration’s proposed elimination of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. “It’s critical that we have resources

A Little Free Library will be dedicated next week in Benton Harbor. Little Free Libraries are small boxes on a pole that are stationed in places like parks or in front of schools. Folks can drop off

The South Haven Community Foundation is now taking applications for its next round of grants. The foundation’s Jim Marcoux tells WSJM News the foundation has about $20,000 to give out to community groups this time around. “Our primary

The Palisades nuclear power plant next week will hold another open house at its operations center in Benton Harbor for everyone to come and learn everything they want to know about the facility. Palisades spokesperson Val Gent

The renovation project underway at Celebration Cinema in Benton Harbor is on track to be finished in early June. The theater is installing new luxury power recliners in all auditoriums, replacing the old seats. Spokesperson Steve VanWagoner

The Rotary Club of St. Joseph-Benton Harbor has handed out its annual Paul Harris Fellow Community Leadership Awards. At a celebration of the Rotary on Monday, they gave out two of the awards, which Rotary President Steve

A section of Red Arrow Highway in Berrien County is being renamed in honor of two Michigan State Police troopers who were killed in the line of duty in 1971. Troopers Gary Rampy and Charles Stark were

It’s a sign of the season. Crews are now hard at work preparing Silver Beach in St. Joseph for the summer. Berrien County Parks Director Brian Bailey tells WSJM News they started last week with a goal

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow says the failure of the Republican healthcare reform plan on Friday creates a new opportunity for the GOP to work with Democrats on a package to reduce costs while making it easier for