Local News Archives

A new year brings a new chief of police for Benton Township. With the retirement of former Chief Vince Fetke, Chief Brian Smit started this week. Smit tells WSJM News he’s excited to move up in the

A new failed condition roads policy has been adopted by the Van Buren County Road Commission that has the agency pulverizing and turning into gravel roads that are found not fit to be patched. The road commission

Kinexus has helped to secure a $1.9 million grant for southwest Michigan businesses to train workers. The money comes from the state’s Going Pro Talent Fund to help 43 local employers enhance their staff. Kinexus Director of

Police are looking for a woman who reportedly fell into the Black River in South Haven Township early Saturday. South Haven Area Emergency Services tells us it scoured the water after getting a report that a female had

A property foreclosure lawsuit headed to the Michigan Supreme Court is being watched closely by county treasurers across the state. That includes Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski, who tells us the results in the Oakland County case

78th District Michigan Representative Brad Paquette is ready to get to work in Lansing. The Berrien Springs Republican was just elected in November, and tells us he looks forward to the start of the 100th Michigan Legislature

By Doug Cunningham As Michigan’s community colleges struggle to educate students, the poverty that students face is a a huge additional burden. At Southwestern Michigan College, for example, many students need help with getting enough to eat.

A local credit union is offering a little help to members who are federal government employees affected by the shutdown. United Federal Credit Union tells us it’s offering those folks installment loan deferments and waiving the penalty

The American Red Cross is asking everyone to make a New Year’s resolution to give blood. It’s scheduled several blood drives around southwest Michigan in the coming weeks. January is National Blood Donor Month, which the Red

A man accused of murdering a child in Cass County in October of 2016 has been arrested and arraigned. The Cass County Prosecutor’s Office tells us 47-year-old Lance Aaron Reeves of St. Joseph has pleaded not guilty

Comments from freshman Detroit Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib are not sitting well with other members of the Democratic Party in Washington. Tlaib said this to loud cheers Thursday night regarding President Trump: “When your son looks at you

Congressman Fred Upton is breaking from President Trump and hardline Republicans who want to put up a wall along the Mexican border. He is among the GOP members of the House who joined Democrats to approve bills

The Berrien County Conservation District is taking registrations for a produce safety training session it’s offering for free to those who bring food from the farm to the consumer. This is the first such class it’s offered,

This is the time of year when tax scams are on the rise. The Michigan Department of Treasury warns scammers are likely to hit at the beginning of the year — right before tax season — so

A new failed condition roads policy has been adopted by the Van Buren County Road Commission that has the agency pulverizing and turning into gravel roads that are found not fit to be patched. The road commission

Kinexus has helped to secure a $1.9 million grant for southwest Michigan businesses to train workers. The money comes from the state’s Going Pro Talent Fund to help 43 local employers enhance their staff. Kinexus Director of

Several new members of Congress have taken the oath of office, some in the Michigan delegation, but it’s all in the midst of a partial federal government shutdown. President Donald Trump and congressional leaders plan to meet

There’s a new chair in charge of the Berrien County Board of Commissioners. At Thursday’s organizational meeting of the board, Commissioner R. McKinley Elliott — more commonly known as Mac Elliot — was selected as the new

Two people had to be freed from the wreckage of their vehicles following a crash in Cass County Wednesday. It happened on M-60 near Calvin Center in Penn Township around 5:30 p.m. The Cass County Sheriff’s Department

Baroda-Lake Township police managed to make a drug bust during a traffic stop on I-94 on Wednesday. The Baroda-Lake Township Police Department tells us Officer John Hopkins stopped a vehicle for speeding on westbound 94 near mile

Two of the suspects in the robbery of the Stevensville Meijer store last month have been arrested. The Lincoln Township Police Department tells us it got a strong lead within the first hour of its investigation of

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department is getting a bullet and stab protective vest for one of its K9s thanks to a donation. Vested Interest in K9s, a group that gives police dogs protective vests throughout the

Sold – for $2.5 million. That’s what Muhammad Ali’s 81-acre estate in Berrien Springs went for last month, six months after his widow Lonnie put the property on the market with an asking price of two-million-895-thousand-37 dollars.

A new year brings a new chief of police for Benton Township. With the retirement of former Chief Vince Fetke, Chief Brian Smit started this week. Smit tells WSJM News he’s excited to move up in the

A property foreclosure lawsuit headed to the Michigan Supreme Court is being watched closely by county treasurers across the state. That includes Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski, who tells us the results in the Oakland County case

From the Associated Press — Governor Gretchen Whitmer is directing state employees to immediately report all “imminent” threats to public health, safety or welfare higher up the chain. The Democrat issued her first executive directive Wednesday, a

By Doug Cunningham Southwestern Michigan College is happy with legislative action exempting part-time student workers from the teacher’s retirement system. But it took a lawsuit to get there. Southwestern Michigan College President Dr. David Matthews says the

As many federal government employees go without pay because of the partial government shutdown, a market in northern Michigan is pitching in to help U.S. Coast Guard members. The Bayside Market in Traverse City is allowing the

The legislative goals for new state Representative Pauline Wendzel for northern Berrien County remain unchanged from what she ran on last year. “Bringing good paying jobs back to our community, fixing the roads, which I know is