Local News Archives

Students in Hartford have received some help from Michigan State Police, and maybe without even knowing it. The Paw Paw Post says Sergeant Tom Brower helped to load vans full of food for students on Thursday. The

Michigan has 501 new COVID-19 cases and 69 new deaths, though the state says 31 of those on Thursday are from reviews of death certificates which happen three times a week. Overall, the state is up to

South Haven City Manager Brian Dissette will be the next county administrator of Berrien County, assuming the contract negotiations go well. The Berrien County Board of Commissioners on Thursday voted unanimously to begin working on a contract

More parts of the economy are opening up. Governor Whitmer has signed a new executive order reopening veterinarian offices and pet grooming, auto showrooms by appointment only, more retail by appointment only, and expanding available medical and

Legislation intended to help the nation’s smallest businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic has been introduced in the U.S. House with the backing of Congressman Fred Upton. He tells WSJM News Congressman Dan Kildee is the main sponsor

A donation of $500,000 is being made by the American Electric Power Foundation to non-profits throughout Indiana and southwest Michigan. AEP spokesperson Schnee Garrett tells WSJM News this is in addition to nearly $250,000 donated in April

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi says members of its Elders Council have been working on the creation and distribution of face masks to protect Pokagon Health Service employees, patients, Pokagon Elders, spouses, Pokagon citizens, and more from

The Region Four Area Agency on Aging is inviting local seniors to become involved as the state crafts a blueprint for aging in Michigan during the pandemic. Agency COO Christine Vanlandingham tells WSJM News a State Plan

Devastating is how Governor Whitmer describes the flooding around Midland. She took an aerial tour on Wednesday of what was Wixom Lake, formed by dams on the Tittabawassee River, and that lake is now gone after two

Michigan is reporting 659 additional cases of COVID-19 around the state for Wednesday. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says there have been 43 additional deaths for the day. Since the start of the pandemic,

The Berrien County Board of Commissioners will interview South Haven City Manager Brian Dissette for the position of county administrator on Thursday. The county board is looking to replace current Administrator Bill Wolf, who retires next month.

President Trump is taking aim at Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Twitter, but his criticism posted Wednesday morning isn’t factual. In the tweet, Trump said Michigan has sent “absentee ballots to 7.7 million people” ahead

Spectrum Health Lakeland is reminding everyone of its financial aid options during the COVID-19 pandemic. Treatment for coronavirus is not free, and Lakeland Manager of Patient Access Jenna Howard tells us insurance companies are treating cases like

The city of Benton Harbor continues distributing personal protective equipment to residents. Mayor Marcus Muhammad said during a virtual meeting of the city commission on Monday staff and elected officials have been going to housing developments to

Congressman Fred Upton wants another coronavirus relief bill. He tells WSJM News the bill introduced by Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week and approved by the House didn’t cut it. “There was no outreach to Republicans, not even

The Van Buren/Cass District Health Department has announced the launch of a new COVID-19 reopening website. It’s intended to help business owners plan their reopening as safely as possible. The site contains guidance from public health officials,

Two first responders from the Cass County Sheriff’s Department have given back to the community during the COVID-19 crisis by donating plasma. Road Patrol Captain Thomas Jacobs and Undersheriff Clinton Roach both contracted coronavirus in mid March

South Haven City Manager Brian Dissette says he’s again reminding city council members about the warnings coming from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that Lake Michigan flooding will remain

All registered voters in Michigan will receive an application to vote by mail in the August and November elections this year. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says doing that ensures no one has to choose between their

Berrien County’s COVID-19 cases are up by 10 from Monday to 538, with deaths in the county higher by three to 33. The Berrien County Health Department says recoveries are now up to 336. In Van Buren

Benton Harbor City Commissioners have approved some increases to the water and sewer rates. During a Monday virtual meeting, they were told the increases will be needed to properly support the utility fund as a variety of

Another medical marijuana outfit has been granted a special use permit by the city of Benton Harbor to open a dispensary in the community. During a Monday virtual meeting, the Benton Harbor City Commission gave the green

There is at least one summer event from St. Joseph Today that will go on. The St. Joseph City Commission approved a revised plan for the Farmers Market to run every Saturday from June 6 through October

The July 3 fireworks show in Baroda has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Baroda Fire Department announced on Monday the township board opted to cancel out of concern for the health of the public

Affordable housing groups are pressing the state to come up with a program to help people unable to pay their rent or mortgage. Jeremy DeRoo, the director of LINC UP, a neighborhood revitalization nonprofit in the Grand

Legislation to provide aid to states left financially drained by the COVID-19 pandemic is being introduced in the U.S. House. Congressman Fred Upton says the State and Municipal Assistance for Recovery and Transition, or SMART, Fund will

More testing is being done around the state for COVID-19, and things are improving in a few of Michigan’s hotspots like metro Detroit and Grand Rapids. The state now has 51.915 cases of COVID-19, up by 773

A resurfacing project is about to start on East Main Street in Benton Harbor. The Michigan Department of Transportation says it’s working on two miles of the road from the St. Joseph River to Fair Avenue. The

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed an executive order that will allow businesses in certain regions to reopen. The governor’s office has released the following statement: Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-92, allowing for the reopening,

The number of COVID-19 cases in Michigan is higher by 638 as of Sunday afternoon to 51,142. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is reporting 11 new deaths for a total of 4,891 and recoveries