There could soon be an effort to beautify areas of Benton Harbor with murals. At this week’s city commission meeting, Anna Russo-Sieber with ARS Arts and Culture Center in Benton Harbor and Detroit-area artist John Sauve made
An effort in Chikaming Township to raise money for the expansion of a popular beach is now in its home stretch. Chikaming Township Supervisor David Bunte tells WSJM News the Cherry Beach Project seeks to raise about
There will be a debate or more between Congressman Fred Upton and Democratic opponent Matt Longjohn in the race for the Sixth District congressional seat. Upton tells WSJM News he’ll make it a priority. Longjohn has called
Preparations are already underway for next year’s Berrien County Youth Fair now that the 2018 event is all wrapped up. Berrien County Youth Fair Director Karen Klug tells WSJM News about 105,000 people walked through the fairground
Benton Harbor City Commissioners continue to discuss the status of City Manager Darwin Watson. At Monday’s meeting, they emerged from a closed session, requested by Watson, at which they considered his employment agreement. In the end, commissioners
The duties of some of the most detail-oriented, safety minded engineers in the area were on display at the Silver Beach Center in St. Joseph Tuesday, as the resident inspectors from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission who
STEM education in Bridgman is getting a boost. The Bridgman Foundation for Educational Excellence gave the final $150,000 of $300,000 raised to support the F.C. Reed Middle School STEM Lab during this week’s school board meeting. Superintendent
With concerns about the safety of Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac, Senator Gary Peters held a U.S. Senate hearing in Traverse City today. He took testimony from officials from the Coast Guard,
A tax tribunal case between Harbor Shores and the city of Benton Harbor will continue. At a Monday meeting, the city commission rejected a settlement with Harbor Shores regarding its 2017 and 2018 assessments. The golf course
A new kind of class is being offered this upcoming academic year at Lake Michigan College. The college tells us it’s holding a course to teach students how to run a political campaign. LMC political science professor
State Senator John Proos has saluted the Edwardsburg Ambulance Service for reaching its 50th anniversary. Proos on Friday presented the service with a special tribute during a visit to Dowagiac. He tells us first responders “are supremely
Teachers in the St. Joseph Public Schools are getting a raise this year. Superintendent Ann Cardon says they’re in the middle of a three-year contract, and the negotiations over the past few months were just for the
The campaign of Congressman Fred Upton has indicated it is interested in scheduling debates between Upton and Democratic opponent Matt Longjohn, although it’s not being more specific than that. Longjohn last week challenged Upton to six debates,
Another round of car break-ins is under investigation by the St. Joseph Department of Public Safety. The department posted on its Facebook page Monday, saying the culprits are going through unlocked cars. There was also an attempted
Detroit native Garlin Gilchrist II is the pick of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gretchen Whitmer as her running mate. She introduced him at a campaign event in Lansing Monday morning. “Garlin Gilchrist is the kind of running mate
AAA Michigan reports that the average price for a gallon of gas has dipped about 10¢ in the last week on average, from just under $3 to $2.89 per gallon. But, they also say that price is
Benton Township police are looking for suspects in a triple shooting. They were called to a home around 2:30 a.m. Sunday in the 800 block of Eastern Avenue for a report of shots fired and found three
A move is in the works for Berrien County Cancer Service. Organization CEO Nancy Church tells WSJM News they’re relocating from their building on Red Arrow Highway near Stevensville to the second floor of the Marie Yeager
School districts around Berrien County have seen their revenues jump dramatically since the closure of a property tax loophole last year. Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski tells WSJM News legislation from state Representatives Dave Pagel and Kim
Congressman Fred Upton has announced a couple of grants for Berrien and Van Buren counties. His office tells us the first USDA Rural Development grant in Berrien is $95,000 for the village of Baroda. It will be
The Ojibway Correctional Facility in the western Upper Peninsula will close in December. The Michigan Department of Corrections announced the closure today as the prisoner population continues to decline statewide. State Representative Scott Dianda, who represents the
The Bangor Historical Society is looking to purchase its museum Museum on West Monroe Street. The society tells us it’s had a generous landlord for years, but now, the landlord would like to sell the building in
There will not be any public art on the sidewalks in the city of St. Joseph next year. The program is being paused for a year, partly due to the retirement of communications director Susan Solon, and
Horizon Bank has announced a new milestone. The bank that serves northern Indiana and southwest Michigan has surpassed $4 billion in total assets. Horizon Bank CEO Craig Dwight says this is the first time the institution has
Cornerstone Alliance is looking at all options to help Benton Township replace the Target store in the Fairplain Plaza, which closed earlier this year. To that end, they’ve hired an organization called The Retail Coach to study
Anyone interested in learning more about police work will soon have a chance to take part in a Michigan State Police Citizens Academy. Trooper Alan Fitzpatrick of the Paw Paw post tells WSJM News the next academy
The state of Michigan will begin collecting sales taxes on online purchases from out of state sellers next month. The Michigan Department of Treasury tells us a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has prompted it to change
National Parks in Michigan and around the nation could get some TLC if Congress Acts. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is promoting bipartisan legislation that would address the $12 billion maintenance backlog at parks across
Some southwest Michigan wineries have come out on top in a statewide competition. Held in Lansing on August 9 was the 2018 Michigan Wine Competition. Out of 415 wines entered, wineries of the Lake Michigan Shore Wine
This is the time of year to keep an eye out for Japanese knotweed. The Berrien County Conservation District’s Jared Harmon tells WSJM News the invasive plant just started sprouting its most distinctive feature last week. “It
