Affordable child care helps parents stay in the workforce and earn money to provide for their families, but for some Michigan parents, it’s a difficult balance to achieve. When Hannah Gilliam of Grand Rapids had her first
A rally was held in Lansing Thursday to mark Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Day. Children’s Trust Fun Director Suzanne Greenberg tells WSJM News hundreds gathered and planted blue and silver pinwheels near the Michigan Capitol. Greenberg says
The Great Lakes Intertribal Food Summit is being hosted in Dowagiac this week by the Pokagon Band of Pottawatomi. The event runs through Sunday, and features a wide range of activities and presentations, many focused on traditional
A South Haven man is facing a variety of charges following a cocaine bust on Wednesday. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department tells us deputies with the narcotics unit arranged an undercover drug buy from the 50-year-old
The American Red Cross has scheduled some blood drives around southwest Michigan in the coming weeks. May is Trauma Awareness Month, and the Red Cross tells us one car crash victim could need as many as 100
From the Associated Press — Michigan’s child poverty rate dropped over five years, but hundreds of thousands of kids – or one in five – are still living in poverty. The annual Kids Count Profile released Tuesday
From the Associated Press — A three-judge panel has ruled that Michigan’s congressional and legislative maps are unconstitutionally gerrymandered, ordering the state Legislature to redraw at least 34 districts for the 2020 election. The decision issued Thursday
Fourteen communities around Michigan are getting state grants to host river, stream and creek cleanup activities. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy timed the awards totaling more than $29,000 to coincide with Earth Day. Local
Three finalists will be back in Lansing for the last round of interviews in the search for Michigan’s new State Schools Superintendent. The three emerged from five candidates interviewed this week by the state Board of Education.
A push to no longer automatically try 17-year-olds as adults is gaining momentum in Michigan’s Legislature. The Senate overwhelmingly approved a 14-bill package Wednesday to put 17-year-old offenders in the juvenile justice system, with an exception for
Michigan State Police are joining a number of local police and health agencies using a federally created computer mapping system to track opioid overdoses. It provides a way for health officials and police agencies to respond in
Lake Michigan College is about to start a major upgrade project for the Mendel Center and Grand Upton Hall. At a meeting of the LMC Board of Trustees this week, bids were awarded for the $3.2 million
From the Associated Press — The Michigan Supreme Court has tightened the legal standard for searching people during a traffic stop. The court ruled in favor of a car passenger who said his rights were violated when
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is highlighting progress that’s been made recently with getting more Michiganders signed up for the state’s organ donor registry. Employees at Secretary of State branch offices ask customers if they would
We now know who is running in city elections this year in St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. According to the Berrien County Clerk’s office, there will be three St. Joseph City Commission seats up for grabs, and
The Michigan Department of Treasury is accepting applications for its Fostering Futures Scholarship program. Michigan Education Trust Director Robin Lott tells WSJM News program was set up as a way to help young people who have been
A clerk at Sunrise Liquor in Cass County’s Howard Township is recovering after being beaten by three robbery suspects. The sheriff’s department says the suspects walked into the store on Huntly Road at 9:30 Tuesday night with
A 26-year-old Benton Township man is facing seven felony charges following a drug bust by the Southwest Enforcement Team. Javarick Randolph has been arraigned in Berrien County court following a month-long investigation by authorities into heroin and
There are changes in the inner workings of the office of state Senator Kim LaSata. She has named Berrien Springs native Katie Lindt-Witkowski as her new chief of staff, replacing Stephanie Bogema, who has moved over to
There will be some drug take-back events in Van Buren County this weekend. Bronson Community Health tells us people can drop off old, unwanted prescription medications at the Bronson Wellness Center in South Haven and at the
From the Associated Press — Michigan lawmakers are moving to ban the possession of e-cigarettes by minors. Legislation approved unanimously by the Senate on Tuesday would also prohibit the sale of the battery-operated devices to people under
More than 90 FIRST Robotics teams from all over Michigan will be in Detroit this week for the FIRST Robotics World Championship. Set to take place Wednesday through Saturday at Ford Field and Cobo Center, the event
Vice President Mike Pence is visiting Michigan on Wednesday to talk trade as the Trump administration pushes for Congress to ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, an update to NAFTA. Congressman Fred Upton tells WSJM News the administration
Some armed robbery suspects out of Ann Arbor were busted in Van Buren County on Tuesday. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department tells us it got word of a gas station robbery in Ann Arbor earlier in
The Coloma Comets have once again come out on top in the Southwest Michigan Spirit Tournament. The tournament was held by state Senator Kim LaSata, continuing a tradition started by her predecessor to find the southwest Michigan
Republicans have given the thumbs down to Governor Whitmer’s plan for a 45¢ per gallon gas tax increase to fix the roads. A Senate panel took that out of the budget, instead voting to accelerate $132 million
The Friends of the St. Joseph Library are preparing for a rare book sale this week. Friends of the Library President Rebecca Marsden tells WSJM News the sale will be upstairs at the library Thursday through Saturday,
The summer tradition in St. Joseph of the city showing “Movies in the Park” at Whirlpool Centennial Park is getting a bit of a shake-up this summer. Greg Grothous is the city’s deputy director of parks and
A change has been made at the helm of the Van Buren County Road Commission. A letter from the commission to area officials confirms Larry Hummel is no longer employed as the agency’s engineer-manager, effective last Thursday.
There’s another hat being tossed into the ring for the St. Joseph City Commission in this year’s election. Shawn Hill made his candidacy official on Monday, and says he’s been asked why he’s running. His response is
