Local News Archives

Animal Aid of Southwestern Michigan will hold its annual Mutt March this coming weekend. The Mutt March raises money for the animal rescue organization. It’s a walk including dog owners and their friends in St. Joseph. The

At least 143 Michigan school districts have asked for waivers to begin school before Labor Day this year, the largest number since a law was passed requiring the later start. The tourism industry argued the later start

A beach hazards advisory is still in effect until 8 tonight from the National Weather Service for the Lake Michigan shoreline all the way from Indiana to Manistee. While there have been people surfing the big waves

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

A five point plan has been introduced by Democratic Secretary of State candidate Jocelyn Benson to ensure that upcoming elections are executed safely. The plan involves stringent post-election audits, standardized poll worker training and the formation of

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

Time is running out for high school graduates from the class of 2018 to apply for Tuition Incentive Program benefits from the Michigan Department of Treasury. The department tells us the grant program — commonly referred to

From the Associated Press — Officials are warning Lake Michigan beachgoers and boaters about dangerous waves and strong currents and have issued warnings for most of the lake’s shoreline in the coming days. The National Weather Service issued

July marked the seventh record breaking month in a row this year for the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids. Airport spokeswoman Tara Hernandez says July of this year was the busiest July ever with

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