Local News Archives

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

The Van Buren County Road Commission is going to try again. After a ballot proposal asking the public for a millage increase to improve the roads was shot down last week, Road Commission Engineer Manager Larry Hummel

An Elkhart, Indiana man has been found guilty of murder in Cass County. The Cass County Prosecutor’s Office tells us 33-year-old Joseph Craigo’s trial wrapped up Friday after about a half hour of deliberations. The trial included

Deputies with the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department will now be carrying anti-overdose drug Naloxone as part of their regular equipment. Naloxone is a simple nasal spray that can get a person breathing again when they experience an

The Cass County Sheriff’s Department has completed a project to protect one of its K9s from excessive heat. Last fall, the Bow Wow Bakery and Bath in Dowagiac started the “Keep Nellie Cool” campaign, aiming to raise

Even without much rain in northern Michigan lately, the CEO of one vineyard says they’re doing just fine so far. Maria Dalese is the CEO of Chateau Chantal on Old Mission Peninsula and told Michigan News Network

The future of the Line 5 oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac will be the topic of two hearings in Traverse City, one Saturday, and the other on Monday. Liz Kirkwood, executive director of the group

A bill from state Senator John Proos that has sparked opposition from the Berrien County Board of Commissioners is also being opposed by the Berrien County Democratic Party. At this week’s board of commissioners meeting, Democratic Party

From the Associated Press — A Republican who had been seeking his party’s nomination for Michigan secretary of state has withdrawn from the race.The Detroit News reports that Shelby Township Clerk Stanley Grot cited family obligations Friday when

From the Associated Press — Officials are expanding an investigation into toxic chemicals in drinking water from private wells in part of southwestern Michigan. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality tested 25 residential wells for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl

Self-defense is being claimed by the suspect in a Gobles shooting death in June. At the preliminary hearing for Troy Taylor on Thursday in Van Buren County, his 14-year-old daughter testified her father had come to the

In case you’re wondering if Wallace Avenue in St. Joseph will be back open in time for next Friday’s season opening football game at St. Joseph High School, part of it will be. St. Joe City Engineer

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department is going to work with New Buffalo Area Schools on security. At this week’s meeting, the Berrien County Board of Commissioners approved an arrangement that will have a sheriff’s deputy stationed at

From the Associated Press — Authorities have positively identified a couple whose remains were recovered from the wreckage of a small plane that crashed more than 20 years ago in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The Mackinac County Sheriff Scott

A work requirement for able-bodied adults with no dependents who are receiving food assistance will go into effect across Michigan in October. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Bob Wheaton tells WSJM News those affected

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is appealing a decision that allowed Ibrahim Parlak to stay in the United States. Last month, an immigration judge approved Parlak’s application for deferral of deportation under the Convention Against Torture.

The upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend will have a lot of us on the road for a final summer trip. As has been the case for years, extra police patrols will also be out there. Berrien County

No direct answer from Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Schuette to a question on the future of Governor Snyder’s Healthy Michigan program if he’s elected. The Medicaid expansion provides health insurance for 680,000 people in the state. At

How many prisons does the state need? The Michigan Department of Corrections and state lawmakers say not as many as we currently have, and the announcement was made this week that the Ojibway Correctional Facility in the

An Allegan man is headed to federal prison for a little more than 20 years for sexually exploiting children. 27-year-old James Pyle was sentenced in federal court in Grand Rapids for the crimes. On Facebook in 2014,

A billboard urging Paw Paw Public Schools to change the school nickname from “Redskins” is now up on I-94. The sign was paid for by the Michigan Coalition Against Racism in Sports & Media, of which Benjamin

The music world has lost an icon. The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, has died at her home in Detroit at the age of 76 from pancreatic cancer. Franklin has been in hospice care for much of