Local News Archives

A 74-year-old Benton Harbor man has claimed his $128,166 prize from the Michigan Lottery for the Fantasy 5 drawing on May 7. Odell Smith says he purchased the winning ticket at Lambrecht’s on Niles Avenue in St.

The city of South Haven is enforcing its new beach ordinance, adopted in January. City Manager Kate Hosier says they are taking an “aggressive stance on water safety.” Violators face a $1,000 fine and civil infraction for

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel was among the speakers at an abortion rights rally outside Grand Rapids City Hall on Saturday. Hundreds gathered to support their rights to have control over their bodies, and Nessel said she

Michigan’s average gas price continues to rise and set records. Triple-A Michigan says the price is up 5¢ from last week to $4.38 a gallon, which is up 48¢ in the past month and $1.43 more than

Four juveniles from the South Bend area had to be rescued from Lake Michigan at Warren Dunes State Park on Sunday. The Baroda-Lake Township Police Department says that they were dispatched to the park just before 6:20

A new study from the Krasl Art Center takes a look at the impact the center and the Krasl Art Fair have on the local economy. Krasl Events Director Jamie Balkin tells WSJM News it’s found the

The fourth annual Niles Renaissance Faire is set for this month. The Niles Renaissance Faire was started in 2017 by Carrie Nyenhuis when she was approached by a friend who worked for the city of Niles and

The St. Joseph Lincoln Senior Service Center is teaming up with Papa Vino’s restaurant in St. Joseph for a fundraiser. The center’s Cindi McLaughlin tells WSJM News it’s part of an ongoing effort for a new feature

Have you booked your summer vacation yet? Prepare for sticker shock with Michigan hotels. David Fishman with Cadillac Travel says the price of hotels is up an average of 25 to 30% this year. If you want

Michigan State Police will hold an event in Niles this month to check child passenger safety seats to make sure they’re properly installed. Parents of small children who use the car seats can stop by and have

Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad will hold a press conference next week to give his response to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s request for approval to officially close the Eric McGinnis case. The AG’s office determined the

Maskot/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — During the early days of the pandemic, Cayci Weaver was able to hold on to her teaching job. Educating high school students, however, was not easy; the switch to remote learning was a

May is Foster Care Awareness Month, and everyone’s being reminded of the need for loving foster families in Berrien County. Mikayla Valentine is a recruitment specialist for Bethany Christian Services in Benton Harbor and tells WSJM News

St. Joseph City Commissioners have approved the Heritage Museum and Cultural Center Lighthouse Tour agreement for the year. Heritage Museum Board member Dennis Szymanski told commissioners this past week year’s tours were affected by COVID, and that’s

Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she’s doing what she can to help as parents struggle with a shortage of baby formula nationwide. The governor’s office tells us more: Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced action that the State of

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is looking for some new foster families as the number of licensed foster homes in the state has dropped during the pandemic. Department foster care recruiter Jessica Sweet tells

Benton Harbor Area Schools is planning its 10th Annual Peace Day Reunion Celebration at Benton Harbor High School for June 10. The district says the event is an initiative that focuses on community and student-led commitments to

Longtime Whirlpool Corporation Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs Jeff Noel is taking on a new role. The office of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced this week Noel has been appointed secretary of the Cabinet for

With Memorial Day approaching, the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department is conducting a Click It Or Ticket seatbelt enforcement campaign. Chief Deputy Robert Boyce tells WSJM News there will be extra patrols out on the roads starting Monday

A 14-year-old Niles boy has been killed. Niles police were called to the Arbor Trails apartments on 5th Street just after 11 p.m. Thursday for a report that someone had been shot. The teen was found on

This year’s Blossomtime Grand Floral Parade is tomorrow in St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. The two-and-a-half mile parade starts at 1 p.m. at Main and Pearl streets in St. Joe and ends at Main and 5th streets

Another round of AAA testing reveals more inconsistencies with the performance of driving assistance systems found in vehicles on the road today, resulting in crashes with a simulated car and a simulated bicyclist. AAA researchers released their

The Berrien County Board of Commissioners is working with a Lansing based lobbying firm as it pursues state grants for local projects. Michael Krombeen with Midwest Strategy Group spoke to commissioners Thursday. He said there are billions

The Berrien County Road Department says traffic in the St. Joseph and Benton Harbor areas will be affected by this Saturday’s Blossomtime Parade. The detour on parade day will take drivers from M-63 or Lakeshore Drive to

The Berrien County Board of Commissioners will interview four applicants for a vacancy next week. Former Commissioner Don Meeks has resigned, leaving the District Three seat empty. County commissioners received four applications from residents interested in replacing

The Napier Avenue bridge over the St. Joseph River is expected to reopen to public traffic by Memorial Day weekend. The Berrien County Road Department announced Thursday construction crews are working to have one lane in each

Congressman Fred Upton says more money needs to be set aside by Congress for fighting COVID-19. President Biden also made the call for more aid this week as the nation marked one million deaths from the illness.

A new study from the Krasl Art Center takes a look at the impact the center and the Krasl Art Fair have on the local economy. Krasl Events Director Jamie Balkin tells WSJM News it’s found the

From the Associated Press — A former president at the University of Michigan who was fired over a relationship with a subordinate has apologized to the school’s governing board. It’s part of a settlement between the university

From the Associated Press — Many Republicans running for Michigan governor, minus one big-name candidate, will meet in their first debate. Eight of 10 candidates will participate in Thursday night’s event organized and moderated by the Livingston