Local News Archives

A man is in the Van Buren County Jail after leading a sheriff’s deputy on a chase late Monday night. The deputy tried to pull the man over for crossing the center line in Columbia Township when

The city of South Haven will spend some American Rescue Plan Act funds to replace lead water service lines. Public Works director Bill Hunter says the city needs to be spending $2.3 million annually on infrastructure, and

U.S. Senator Gary Peters is one of many lawmakers in the state who celebrated Martin Luther King Junior Day Monday. Peters released a video to commemorate the day, saying we can never lose sight of the dream

Michigan auto insurance reforms haven’t been a hit with everyone. Sarah Rhein is a nurse care manager with Private Duty Home Healthcare in St. Joseph. She tells WSJM News since changes that eliminated automatic catastrophic injury coverage,

Berrien County students talked about the lessons they have learned from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during a virtual event on Monday. The presentation organized by Benton Harbor area leaders and Andrews University also featured Governor Gretchen

Lake Michigan College has announced the winners of its Spirit of MLK Spotlight Awards for the year. The recipients were named during the kickoff to LMC’s MLK Week on Monday morning. Winning the group award was the

iStock/koto_feja (NEW YORK) — Newly inaugurated Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, signed several executive orders over the weekend, including one removing masking requirements in schools across the state. However, a growing number of school districts have

Mo Rocca will address the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan Speaker Series on March 15. The news correspondent, podcaster, and TV personality is best known for his offbeat news reports and satirical commentary. He’s currently a correspondent

From the Associated Press — Jury trials have been paused in some western Michigan counties due to a surge in coronavirus cases. Court officials said Monday that the Kent County 17th Circuit Court based in Grand Rapids

From the Associated Press — State officials say more than 400 water service lines in Benton Harbor have been replaced or verified to be free of lead. Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services said this week

From the Associated Press — A man convicted of criminal sexual conduct doesn’t deserve a new trial, despite learning that a western Michigan judge was sharing her opinion of the case through emails with a prosecutor. That’s

Governor Gretchen Whitmer today issued a proclamation declaring Monday, January 17, 2022 as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Michigan, honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Governor Whitmer and Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist call on Michiganders to reflect

Mark Schlissel is out as president of the University of Michigan after the Board of Regents investigated an inappropriate relationship he had with a university employee. He was fired Saturday with the Regents using his own policy

There’s a new nature preserve in southwest Michigan. Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy President Peter TerLouw tells WSJM News the group last month cleared the purchase of the 160 acre Armintrout Milbocker Nature Preserve in Allegan. It sits

Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency Director Julia Dale testified before a Joint Oversight Committee in Lansing this week. The hearing focused on a report that estimates the agency paid out about $8.5 billion in fraudulent benefits during the

An independent study of Michigan State Police traffic stops in 2020 has found racial disparities in the number of stops and their outcomes. Michigan State University’s Dr. Scott Wolfe was part of the study and said during

A $690,000 improvement project planned for Whirlpool Centennial Park in St. Joseph has moved another step forward. During a meeting this past week, St. Joseph City Commissioners approved a request for proposals, agreeing to seek bids for

A new non-profit has been launched to advance the development of trail systems in Berrien County. The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission’s Marcy Hamilton told the Berrien County Board of Commissioners this week about Friends of Berrien County

State Senator Aric Nesbitt is back to work in Lansing along with his colleagues as the Michigan Senate convened for its first session of 2022 on Wednesday. Nesbitt told WSJM News looking ahead to the new year,

The Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education has moved forward with a strategic plan for the district. During a meeting this past week, trustees approved a document worked out with the help of the Michigan Association

Indiana Michigan Power is offering customers some advice for saving energy in the new year. It says you can sign up to take part in the IM Green program, which enables customers to buy Renewable Energy Certificates

Michigan Works will hold a couple of workshops on getting criminal records expunged in the next month. It says its resource and expungement fairs are for anyone looking to clear their criminal record, look for a new

There’s a new candidate in the running for the new 38th District in the Michigan House. Joey Andrews, who previously ran for state House in the current 79th District, is seeking the seat. The state’s redistricting commission

The addition of a bottling operation to the Lawton facility of Welch Foods will mean more than 50 new jobs and more than $26 million in investment for the community. Market Van Buren’s Zach Morris tells WSJM

Part of Lakeshore Drive in St. Joseph will close on Monday for five weeks. Michigan Department of Transportation spokesperson Nick Schirripa tells WSJM News it’s for a maintenance project. “Most folks would probably know it as Lakeshore

Michigan is reporting 37,114 additional cases of COVID-19 for Thursday and Friday. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says that works out to an average of 18,557 per day across the two days. The state

Tri-County Head Start Discovery Enrichment Center is hosting a blood lead testing event on Wednesday, Jan. 19, from 2 to 6 p.m. for City of Benton Harbor residents, announced the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

A Ferris State University professor has been put on leave after a bizarre video about grades, attendance, COVID and a bunch of other topics. Barry Mehler is a 74-year-old instructor at the school in Big Rapids. He

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday issued mixed decisions in a pair of cases challenging the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The ruling allowed a mandate for certain health care workers to go into effect, but blocked

US Customs and Border Protection is out with a report on its seizures over the past year at Michigan’s international crossings. The Detroit field office says it seized over 14,000 pounds of marijuana, 240 pounds of cocaine,