Local News Archives

A chase with police ended in a crash in Benton Township early Saturday morning. It happened shortly after 2 a.m. in the 200 block of Pine Street. The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department has issued the following statement:

The Michigan Senate has approved a Return to Learn plan for students this fall. The office of state Senator Kim LaSata has released the following statement: The Senate on Saturday approved a Return to Learn plan that

Warnings that shutting down the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline would cause gas prices to go up are not coming to fruition, according to a new analysis. Both legs of the underwater pipeline at the Straits of Mackinac

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed a bat found in Allegan County tested positive for rabies. The Allegan County Health Department says everyone is urged to stay away from wild animals like skunks,

Will the executive orders issued by President Trump this weekend make any difference for the average American? The president ordered that evictions be stopped, that an extra $400 per week be included with unemployment benefits, and that

The Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association today announced it will move the 2020 Fall football season to Spring 2021, due to football’s higher risk for spreading COVID-19, with the rest of Fall sports

The United Way of Southwest Michigan is inviting everyone to take part in the 21 Day Equity Challenge next month to get a deeper understanding of and willingness to confront racism. The organization says the challenge will

Orange barrels marking the start of a massive project to connect US-31 to I-94 will go out on Monday. Michigan Department of Transportation spokesperson Nick Schirripa tells WSJM News the three year, $122 million effort will have

The Berrien RESA Board of Education has voted to waive more than $906,000 in service fees to Berrien County school districts to help them during the COVID-19 crisis. The two years of fee waivers include product fees

Michigan is reporting 748 additional cases of COVID-19 for Friday. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says the state has had 91,140 cases of the illness since the start of the pandemic. It reported eleven

Michigan State Police are investigating a deadly crash in Allegan County. It happened just after 6 a.m. today when a Jeep ran a stop sign and was hit by a GMC Sierra pickup. The 33-year-old driver of

Michigan will mail postcards telling 4.4 million registered voters they can vote from home in November’s presidential election, and it will spend $2 million to reimburse local governments that provide pre-paid postage on absentee ballot return envelopes.

Four million free masks are going to be distributed to Michigan’s highest-risk COVID-19 patients. “Today we’re announcing the MI Mask Aid project,” said Governor Whitmer. “This project is a partnership involving the state of Michigan, FEMA, and

Last week’s primaries in Berrien County kept election workers busy late into the night and into the next morning. Berrien County Clerk Sharon Tyler updated the county board of commissioners during a Thursday meeting on how things

A new statewide program has been launched by Build Up Michigan and PBS Kids to help parents educate their littlest children at home during the pandemic. Thrive From Home is a series of videos and exercises that

Thursday’s meeting of the Berrien County Board of Commissioners delved into the topic of COVID-19 contact tracing, and whether it’s an unfair intrusion on the privacy of citizens. The Berrien County Health Department was asking for software

The Berrien County Board of Commissioners has agreed to let the Berrien County Health Department hire nine additional staff members using federal CARES Act funds. During a Thursday meeting, the health department was the main focus of

From the Associated Press — A Detroit-area hospital says it will reinstate visitor restrictions out of an abundance of caution following a rise in coronavirus cases among staff, patients and visitors. Beaumont Health said the limits will

Michigan is reporting 1,121 new cases of the coronavirus and 16 additional COVID-19 deaths. The state Department of Health and Human Services says of the 16 deaths, 9 were identified during a vital records review. Michigan now

State officials are investigating an incident out of the UP where a drone that was surveying erosion damage to the shoreline was attacked in mid-air by a bald eagle. The drone pilot was mapping the shoreline when

A first-of-its-kind connected and autonomous vehicle corridor is set to be built between Detroit and Ann Arbor to help test driverless cars. Governor Gretchen Whitmer was among those speaking at a Michigan Economic Development announcement today in

The Benton Harbor Area Schools Board of Education has approved the district’s return to school plan for the coming academic year. Chief of Schools LaWanna Shelton told the board this week there will be both an online

Congressman Fred Upton is pushing for a new coronavirus stimulus package that will include money for schools to reopen. He tells WSJM News he’s been talking with superintendents throughout the Sixth District, and hearing that they need

South Haven Public Schools will resume instruction this fall virtually. Superintendent Kevin Schooley tells WSJM News district leadership tried to plan for the coming year with flexibility for parents and students in mind. “If they want to

As more schools announce their plans for a return to classes this fall, the Berrien County Health Department is advising them on how to be safe. Spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News contrary to what some people

Indiana Michigan Power continues to work on restoring service to those who lost it in Monday’s storms. I&M has released the following statement: Indiana Michigan Power made significant progress restoring power Wednesday morning and afternoon. As of

From the Associated Press — Improvements planned for Holland State Park in western Michigan include a new restroom building, an automated parking notification system and even upgrades to a campground’s electric service. But a draft of the

There’s been a big find in southwest Michigan as the Mill at Vicksburg is being redeveloped into a mixed use project in southwest Michigan. Paper City Development COO, Jackie Koney, says some scientists came out and investigated

It’s been a busy time in Benton Harbor for Michigan State Police. The agency assigned six troopers and a sergeant to bolster police patrols in the city last week in response to a request for aid from

Benton Harbor’s central dock is changing hands after 85 years. Jack Kinney has sold it to construction firm Reith-Riley, and the 80-year-old was mostly happy with the sale. “This is kind of a tough thing on me