Local News Archives

South Haven Area Emergency Services was able to make short work of an industrial fire on Wednesday morning. The agency tells us its responders quickly contained a fire reported at Lakeshore Iron on County Road 687 near

Now that Michigan voters have approved Proposal 3, they will be able to register the same day they cast their ballot. Michigan Secretary of State-elect Jocelyn Benson told Michigan’s Big Show Wednesday morning the proposal partly spelled

A second attempt to pass a county-wide road millage in Van Buren County failed on Tuesday. The millage was to bring the county’s primary road up to good condition as about 67% of the primary roads are

Voters in many areas across Berrien County selected their county commissioners Tuesday. Among the contested races, 1st District Commissioner David Volrath has defeated a challenge from Patricia Camarena-Rose Barbary. 9th District Commissioner Ezra Scott also retains his

From the Associated Press — Governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer says her initial legislative priorities will include cleaning up drinking water and fixing the roads. The Democrat spoke with reporters in Detroit on Wednesday after her victory over Republican Bill

The three proposals initiated by voter petitions have passed in Michigan. Among those is Proposal 2, which changes the way Michigan’s legislative districts are drawn. Voters Not Politicians founder Katie Fahey commented to Michigan News Network. “We’ve

Proposal 1 to legalize recreational marijuana has been approved by Michigan voters, but that doesn’t mean you can smoke a joint today. Attorney Matthew Abel of the Cannabis Council says the new law won’t take effect until ten

In the tightest election of his career, Congressman Fred Upton has won reelection for a 17th term in the U.S. House. Upton held off on a victory speech at Shadowland Pavilion in St. Joseph until close to

While  there was positive news for Democrats around Michigan on Tuesday, in southwest Michigan, Democrats didn’t fare as well. Republicans appear to retain the state legislative seats despite some attempts by local Democrats to dislodge them. One

Tuesday was a good day for Republican state legislative candidates in Van Buren County. Winning the race for the Michigan Senate in the 26th District was Aric Nesbitt, a former state representative and lottery commissioner. He told

Pauline Wendzel is headed to the state House. The Watervliet native defeated Democrat Joey Adams in the race to succeed state Senator-elect Kim LaSata on Tuesday and spoke to WSJM News after declaring victory. Wendzel says auto

The rate of homelessness among Michigan veterans continues to trend down. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development this week released its Annual Homeless Assessment Report, which found the total number of reported veterans experiencing homelessness

A study on the future of transportation in the St. Joseph and Benton Harbor areas will be discussed at an open house next week. “Principles in Motion” is the new Long Range Transportation Plan for the area.

From the Associated Press — A western Michigan man serving life in prison without parole for killing and decapitating a teen in 1996 and mutilating the head in front of a video camera is getting a chance

Students at Southwestern Michigan College have had a chance to learn about local invasive plant species and also fight them on their campus in Dowagiac. SMC Agriculture Tech Coordinator Stacey Rocklin tells WSJM News a group of

There are some basic rules if you are not a regular voter on this midterm Election Day in Michigan. One thing you do not need to vote is a photo ID. Sure, state law requires it, and

From the Associated Press — Authorities say a 46-year-old man has died and a 52-year-old woman is missing after going swimming in hazardous waters in Lake Michigan near a Chicago suburb. The city of Highland Park says in

It was a packed house at The Citadel in Benton Harbor Monday night as members of several faiths gathered to remember the victims of last month’s shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. The vigil

The Berrien County Clerk’s Office is hard at work preparing for Tuesday’s elections. Clerk Sharon Tyler tells us voters will want to give themselves more time to cast their ballots due to the loss of straight ticket

Republican candidate for the Michigan House in the 79th District Pauline Wendzel is feeling good ahead of the big election Tuesday. She tells us, to her, the three biggest issues are auto insurance, jobs for young people,

With the big election just about here, Democratic candidate for the Michigan House in the 79th District Joey Andrews has issued some documents outlining his positions on affordable housing and auto insurance reform. Andrews tells WSJM News

Police are investigating a bank break-in in Berrien Springs. The Berrien Springs-Oronoko Township Police Department tells us it managed to nab the suspect just as he was walking out of the bank. Officers were called to the

He’s not endorsing a Democrat, and he won’t even say he’s voting for him, but state Representative Dave Pagel doesn’t have anything negative to say about Ian Haight, who is the Democrat running for the state Senate

From the Associated Press — Candidates for governor, U.S. Senate and other top offices are crisscrossing Michigan on the eve of Tuesday’s election. Democrat Gretchen Whitmer and Republican Bill Schuette, vying for the governorship, each have seven

Van Buren County voters are being asked this week to approve a local road millage request after it was defeated during the August primary. Road Commission Engineer-Manager Larry Hummel tells us they made a slight change to

Gas prices are getting lower in Michigan. Triple-A says the average for a gallon of regular is down around 9¢ from last week and down by 32¢ in the last month to $2.70 a gallon. It marks

Things are back to normal at Baseline Middle School in South Haven after the school was put on a soft lockdown this morning. A note was found in a bathroom with what’s described as a “low-level bomb

Honor Credit Union is collecting cases of bottled water to be donated to Benton Harbor Area Schools. The water drive is due to tests finding lead levels higher than the federal Action Level in eight homes this

Grand Valley State University is banning the use of alcohol at all fraternity and sorority events until further notice. Vice Provost Loren Rullman says they are concerned about the welfare and safety of the students. “We’ve decided