Local News Archives

When kids age out of foster care in Michigan, what do they do if they want to go to college? Fundraising efforts have been underway for the past several years through Fostering Futures to raise scholarship money

The St. Joseph High School football team is going to team up to fight cancer this year, and there are ways you can help. The Team Up Against Cancer campaign’s Regina Ciaravino tells WSJM News the Bears

A second local governmental unit is on record opposing a bill from state Senator John Proos to exempt utilities from paying personal property taxes on new equipment, including transmission lines and power generation devices like solar farms

One person is dead and three others are hospitalized at Lakeland in St. Joseph following a pair of overnight shootings in Benton Harbor. Authorities don’t know if the shootings are connected. In the first, public safety officers

High marks for Lake Michigan College President Trevor Kubatzke. At a meeting this week, the LMC Board of Trustees gave Kubatzke a positive performance evaluation. President Michael Lindley told WSJM News since Kubatzke came on in April

$185,000 in scholarships will be handed out by the Berrien Community Foundation in the 2018-2019 academic year. The foundation announced the scholarship recipients at a reception last week. Foundation Program Manager Susan Matheny tells WSJM News the

Watervliet has a new city manager. His name is Tyler Dotson, and he comes from Blissfield, Michigan. Dotson is working a set of goals he would like to accomplish for the city. He tells us building relationships

A group of people who became stuck in a lift near South Haven Saturday afternoon are now safe thanks to South Haven Area Emergency Services. SHAES tells us a power outage caused the group to be caught

The latest book of foreclosed properties set to be auctioned off by the Berrien County Treasurer’s office is now available. Treasurer Bret Witkowski tells WSJM News the new book has 183 properties, of which 181 were foreclosed

How big of a problem is gerrymandering in Michigan? According to a new report from the Citizen’s Research Council of Michigan, it’s a significant one. “Quantifying The Level of Gerrymandering In Michigan” finds the practice goes back

St. Joseph Public Schools Trustees are pleased with district Superintendent Ann Cardon. At meeting this week, the board of education approved Cardon’s annual performance evaluation and extended her contract through June 30, 2021. Board President Amy Porritt

We pay more for car insurance in Michigan than any other state, and a new report finds a big factor to that is 20% of Michigan drivers are getting behind the wheel without any insurance at all.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Department says one man was arrested following a shooting incident in Vandalia Friday afternoon. It tells us deputies responded to a call about shots being fired around 2:40. They learned there had been

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department tells us two men are in custody after a chase with deputies on Friday. It started in the 47,000 block of 27th Street in Almena Township when a sheriff’s deputy pulled

Retiring Lake Michigan College Trustee Judy Truesdell has been saluted for her years of service by the LMC Board of Trustees. At a meeting this week, the board sent Truesdell off with a resolution commending and thanking

Love Creek County Park in Berrien Center is expanding. At their most recent meeting, the Berrien County Board of Commissioners approved putting up a match for a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant approved by the governor

Governor Rick Snyder has signed legislation from state Senator John Proos designed to reward Michigan students who take STEM classes and to inform them about the jobs available in their areas. Proos tells WSJM News one bill

July is Craft Beer Month, a chance for Michigan’s quickly growing craft beer industry to showcase its strength and for distributors to celebrate locally-made brews. Bud Distributing Sales Manager Jenna Podjan tells WSJM News the Dowagiac-based company’s

The 33rd annual Eau Claire Cherry Festival will be held on Wednesday, the Fourth of July. The festival’s Cindy Glassman Cantrell tells us the downtown area of Eau Claire is shut down for the fun, which is

The Berrien County Health Department has activated a heat alert for this entire weekend, warning everyone to take steps to keep themselves healthy and safe. Spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News you need to be sure to

Dowagiac will hold its fireworks tonight. The fifth annual fireworks celebration in Dowagiac will be at dusk at the Dowagiac Municipal Airport. The show is possible thanks to the Young Professionals of Greater Dowagiac and donations from

Air conditioners are buzzing and likely won’t be turning off until next week all over southwest Michigan with this heat bubble that’s slowly moving over the eastern U.S. In order to be sure your home stays as

Thousands of people are expected to pack into Silver Beach County Park, Tiscornia Park and Jean Klock Park on Wednesday for the city of St. Joseph’s July 4th fireworks show. St. Joseph Deputy Public Safety Director Steve

USA Today has included Red Arrow Highway in its list of beautiful scenic drives around the United States. In a piece published this week, USA Today picks one route from each state to identify as offering lovely

Benton Harbor Area Schools will be led by Dr. Robert Herrera, after all. The school board, state officials, and Herrera have agreed on a start date of July 17 for him to serve as the district’s CEO.

From the Associated Press —  Rick Snyder has signed a $16.8 billion education budget that includes a sizable increase in base aid for lower-funded K-12 districts in Michigan. The outgoing Republican governor approved his final education budget Thursday. It

She is sometimes known as the Sand Pirate, and she’s perhaps southwest Michigan’s most renown sand sculptor. Janet Moore Schrader tells WSJM News she started sculpting with sand after winning a battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in the

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department is reminding everyone of what the rules are for shooting off fireworks now that the Fourth of July is just about here. Chief Deputy Robert Boyce tells WSJM News, first of all,

Berrien County Commissioner Jeanette Leahey is hoping to conduct a county salary study. For the past few meetings, she has asked other commissioners for their input as the Personnel and Human Services Committee weighs its options. Leahey

There have been some clear changes in Berrien County’s employment picture since the end of the Great Recession. The latest economic outlook report from the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research takes a look at such trends throughout