Local News Archives

The Berrien County Parks Commission is getting ready to start working on a new park in Watervliet. Paw Paw River County Park has been in the works for awhile, and parks director Brian Bailey tells WSJM News

A St. Joseph Township man has a simple but important message for everyone after he escaped unharmed from a fire that destroyed his house early Sunday morning. “Check your smoke detectors, get new ones, go to the

A new record for a Friday attendance at the Niles Scream Park is now in the books, thanks in large part to last week having a Friday the 13th. The park’s Christina Rhebergen tells WSJM News they

The director of the Michigan State Police will lose five days of pay for sharing a Facebook post that called NFL players who kneel during the national anthem “anti-American degenerates.” Governor Snyder announced the decision Thursday. He

The pause button is being hit by the Benton Harbor Area Schools Board on trying to sell some properties. The district is in the middle of a facilities usage study, which officials say might result in new

If you’re a dog owner, then you may want to bring your four legged friend to Fernwood Botanical Garden in Buchanan this weekend. Saturday brings Fernwood’s second annual Howl-o-ween. Fernwood’s Jordan Wahlstrom tells WSJM News it’s a

South Haven area tourism leaders are hoping to make the town a destination for more of the year than just the summer. That’s why they’re holding the Haven Harvest Festival next weekend. Scott Reinert with the South

Three people are locked up in the Van Buren County Jail as the result of a fight in downtown South Haven. Police were called around 7:30 Wednesday night and got there fast enough to stop the suspects

South Haven’s Michigan Maritime Museum is in the Halloween spirit with its third annual Haunted Museum event tomorrow and Saturday. The museum’s Ashley Deming says this year’s theme is FALLOUT, with the facility being transformed to features

With a U.S. Senate run under consideration, Congressman Fred Upton tells WSJM News he knows he’s a much bigger target for the Michigan Democratic Party than ever before in 2018. The Democrats this week put out a

The number of students being served by the Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates program at Benton Harbor High School is being doubled this year thanks to a partnership with Youth Solutions. The expansion means 100 students, roughly 15%

Van Buren County’s Central Dispatch can now accept text messages sent to 9-1-1. The Text-to-911 service will work from anywhere in Van Buren County, and it’s been being tested since early May. All four major wireless carriers

A plan to build a private marina and nearly 40 home sites near Saugatuck Dunes State Park is drawing opposition from area residents and environmentalists. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality held a hearing Tuesday night at

Ray Gustafson of WSJM News moderated a special Suicide Prevention Town Hall held Tuesday (October 17) at the Mi-Journey Drop-In Center, featuring panelists from the community. The event aired live on News/Talk 94.9 WSJM and sister station

An unintended consequence that needs to be addressed is how Congressman Fred Upton views a law passed in 2016 that the “Washington Post” and “60 Minutes” report has weakened the federal government’s ability to stop the distribution

The Benton Harbor City Commission is being urged by some in the area to get busy getting the word out regarding the income tax proposal on the November ballot. At Monday’s commission meeting, activist Ed Pinkney of

It was touted as the largest BISSELL Pet Foundation “Empty The Shelters” event to date, and it delivered this past weekend. Foundation founder Cathy Bissell tells WSJM News that overall, more than 21-hundred pets were adopted, with

United Federal Credit Union is getting ready to expand. The credit union broke ground yesterday for its first branch in South Bend. It will be the first of six new branches in St. Joseph County, Indiana. The

An Indiana man accused in an attack on a Michigan State Police trooper has been sentenced to 15 to 50 years in prison. 19-year-old Travis Wise of Middlebury was sentenced Monday for assault with intent to murder

Benton Harbor will send two public safety officers to Kalamazoo for training. City commissioners on Monday approved spending just over $14,000 for that out of the department budget. Mayor Pro Tem Duane Seats was miffed reserve officers

Two people are being treated at South Haven Hospital after the boat they were on caught fire in Lake Michigan off the coast of South Haven. It happened just before 4 p.m. Monday near north beach, and

Congressman Fred Upton says he will make a decision soon whether or not he will run for Congress next year, or take a gamble at trying to unseat Senator Debbie Stabenow. The St. Joseph Republican has a

Rock 107 WIRX and News/Talk 94.9 WSJM will be airing a town hall forum Tuesday night regarding suicide prevention. Anna Magdalena-Christensen is with MIJourney in Benton Township, and is hosting the event at their offices at M-139

A resolution in the state House which would mandate in the Michigan Constitution that the budget be done and sent to the governor by July 1 is now co-sponsored by Berrien County Representative Kim LaSata. The Bainbridge

The heavy rain over the weekend has resulted in a sanitary sewer overflow into the Black River in South Haven. The city’s department of public works says between 10,000 and 13,000 gallons of diluted wastewater overflowed into

Southwestern Michigan authorities say a dam in the village of Paw Paw has breached following heavy rainfall. Paw Paw officials say that after the breach was discovered around 5 a.m. Sunday, crews were summoned to open an additional spillway. Officials

The United Way of Southwest Michigan is looking for volunteers for this fall’s Day of Action for Seniors. The organization’s Julee Laurent tells WSJM News that’s when hundreds of folks across Berrien and Cass counties rake the

Lawmakers in Lansing continue to work on auto insurance reform. House Speaker Tom Leonard calls told Michigan News Network the package unveiled in late September the first plan which offers rate relief to Michigan drivers. “What I’m

From the Associated Press — An Austin, Texas-based nonprofit has applied for a state license to open a non-surgical abortion clinic in South Bend. The South Bend Tribune reported Friday that the clinic operated by the Whole Woman’s