Local News Archives

(Lansing, MI – AP) – Michigan should make community college free for all and give merit-based scholarships to high school graduates who attend the state’s public universities, says a commission formed by Governor Rick Snyder. The panel

Mr. and Miss Blossomtime will be crowned Sunday and Monday night. The pageant has been running for over 110 years in southwest Michigan and the public gets a say for the first time. One of the Queens

Evening tours of the Van Buren County Courthouse and Jail are now being offered starting next Thursday. Frank Hardester is the trial court administrator in Van Buren County and tells our newsroom the tours are being done

The Michigan House has approved legislation to prohibit a lawmaker who resigns or who has been expelled from office from running in the special election to fill the seat. The bill which passed 72-36 Thursday is a

Exactly what caused an Allegan County Sheriff’s deputy to lose control and crash on M-40 in Valley Township early Friday morning is under investigation. Extensive damage was done to the police car when it went into a

This weekend we’ll lose an hour with the start of Daylight Saving Time. An effort is underway in Lansing, however, to get rid of DST and keep Michigan on Eastern Standard Time year-round. State Representative Peter Lucido

President Trump has made revising or even repealing the Dodd-Frank Act a priority. The law was passed in response to the banking crisis that helped spark the Great Recession, and Congressman Bill Huizenga of Zeeland is on

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is anticipating a good year for coho salmon fishing in Lake Michigan. The lake’s coho season is open year round, but the DNR says activity normally starts picking up in March.

The Michigan attorney general’s anti-bullying tipline OK2SAY is gaining in popularity. Spokeswoman Andrea Bitely tells WSJM News that in 2016, the program received nearly 34-hundred tips, up nearly 55% from 2015. “Almost a thousand tips on bullying,

The state’s Emergency Operations Center is up and running, as Governor Rick Snyder lends a hand to those without power across Michigan. The governor says in addition to providing clear communication across many agencies, they also have

The Lakeshore Sports Complex on Cleveland Road is going to get bigger. SWM Kickers and the Lakeshore Youth Soccer League are teaming up for the expansion, and LYSL president Mark Smith says it’s especially needed for soccer.

A realtor from Buchanan is this year’s Realtor of the Year for the area. The Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors has honored Linda Johnson of Integrity Real Estate Professionals in Niles with the award this year. She

Michigan lawmakers have approved legislation that aims to keep 100,000 criminals who are under state supervision from breaking the law again. The 20-bill package passed by the House Wednesday limits the length of incarceration for offenders who

The high winds throughout Michigan are causing problems keeping the lights on in some areas. Indiana Michigan Power is reporting about 9,000 customers early this afternoon without electricity, most in an area north of Paw Paw. By

Suspected mass murderer Jason Dalton is now scheduled to go on trial June 13 in Kalamazoo County. Dalton faces 16 charges, six of them murder counts, for a shooting spree around Kalamazoo last February. Among his victims

From the Associated Press — The head of Flint’s water pipe replacement program says the city hopes to finish the project in 2019. Retired National Guard Brigadier General Michael McDaniel coordinates the FAST Start initiative to replace lines

A plan that would guarantee all Michigan workers paid sick time has been introduced in the state legislature. A bill in the Senate would mandate employers give an hour of sick pay for every 30 hours worked.

Congressman Fred Upton is among the Republican rank and file supporting the House GOP’s American Health Care Act, designed to replace the Affordable Care Act. The plan released this week would keep in place the ACA’s prohibition

Leaders from Benton Harbor Area Schools will soon learn details of the district’s new partnership agreement with the state, buying three buildings targeted for closure 18 months of extra time. Last week, the governor’s office announced it’s

Part of the repackaging of the Affordable Care Act is now underway. Republicans released details of their ACA replacement this week, and Democrats like Congresswoman Debbie Dingell don’t like it. She spoke with Michigan News Network. “Seniors

The Michigan Department of Transportation will be evaluating a Van Buren County railroad crossing where a Grand Junction woman was killed last week. On Wednesday, 47-year-old Tiffany Glidden died when her truck was hit by a CSX

Testimony has been taken in Lansing on smart meters. The House Energy Policy Committee is debating a bi-partisan bill that would prevent utility companies from charging a fee for not installing the meters that track energy usage.

The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety hopes to work more closely with local seniors. Acting Director Dan McGinnis tells WSJM News  he’s planning to create a senior advocate position who can help the department organize the

A new poll says 64% of Michiganders want an investigation into the condition of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac. That’s after it was discovered sections of pipeline’s protective coating was weakened or missing.

For the last two years, a AAA survey has found three-quarters of Americans reported being afraid to ride in a self-driving car. The report reveals a majority of U.S. drivers seek autonomous technologies in their next vehicle,

Calls for fire service have been down in the city of Benton Harbor. Acting Public Safety Director Dan McGinnis tells our newsroom they had 498 fire calls in 2015, but just 273 in 2016. He notes this

Michigan is ranked 44th in the country when it comes to property taxes. Jill Gonzalez, with personal finance website WalletHub, says the average Michigan resident annually spends about $3,200 on property taxes. “Michigan has always been an outlier