Local News Archives

Gas prices continue to go skyward in Michigan. Triple-A puts the statewide average to start the week at $2.51, up 15¢ from last week and higher than last year by 59¢ a gallon. In the Benton Harbor-St.

The Van Buren County United Way is once again offering to do your taxes for you. The organization’s Vera Sebree tells us trained volunteers will hold several sessions throughout the next few months to fill out taxes

Thieves have hit JB Party Store on East Empire in Benton Harbor not once, but twice since the day after Christmas. Both armed robberies resulted in the suspects getting away with what public safety considers a “large

With freezing weather now here in southwest Michigan, Van Buren County Animal Control is taking a few extra steps to keep critters safe. The shelter’s Ashley Taylor tells our WSJM News volunteers are driving around the county looking for

Newly-elected state Representative Kim LaSata is settling into her Lansing office. WSJM News checked in with her this week, and she told us lawmakers are meeting to set an agenda ahead of next Wednesday’s official start of

A program to test Berrien County waterways for E-coli contamination is utilizing dogs to help do the initial detecting. The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission’s Marcy Hamilton tells WSJM News the dogs can detect human waste in the water, and

The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety is bringing back its Police Athletic League. Public Safety Director Dan McGinnis tells WSJM News PAL was once a great way for police officers to mentor young people in sports

A newly increased license fee and gas tax will mean about $460 million more for roads in Michigan this year. However, Berrien County Road Commission Managing Director Louis Csokasy tells our newsroom the road package approved in

State wildlife officials have signed off on Ann Arbor’s plan to kill up to 100 deer and sterilize dozens more. The Ann Arbor News says 11 parks and nature areas will be closed from 3 p.m. to midnight

Now that the flu season is here, doctors are once again urging everyone to get a shot. Dr. David Davenport, with Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo, tells us the most-prevalent strain of the virus this year is

The Mackinac Center of Public Policy and the ACLU are teaming up to call for the continued reform of Michigan’s civil forfeiture laws. The Mackinac Center’s Jarrett Skorup tells WSJM News reforms made in 2015 have helped to

The Michigan Secretary of State will ask people applying for a driver’s license if they want to sign up to be an organ donor under legislation signed this week by Governor Rick Snyder. The plan was introduced

U.S. employers added 156,000 jobs in December, capping a year of slower but solid hiring. The Labor Department says the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.7%. Michigan News Network Business editor Murray Feldman tells us Michigan is

More than 15 months after Flint’s water emergency broke open, Governor Rick Snyder has signed the first policy bill stemming from the man-made crisis. The governor signed legislation in Flint Friday requiring utilities to more quickly warn water

Western Michigan University is looking for a new football coach. PJ Fleck is leaving to take the head coach job at the University of Minnesota, and WMU Athletics Director Kathy Beauregard says she’s confident they can get

Congressman Fred Upton has received his latest committee assignment. He’s going to serve as the chair of the House Subcommittee on Energy. The subcommittee, which is under the umbrella of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, works

Newly-elected state Representative Kim LaSata is settling into her Lansing office. WSJM News checked in with her this week, and she told us lawmakers are meeting to set an agenda ahead of next Wednesday’s official start of

With freezing weather now here in southwest Michigan, Van Buren County Animal Control is taking a few extra steps to keep critters safe. The shelter’s Ashley Taylor tells our WSJM News volunteers are driving around the county looking for

If you’re a fan of fine beers, there will be something for you to do in St. Joseph this month. Set for the 28th is the second annual Winter Beer Fest. St. Joe Today’s Tess Carragher tells

More snow in December helped to make Berrien County parks busier places. Parks Director Brian Bailey tells WSJM News the most popular thing to do at the inland parks in the winter is cross country skiing, and in December,

Michigan’s governor has declared a state of emergency for a county north of Detroit following the collapse of a massive sewage line that – so far – has caused a football field-sized sinkhole. The disaster declaration was made

Vice President Joe Biden is expected to stop in Michigan and Illinois next week, part of a three-state tour in his final days in office. The White House announced Friday that Biden will deliver remarks Tuesday in

You’ll soon be able to go faster – legally – on some highways in Michigan. Governor Snyder has signed legislation to let Michigan people drive faster on at least 1,500 miles of rural highways as long as

(Lansing, MI – AP) – It’s likely to be harder to sue local governments in Michigan over a fall on a defective sidewalk. Governor Rick Snyder this week signed a law that gives local governments some extra

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow says she will vote against Betsy DeVos as the next head of the U.S. Education Department. The Michigan Democrat says she talked to DeVos. Stabenow says DeVos’ support for charter schools has “seriously

Flint area Democratic Congressman Dan Kildee doesn’t oppose everything President-elect Donald Trump has suggested. For example, he’s all for renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. Kildee tells us Canada and Mexico should agree to

Shadowland on Silver Beach has been recognized as one of the best venues for a wedding in Michigan by TheKnot.com. The Knot, which is a wedding site, added Shadowland to its “Best of Weddings” list, which recommends

When it’s this cold outside, health experts recommend you avoid spending time outside unless you have to. The Berrien County Health Department’s Gillian Conrad tells our newsroom if you’re outside, it’s important to take care with what

A conservative Republican state Senator from Macomb County, Jack Brandenburg, wants to eliminate the state income tax. Michigan News Network Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick says it would not be a gradual roll-back of the income tax

It’s been a busy week for Beth Griffin. The new 66th District state Representative is settling into Lansing and preparing to get to work with the rest of the legislature next Wednesday, when they get sworn in.