Local News Archives

You can now sign up for Berrien County’s new Smart 911 system. 911 Director Dave Agens tells WSJM News Smart 911 is an online system where you can enter information about yourself for first responders to know if

Fatalities on Michigan roads during the Memorial Day weekend continue to trend up. Michigan State Police Special Lieutenant Jim Flegel tells WSJM News eight people died this past Memorial Day weekend in crashes. Lack of seat belt

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department tells us it was able to nab a couple of home break-in suspects last week after they were reported in the act. It happened last Thursday in Breedsville. Someone called police

The Van Buren County Drain Commission has had a beaver problem lately. Drain Commissioner Joe Parman tells WSJM News there’s been an increasing number of instances in which beavers have caused flooding of fields and roads by blocking

A couple from Wyoming, Michigan remains in the Berrien County Jail facing a variety of charges after an incident involving a gun at the courthouse in St. Joseph this week. 40-year-old Arnelda Jackson and 37-year-old Molly Jackson

The U.S. has withdrawn participation in the Paris global climate pact. President Donald Trump made that announcement Thursday at the White House. Republican Congressman Fred Upton spoke with Michigan News Network and said he’s not happy about

If you’ve got an E-ZPass transponder, you’re not saving any money on the Indiana Toll Road starting today compared to using cash. Big increases are taking effect with the expiration of a state subsidy from the state’s

Is a U.S. Senate run in the cards for Congressman Fred Upton? Michael Patrick Shiels put that question to the St. Joseph Republican this morning on “Michigan’s Big Show.” “You know, we don’t have a timetable,” said

From the Associated Press — Likely gubernatorial candidate Brian Calley is leading a ballot drive to make Michigan’s Legislature part-time. The Republican lieutenant governor announced the Clean MI Government proposal Tuesday. It would amend the constitution to limit lawmakers

A ribbon cutting for the closest active viewing park at an airport in the country has been held in Grand Rapids. The Airport Viewing Park at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport has reopened now that renovations

The Red Cross is urging everyone to look into donating blood this summer. Spokesperson Todd Kulman tells WSJM News things can get tight this season. “Summer donations tend to decline due to folks traveling, vacations, that sort of

The Michigan Secretary of State’s office in Paw Paw is relocating. The SOS tells us the office on East Michigan Avenue will be shut down from June 12 to June 16. The office is moving to the

Police are looking for the driver of a vehicle involved in a hit and run in Cass County Wednesday. The sheriff’s department tells us it happened on US-12 west of M-217 around noon. The 19-year-old driver of

Legislation designed to encourage young people in Michigan to study STEM subjects has moved forward in the Michigan Senate. State Senator John Proos tells WSJM News the plan would require schools to provide students with the latest

A new law enforcement team designed to help fight the opioid epidemic has been formed by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette. Spokesperson Andrea Bitely tells WSJM News the team will be focused on catching traffickers, dealers, and doctors who

Two people are facing charges over a Cass County dog attack. The prosecutor’s office tells us three people were injured on or around April 9 in Calvin Township when a dog bit them. The dog’s two owners

With folks heading back to the beach for the summer, Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey wants them to be safe and to follow the rules. He tells WSJM News, for one thing, his department will be watching

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department is looking for suspects in the theft of some construction equipment in Bertrand Township this month. It tells us the crime happened in the 1,700 block of Mayflower Road the morning of

A Benton Harbor man is recovering after his boat capsized on a lake in Cass County Wednesday. The sheriff’s department tells us deputies were called out to Dewey Lake around 10:30 a.m. on a report of a

One man is dead after being hit by a train in Hartford Wednesday morning. It happened about 8:40 a.m. near Main and Railroad Streets. Hartford Police Chief Tessa Beltran tells WSJM News the victim may not have

General Motors is encouraged by some new experiments in what are known as connected cars. The automaker has been working in Macomb County to wire some stoplights near its company’s Tech Center so that they send information

The office of Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski is about to send out checks to local governments across the county to help them make up for the revenue they didn’t get this year due to delinquent taxpayers.

Home sales remain hot in southwest Michigan. The association of realtors tells our newsroom sales were up 11% in April over April of last year, while the average selling price was up 15%. Southwest Michigan Association of

Registrations are now being taken for a new sand sculpting event planned for Weko Beach in Bridgman this summer. Organizer Kim Fenech tells WSJM News she and a friend wanted to help raise money to expand the STEM

The I-94 ramps to and from John Beers Road/Grand Mere Road in Stevensville are about to be closed. The Michigan Department of Transportation tells us on Thursday, it will close those ramps — at exit 22 —

A couple from Wyoming, Michigan is in the Berrien County Jail after police say they were caught trying to bring a gun into the courthouse in St. Joseph on Tuesday. Berrien County Undersheriff Chuck Heit tells WSJM

Hang up the phone and drive — that’s the message in proposed legislation in Lansing which would ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones when behind the wheel. Jim Santilli of the Transportation Improvement Association says the