Local News Archives

Video Playback Not Supported <iframe class=’wpb_videoplayer video-single-player-iframe’ allowfullscreen scrolling=’no’ width=’600′ height=’330′ frameborder=’0′ src=’https://www.wsjm.com/wp-content/plugins/wpb-video/wpb-video-embed/wpb-video-embed.php?blogid=321&id=63799&flag_call=singleVideo&playerid=fbqwxde&player_slug=wsjm-com-stories&chkFlagFrom=meta_insert_video’></iframe> Berrien County’s fallen law enforcement officers are being honored by their families and the community. On Wednesday, police agencies from all across Berrien County

A bill is pending in the state Senate to update Michigan law to allow the names of the two Berrien County Courthouse officers killed in July 2016 to be added to the Michigan Law Enforcement Officers Memorial

Berrien RESA Superintendent Dr. Kevin Ivers is getting another year added to his contract until June 30, 2022 following an exceptional performance review. The board of education rated Dr. Ivers’ “highly effective” in all five areas of

Benton Harbor Area Schools CEO Robert Herrera has apologized to the board of education for a communication breakdown involving his pursuit of a position with another district. At Tuesday’s district CEO meeting, Herrera said he was surprised

A major donation to Lakeshore Public Schools will make it possible for the district to install new synthetic turf at Al Stockman Stadium this year. The Herald Palladium reports the district announced this week $410,000 is being

The United Way of Southwest Michigan is asking everyone to pitch in to help make sure kids have backpacks and the supplies they need for the next school year. The organization’s Julee Laurent tells WSJM News they’ll

State Representative Brad Paquette welcomed royalty to Lansing on Tuesday. He told us he was planning to have the Blossomtime court at the state Capitol. “Today we have Mr. and Miss Blossomtime in Lansing, and we we’re

Volunteers are invited out to Warren Dunes State Park this Sunday to help with the removal of invasive plants. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources tells us those who come out will be removing garlic mustard, a

A 28-year-old woman has died after crashing her vehicle into a tree in downtown St. Joseph. She has been identified as Ashley Rae Grubb of Berrien Springs. The crash happened just before 4:40 Tuesday morning at Port

Update: The AMBER Alert has been canceled, as the child has been found safe. Original story: Michigan State Police have issued an AMBER Alert for a four-year-old Grand Rapids-area girl. Police say Faith Martinez has been taken

A mock disaster drill is planned for Lawrence tomorrow. Emergency service agencies from Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties will be helping students from the fire academy, emergency medical technician and law enforcement classes. This is the

A 28-year-old Berrien Springs woman has died after crashing her vehicle into a tree in downtown St. Joseph. The crash happened just before 4:40 Tuesday morning at Port and Wayne streets near the Berrien County Courthouse. St.

From the Associated Press — The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a dispute over a coat that belonged to civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks. The court rejected an appeal Monday. A lawyer for the trustee

Tax abatements have been a bit of a hot topic at St. Joseph City Commission meetings in the past few months, with some commissioners expressing concern about whether offering such incentives for companies to expand or locate

The Michigan Department of Transportation is planning an open house next week for everyone to learn more about plans to finish the US-31 connection to I-94. MDOT spokesperson Nick Schirripa tells WSJM News they’ll get to work

A community cleanup in Benton Harbor this weekend has resulted in a whole lot of trash being collected. Mayor Marcus Muhammad writes on his Facebook page items including “boats, toilets, couches, mattresses, plywood, tires, refrigerators, stoves, chairs”

The Van Buren Voyagers 4-H Club is planning a beach cleanup along Lake Michigan for this month, and everyone’s invited to help. The club’s Envirothon Teams will be at the Casco Township Nature Preserve in South Haven

Benton Harbor Area Schools CEO Robert Herrera is looking for employment elsewhere. He’s scheduled to be interviewed for the position of superintendent of Farmington Public Schools in the Detroit area on Wednesday night. Herrera is one of

At least five years will be spent in prison by a former Michigan State Police trooper for involuntary manslaughter for firing a Taser at a Detroit teenager who crashed an all-terrain vehicle and died. Mark Bessner told

Accusations of decades of a cover-up are being thrown at Minnesota-based 3M over PFAS. Attorney Nicholas Coulson is representing the city of Parchment in its class action lawsuit against 3M and Georgia Pacific, and says a “Detroit

Orange barrels will line M-43 in Van Buren County for 13-and-a-half miles starting next Monday. The Michigan Department of Transportation will start a resurfacing project between Bangor and Waverly Township on May 20, and it’s expected to

AAA Michigan says average gas prices statewide are down about 11¢ from a week ago to about $2.80 per gallon. The auto club says the average price for regular is about 13¢ less than a year ago.

The OutCenter in Benton Harbor is planning to host a town hall this month on discrimination faced by LGBTQ Michiganders and the protections they have. Set for May 16 at Lake Michigan College, the presentation will feature

The public will have another chance next week to weigh in on the Berrien County Parks Department’s plans for the next few years with two open houses next week. Berrien County Parks Director Brian Bailey told WSJM

A new program has been announced by the Berrien Community Foundation to give free hearing aids to low-income seniors. The foundation’s Lisa Cripps-Downey tells WSJM News the Starkey Hearing Foundation is expanding to Berrien County this year

One person is dead following a three-vehicle crash in New Buffalo Township Saturday. The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department tells us it happened just before 4 p.m. at M-239 just south of Wilson Road. Responding officers learned a

As renovations continue at the Watervliet Parcourse behind Lakeland Hospital Watervliet, a new matching grant for the project has been announced by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Lakeland Health Foundations Development Officer Mark Libs tells WSJM News

Spectrum Health Lakeland is notifying another 1,000 patients of a data security issue discovered with one of its vendors. Lakeland says the vendor is OS, Incorporated, a billing services company. It has confirmed to Lakeland an unauthorized

Kinexus is teaming up with the Michigan Department of Transportation for a summer jobs program for young people. 60 youths will be hired for the Youth Development Mentoring Program, says its director, Don Marshall. He tells us