Gretchen Whitmer, a former Democratic legislative leader and interim county prosecutor, is running for Michigan governor in 2018. Whitmer filed the paperwork Tuesday. She’s the first person to announce her candidacy for the open seat. Second-term Republican Governor Rick
In another tweet targeting a U.S. company, President-elect Donald Trump is threatening to slap a tax on General Motors for importing compact cars to the U.S. from Mexico. But GM makes the vast majority of compact Chevrolet Cruzes
Governor Rick Snyder has tapped former state Representative Al Pscholka to be the next state budget director. Pscholka, who just left office after six years representing the 79th District in the state House, tells us he’s got
Unit 2 of the Cook Nuclear Plant is back in service after an 89-day refueling and maintenance outage. The outage was longer than normal due to the replacement of the main turbine and the inspection and replacement
The start of the year means more money for Michigan’s lowest paid workers. The minimum wage has gone from $8.50 to $8.90 an hour, effective January 1. The wage will go up again on January 1, 2018
Environmental groups are hoping a New Year’s resolution for 2017 will be to keep the Great Lakes cleaner. A report by Rochester Institute of Technology estimates 22 million pounds of plastic ends up in the water every
Auto sales have been up slightly in 2016. J.D. Power is now predicting the year will end with sales up by about 5,000 vehicles in the U.S. That’s a 0.03% increase. Bill Crowder, with Signature Automotive Group,
The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety is investigating the armed robbery of a Family Dollar store on Pipestone Street on Monday. It says a black male with his face covered walked into the store in the
Everyone is being reminded not to shine laser pointers at Coast Guard vessels. A man in Washington state just last week was fined $9,500 for doing just that. Coast Guard Petty Officer Matt Huber, with the St.
The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety is investigating a shooting reported in the early morning hours of Saturday. They say it happened in the parking lot of Smokes Lounger at 250 North Fair Street. The victim,
The new year will mean more money for Michigan roads. Starting today, a license fee increase and increases in fuel taxes are in effect. County Road Association of Michigan Director Denise Donahue tells WSJM News that will
Michigan State Police officials say they are changing the criteria for issuing Amber Alerts. Effective now, the emergency response system that disseminates information about missing children will only be used for child abductions. All Amber Alerts will
A state grant of $45,000 will help the city of South Haven do some renovations to the Kids Corner playground. The playground at Monroe Park was built in 1988 and is now in need of some safety
Everyone’s being reminded not to plow snow into the road this winter. Van Buren County Road Commission Engineer Manager Larry Hummel tells WSJM News some folks still think it’s OK to push their snow off their driveway and
Police are investigating after a body was found Sunday along a beach in Lincoln Township. It was found at Glenlord Beach around 2 p.m. At the scene were the Lincoln Township Police and Fire Departments, as well
You, sir, (or ma’am): Focus, if you will, on a historic, on fleek listicle containing words nominated for bigly banishment. But don’t convene a town hall meeting or get your dandruff up in the echo chamber over
The BirthPlace at Lakeland Hospital in Niles has welcomed southwest Michigan’s first baby of 2017. April Jacobs, of Dowagiac, is the proud new mother of daughter Addison Jacobs. Baby Jacobs was born at at 4:12 a.m. on
A group from Three Oaks is preparing to take the trip of their lives, as they’ve been invited to walk in the presidential inaugural parade next month. On January 20, President Donald Trump will watch as the
The state House career of Representative Al Pscholka is now over. The Stevensville Republican joined WSJM to discuss the past six years in Lansing, saying he’s proud of helping get the state on the right financial path.
The search is on for a missing man 38-year-old man. St. Joseph Public Safety officers pulled the wrecked SUV belonging to Dilbag Singh from below the bluff in the 3000 block of Lakeshore Drive Saturday afternoon. Singh
With everyone so glad to see 2016 come to an end, some New Year’s Eve revelers might be tempted to fire off their guns as midnight strikes tonight. However, Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey tells WSJM News
One bit of work that Michigan lawmakers managed to get done in 2016 was a reform of the state’s medical marijuana laws. Under the plan that has now been signed by the governor, medical marijuana dispensaries will
AAA of Michigan is hoping everyone makes it a safe New Year’s Eve by not drinking and driving. Spokesperson Susan Hiltz tells WSJM News they’re also hoping more folks will simply not drink at all. AAA has put
2016 was a tough year for the law enforcement profession with the number of officers killed in the line of duty spiking at 135 nationwide. Craig Floyd, the CEO at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund,
Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley has signed new laws that restrict the kind of physical restraints school districts can use on students, and also ban the use of seclusion. Calley appeared this week at what he called an
Plastic accounts for approximately 80% of the litter on the shorelines of the Great Lakes, and a new study uses math to determine where it’s coming from. Matthew Hoffman, with the Rochester Institute of Technology and an
With the start of the new year, Michigan roads will start to get more funding. County Road Association of Michigan Director Denise Donahue tells WSJM News lawmakers in the fall of 2015 approved several new fee and tax increases
Authorities say a Bay County sheriff’s deputy assigned as a school resource officer at Bay City’s Western High School was testing his back up weapon in an empty classroom when it discharged. Tuscola County Prosector Mark Reene
The Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Watervliet has been able to expand its winter programs, thanks to some memorial donations. The center’s Autumn Zick says they held a small ceremony this month to honor Sarah Damaske and Bob
A home in Bangor has suffered some heavy damage, following a fire Friday morning. South Haven Area Emergency Services tells us firefighters were called to the home on Cemetery Road about 11:40 a.m. They found flames coming
