A boyfriend and girlfriend have been arrested in a string of break-ins and auto thefts in Allegan County this week. The sheriff’s department says the suspects, ages 34 and 21 and from Otsego, began their crime spree around
The state of Michigan is receiving $4.5 million to fight homelessness in three counties, including Berrien. Bob Wheaton, with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, says the federal grant money will be used to expand
The Allegan County Sheriff’s Department says a 93-year-old woman is dead after she was pulled from Lake Michigan by first responders Friday. It happened at a beach southwest of Fennville. Deputies arrived at the scene to learn
In this week’s WSJM Week in Review, for August 5, 2016, Berrien County Commissioners approve extra security at the courthouse, Benton Harbor celebrates 150 years, and more.
A sculpture of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and University of Notre Dame President Theodore Hesburgh is planned for a downtown South Bend plaza. The bronze sculpture is being modeled after a photograph of King
Off-road vehicle enthusiasts can ride free of charge on state-designated routes and trails for a limited time later this month. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has scheduled a free-ORV weekend for August 20-21. No ORV license
An operational issue has caused BP’s large northern Indiana refinery near the southern shore of Lake Michigan to discharge about five times more industrial waste into the lake than allowed. The Times of Northwest Indiana reports that
Michigan is expected to get nearly $3.4 million of a multi-state settlement with a pharmaceutical company. Attorney General Bill Schuette says in a statement Friday that the money ispart of a $125 million national settlement with Cephalon.
Two additional deputies will now serve as full-time guards at the Berrien County Courthouse in St. Joseph. The county board of commissioners approved the expenditure at a Thursday meeting in response to last month’s courthouse shootings. Berrien
Two-thirds of young African-Americans and 4 in 10 Hispanics say that they or someone they know has experienced violence or harassment at the hands of the police. That’s according to a new GenForward poll. The poll found
Birthday cake, refreshments and local community leaders were on hand Thursday night as the Morton House Museum threw a party to commemorate Benton Harbor’s 150th birthday. Museum Board of Director Chuck Jager says the Morton House is
Time to register for the Rock the Boat Cardboard Boat Races is running out. The event organized by Whirlpool employees is set for August 27 at The Inn at Harbor Shores, and the registration deadline is next
Starting this Friday is the 49th annual Coloma Glad-Peach Festival. The event celebrates the region’s peach growers, and gives everyone a chance to have a good time. Festival President Julie Pupedis says vendors open up around noon
Security policies are being reviewed at a courthouse in Michigan’s capital after a man on trial for sexual abuse tried to attack a prosecutor with a long piece of metal. Video of the incident was posted online by
The benefits of breastfeeding are the inspiration for an event planned for Saturday on the bluff in downtown St. Joseph. “Breastfeeding on the Bluff” is set for 10 a.m. The event is being organized by the Berrien
A federal judge won’t stop the process of resentencing hundreds of Michigan prisoners who are serving no-parole sentences. Judge John Corbett O’Meara on Wednesday turned down a request for an injunction that would have affected so-called juvenile lifers,
State Senator John Proos is promoting a new federal pilot program that allows some prison inmates to to take courses through community colleges. He says the goal is to get them a skill and a degree by the
The new home of the Detroit Red Wings has reached a construction milestone. A ceremony took place Thursday to mark the placement of the final piece of structural steel for the roof of Little Caesars Arena. Olympia Development
Another free pet adoption day is coming up at the Van Buren County Animal Control Shelter. The event is thanks to support from the Bissell Pet Foundation out of Grand Rapids, which will pick up the cost
The LOGAN Autism Learning Center is preparing to move from the First Congregational Church in St. Joseph to the former Stump School in Benton Harbor, and it’s chief strategy officer will be running 50 kilometers this weekend
Health officials are asking Michiganders to consider helping to save a life during the dog days of summer. The organization Michigan Blood is the sole blood provider for 60 Michigan hospitals, and spokeswoman Amy Rotter says there’s
The Detroit Economic Club says Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will speak in Detroit next Monday. Club members and their guests must purchase tickets. Club spokesman Matt Friedman says Trump’s midday speech at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance
A federal appeals court is hearing a dispute over Michigan’s emergency manager law. In 2014, a judge in Detroit swept aside most claims in a lawsuit by critics. But he allowed the case to go forward on
One robbery suspect is at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor and another is in the Berrien County Jail after their victim turned the tables at Harbor Towers. Benton Harbor Public Safety says the robbery
Southwest Michigan boaters will have a chance to get their watercraft cleaned while learning about invasive species prevention this weekend. On Saturday, Michigan State University’s Mobile Boat Wash will be in Paw Paw and Watervliet. The boat
Business owners are being warned not to fall for an email being sent around that purports to be from the Michigan Attorney General’s office. AG spokesperson Andrea Bitely says e-mail is not how the agency contacts people.
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee is keeping up the pressure on the International Olympic Committee regarding the issue of doping and Russian athletes. Chair Congressman Fred Upton says members have been open with the Olympic
The big hill on Front Street in Buchanan will be transformed into a water slide this weekend for the community’s first ever Summer Thrill on the Hill event. Downtown Development Authority Director Debra Patzer says the usual
Commercial business owners across Michigan could improve their bottom lines, as well as residents’ health, by embracing energy efficiency and clean-energy investments outlined in the Clean Power Plan. That’s according to a report from the Georgia Institute
A $160 million expansion for Lakeland Medical Center has been announced. The Lakeland Health Board of Directors this week voted to proceed with the new Lakeland Medical Center Pavilion at the facility on Napier Avenue in St.
