Local News Archives

05-17-19 WSJM Afternoon News

South Bend mayor and Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg is speaking out about the wave of anti-abortion laws being passed by state legislatures around the country. At the City Club in Chicago, he said writing into law

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission will hold a summit on trails in Van Buren County next month. Senior Planner Marcy Hamilton tells WSJM News the commission is putting together a seven-county trail plan for the Michigan Department

Governor Whitmer continues touring the state to put public pressure on lawmakers to pass her proposed 45¢ per gallon gas tax increase to raise money to fix the state’s roads. She was in Dearborn on Thursday talking

Congressman Fred Upton has joined some colleagues in re-introducing legislation that would encourage states to adopt what are commonly known as “red flag” gun laws. On Thursday, Upton and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell were among the representatives to

Benton Harbor Area Schools CEO Robert Herrera is one of two finalists now in the running for the position of superintendent at Farmington Public Schools in the Detroit area. Herrera is currently running Benton Harbor Area Schools,

Just one more hurdle needs to be cleared for a dog park in Stevensville. Village president Steve Slavicek tells our partners at WSBT their fundraising goal has been met after pulling in donations, holding events, and getting

Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she is open to letting drivers forgo mandatory, unlimited medical benefits covered by their auto insurance premiums but only if they are still required to buy some level of coverage. The Democrat’s change

South Haven Police are asking for help finding two people who have been missing since Tuesday night. Fifty-five-year-old Charles Morrison and 26-year-old Jasmine Morrison left their home in South Haven Township around 9:30 that night. Police say

Set for this Memorial Day weekend is the tenth annual Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Pow Wow next weekend. The gathering in Dowagiac will feature traditional singing, dancing, and culture, and everyone is invited. The Pokagon name for

From the Associated Press — Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she opposes Republicans’ proposal to let people fully opt out of mandatory medical benefits covered by their auto insurance premiums. She said Thursday that “everyone needs to

This coming Monday will bring the start of another Click It or Ticket campaign to make sure Michigan drivers and their passengers are using their seat belts. The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning’s Kendall Wingrove tells

A meeting is set for next month in Dowagiac for the public to offer its input on the development of trail systems throughout southwest Michigan. Southwest Michigan Planning Commission Senior Planner Marcy Hamilton tells WSJM News the

A Michigan lawmaker charged with soliciting a bribe for votes says he’s shocked by the indictment and calls it “crap.” Representative Larry Inman of Traverse City spoke on “Michigan’s Big Show” Thursday morning after being indicted by

A resolution declaring this week as STEM Awareness Week in Michigan has been approved by the state House. It was introduced by Representative Brad Paquette of Niles, a former Niles High School teacher. STEM, if you’re unfamiliar

Some students at Benton Harbor High School have put together an inspirational music video about overcoming the adversity of a negative public image. At this week’s Benton Harbor Area Schools CEO meeting, the video for “Get Up”

From the Associated Press — Michigan’s unemployment rate increased slightly to 4.1% in April after six consecutive months of remaining unchanged. Figures released Wednesday by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget show the state’s seasonally

Officials from the state, county, and local levels were all present at a town hall Wednesday to update the public on the situation with PFAS recently discovered at an industrial site in Hartford. Samples from wells at

The name of a man killed in a New Buffalo Township crash over the weekend has been released. The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department tells us 18-year-old Raymundo Sanchez of Elkhart, Indiana was killed when a vehicle driven

Congressman Fred Upon on Wednesday addressed the House Subcommittee on the Environment and Climate Change as it discussed ways the federal government can respond to PFAS contamination in water systems around the county. Upton tells WSJM News

There will be a free tire collection event this Friday in Benton Harbor. The Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety tells us city residents only can drop off unwanted tires at at Dwight P. Mitchell City Center

Benton Harbor Area Schools CEO Robert Herrera isn’t the only southwest Michigan school leader pursuing another job. St. Joseph Public Schools Superintendent Ann Cardon is interviewing for a superintendent position in Traverse City. Cardon is one of

A town hall meeting was held Tuesday in Lansing to talk gun violence. It was part of a nationwide tour hosted by a group called Guns Down America, which also stopped in Flint Monday night. Topics of

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