Local News Archives

Water testing is continuing in the city of Benton Harbor after eight homes were found to have elevated levels of lead in late October. City Manager Darwin Watson says more than 200 water testing kits have been given to residents in the first week since the tests came back, and many have been sent to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and a South Bend lab for more testing. Bottled water is being provided for free by the city to any homes that have levels of lead in the water above 15 parts per billion. Southwest Michigan 2-1-1 is now handling the calls to the Water Response Hotline that had been set up by the city, and people can get questions answered there regarding water testing, blood lead testing in children, and other lead exposure prevention actions along with being connected to local resources. That number is answered 24 hours a day. More information on lead is available at the Berrien County Health Department’s website and the city of Benton Harbor’s website.. ...Read Full Story

Police in St. Joseph are still looking for one of the four suspects who broke into the AT&T store at 1021 Main Street a little after 3 a.m. today. Three were arrested in Kentwood outside of Grand Rapids this morning. St. Joseph Public Safety says the four smashed the window in the door of the business and were in and out within 40 seconds, stealing several display items. All four had their faces covered by masks.. ...Read Full Story

A 24-year-old man is in the Berrien County Jail on four felony charges and one misdemeanor after his arrest in Niles this week. Elbert Briggs was arrested on an outstanding warrant during a traffic stop on Tuesday near 6th and Wayne. Niles police say a search of the vehicle in which Briggs was a passenger turned up $150 worth of crack and a loaded 9mm pistol. Both the gun and the drugs were where the man had been sitting in the car. He’s facing a charges of possession with intent to deliver for the drugs along with three gun felony charges and a misdemeanor for unlawful use of a vehicle. Briggs was arraigned on Wednesday.. ...Read Full Story

The boil water advisory for part of Benton Township and Sodus Township is now over. Benton Township officials rescinded the advisory just before 5 p.m. Thursday. It had been put in place as a precaution after a water pressure drop in the Benton Township water system on Wednesday.. ...Read Full Story

Everyone receiving Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits will get a little more starting in January. Congressman Fred Upton calls the 2.8% cost of living adjustment important.. ...Read Full Story

Berrien County has a new Chief Public Defender. The job opened up on August 3 with the resignation of Carl Macpherson, and Christopher Renna has been serving in that role in the interim. The county board Thursday voted to promote Renna to the post of Chief Public Defender on a permanent basis. WSJM News spoke to Renna about the mission of the office.. ...Read Full Story

Whirlpool board of directors chairman and retired CEO Jeff Fettig will serve as the general chair of the 2020 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship in Benton Harbor. He will serve as an ambassador for the tournament and lead the executive committee that puts on the event every other May at Harbor Shores. In a statement, Fettig calls it an honor and pleasure to work with the PGA of America on the event, and says his committee is committed to making the 2020 tournament the best ever staged locally. He retired as CEO of the world’s largest home appliance maker last year after 13 years at the helm of the company. 2020 will be the fifth KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship to be played at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Harbor Shores.. ...Read Full Story

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Eight school districts in southwest Michigan are receiving school safety grants from the state of Michigan. Overall, the state is awarding $25 million to 114 districts, 42 private schools, 22 charters, and 10 regional districts. Of the ones around here, Benton Harbor Area Schools are getting the largest award with a nearly $929,000 grant that will require a match. The other seven don’t have a matching fund requirement and total just under $257,000 combined. Those are going to Benton Harbor Charter School Academy, Berrien RESA, Berrien Springs Public Schools, Countryside Academy, Marcellus Community Schools, Michigan Lutheran High School, Mildred C. Wells Academy, and Sodus Township School District. The money is meant to upgrade door locks and add other security features as a result of school shootings in other parts of the country.. ...Read Full Story

Water and sewer bills are going to be going up by as much as $8 a month in Three Oaks to pay for upgrades to the village’s sewage lagoons. The increases follow three months of study of the system without the waste from Journeyman Distillery, which is being shipped off elsewhere to allow officials to see if the system could handle just the regular wastewater. Village Manager Mike Greene tells us it could not.. ...Read Full Story

It’s an affiliation which has revived minor league baseball in South Bend, and it will stay in place for at least the next three seasons. The Chicago Cubs have extended their Player Development Contract with the South Bend Cubs through 2022, marking the third extension of the deal first announced in 2015. South Bend Cubs owner Andrew Berlin says in a statement the parent club “recognizes our commitment to developing their players with our world-class facilities and the dedication our fans have for the Cubs players.” Since the team switched its Major League affiliation from the Arizona Diamondbacks, over 1.3 million fans have packed Four Winds Field for ballgames in the past four years. The Chicago Cubs have sent four major leaguers down for rehab assignments, and five South Bend Cubs players have reached the majors at Wrigley Field.. ...Read Full Story

All Benton Township water customers south of the Paw Paw River and all of them in Sodus Township are under a boil water advisory until further notice. Benton Township officials say a drop in water pressure in the system is to blame, and that could lead to bacterial contamination. They are working on making fixes, and say the boil advisory has been issued as a precaution. The problem is due to the malfunction of two pressure sustaining valves today, as they automatically closed when the township had to temporarily change the flow of water in the distribution system as part of the 4 million gallon Euclid Standpipe project. the water pressure has been restored, and samples are being tested now for bacteria.. ...Read Full Story

Charges are likely against a 15-year-old boy for a crash early Tuesday morning in Hartford. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office says the teen, who does not have a license, was driving the car of a 17-year-old girl to take her home when he swerved to miss a deer and crashed into a tree. She suffered a broken leg and had to be taken to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. The driver was taken to a hospital in Watervliet for an ankle injury. The two were headed back to Hartford from Grand Junction when the crash happened in the 50-thousand block of County Road 687 around 4:30 in the morning. Both teens were wearing seat belts. The boy is expected to be charged with driving without a license causing serious injury.. ...Read Full Story

(Lansing, MI – AP) — Republican Bill Schuette’s gubernatorial campaign is canceling planned TV ads across Michigan in the final week of the race, except in the Detroit market. Schuette on Tuesday nixed $445,000 worth of ads on broadcast stations in Grand Rapids, Flint, Lansing, Traverse City and Marquette. A planned $441,000 ad buy in metro Detroit is intact. A Schuette spokesman says the campaign does not comment on ad strategy.. ...Read Full Story

Gas prices are up slightly this week, but still considerably lower than a month ago. Triple-A Michigan’s Nancy Cain says the statewide average is $2.77.. ...Read Full Story

Congressman Fred Upton says lawmakers need to finally get the nuclear fuel repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada open. He says the need was made more urgent to him by a visit this week at the Cook Nuclear Plant in Bridgman.. ...Read Full Story

Indiana State Police have released the names of three young siblings who were struck and killed by a pickup truck as they crossed a road before sunrise to board a school bus. Sergeant Tony Slocum says 6-year-old twin brothers Xzavier and Mason Ingle died at the scene Tuesday morning along with their 9-year-old sister, Alivia Stahl. All three were students at Mentone Elementary School.. ...Read Full Story

Ten area businesses are vying to win the eighth annual Celebrated Service Award from Celebration Cinema. Emily Loeks of parent company Studio C says the companies aren’t competing directly with each other.. ...Read Full Story

The midterm election is one week from today and Secretary of State Ruth Johnson expects a strong turnout. She says we could reach levels that would rival the 2016 presidential election, when turnout was 64.9%. Johnson says a million absentee ballots have been requested. She reminds voters there’s no straight ticket voting.. ...Read Full Story

A 74-year-old Lincoln Township woman has died as the result of a near head-on crash on Red Arrow Highway just north of I-94. Lincoln Township police say she was not wearing a seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say the woman was heading northbound on Red Arrow when she turned into the path of a pickup driven by a 41-year-old from Fairplain Township, who was not hurt. The crash happened in the area of several fast food restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Long John Silvers just after noon on Monday. Despite the crash being fatal, Red Arrow was not closed and one lane remained open heading south while police investigated the wreck. The crash remains under investigation.. ...Read Full Story

Two people are in the Van Buren County Jail following a drug raid in Lawrence, and charges are pending against three others. The sheriff’s department went to the home in the 55-thousand block of 56th Street last Thursday evening on a tip of drug activity and the possibility a parole absconder was at the home. That man, 31-year-old David Sewell of Hartford, was found hiding in a bathroom. Others in the home are accused of trying to destroy meth evidence. In addition to Sewell, deputies arrested 29-year-old Felina Snider of Lawrence on a probation violation. The other suspects are two men, 34 and 42-years-old and a 28-year-old woman, all from Lawrence.. ...Read Full Story

Benton Harbor authorities are looking for a man accused of trying to abduct a 14-year-old girl Monday morning. It happened around 6:45 a.m. on the city’s north side at the girl’s bus stop at the corner of Main and Hull. She tells police the man grabbed her from behind, but she was able to run off. The man is 5’9″ and was wearing a dark blue or black Nike sweatshirt. Public Safety Director Dan McGinnis tells us they don’t know the suspect’s race, but say he had been seen dressed in the same clothes and in the same area on Friday. Benton Harbor Public Safety officials are urging parents to be especially vigilant and walk their kids to the bus stop, and stay with them if possible until they’re picked up for school.. ...Read Full Story

Vice President Mike Pence is in Michigan today to campaign with Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Schuette and U.S. Senate hopeful John James.. ...Read Full Story

Police in Buchanan are looking for an armed robbery suspect. He pulled a gun on the clerk at a convenience store Sunday just after 11:30 a.m. in the 200 block of South Oak street and got away northbound on the street with cash out of the register. No one was hurt. Surveillance photos released by the police department show the suspect on top of the counter demanding the cash. He is described as a black male in his 20s who was dressed in a red hoodie with a face mask, black pants, black gloves and black boots. Anyone who knows anything about the robbery is urged to call Buchanan police.. ...Read Full Story

The endorsement of Gretchen Whitmer for governor by Hillary Clinton isn’t necessarily a shock, but the Republican National Committee is having some fun with it. RNC communications director for Indiana and Michigan, Michael Joyce, put out a statement mocking the endorsement by saying “It’s great that Hillary Clinton endorsed Gretchen Whitmer; nobody knows how to win Michigan better than Hillary Clinton.”. ...Read Full Story

The two officers involved in the arrest of a man who died in police custody earlier this month are back on the job. Berrien Springs Oronoko Township Police Chief Paul Toliver says his officer and the Berrien County Sheriff’s deputy were returned to active duty today after being placed on paid administrative leave on October 22. 51-year-old Jack Lunneen of Berrien Springs died at Spectrum Health Lakeland that morning after being arrested for malicious destruction of property in Berrien Springs. As the officers were trying to arrest him in a bank parking lot, Chief Tolliver says Lunneen resisted and needed to be restrained, but no details on that have been released. When the officers noticed the man having medical issues, they called for an ambulance. Michigan State Police is handling the investigation, and the names of the officers involved haven’t been made public.. ...Read Full Story

A $62 million refueling and maintenance outage is underway at the Palisades Power Plant. Officials with parent company Entergy say the outage will keep the nuclear plant running safely until it’s permanently shut down in 2022. It began Sunday and started 15 days after the plant was taken offline to replace a control rod drive seal and a transformer. Entergy is bringing in around 1,000 workers to help the 600 full-time employees at Palisades with the refueling outage as they do upgrades, inspections, and replacements that can’t be done while the facility is generating power. This is the 26th refueling outage in the plant’s 47-year history.. ...Read Full Story

The OutCenter in Benton Harbor is blasting some reported plans of the Trump administration regarding transgender Americans. The New York Times reported last weekend on a memo from the Oval Office to the Department of Health and Human Services directing that department to define gender as either male or female, as assigned at birth. The OutCenter’s Mary Jo Schnell tells WSJM News this is another in a series of blows to transgendered Americans.. ...Read Full Story

Landmark opioids legislation has been signed into law by President Trump. The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act was put together over about the past year with input from dozens of lawmakers, including Congressman Fred Upton. He tells us it passed the House and Senate with broad support. Upton told us about some of his contributions.. ...Read Full Story

With the possibility of marijuana being legalized by voters in next month’s election, what will this mean for job applicants? Mary Corrado is president and CEO of the American Society of Employers and told Michigan News Network fewer employers are screening for pot use because if they did, they wouldn’t have any workers.. ...Read Full Story

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has stocked lakes and rivers around the state with more than 21 million fish so far this year. The DNR’s Elyse Walter tells WSJM News the fish stocking program goes back well over 100 years with the oldest hatchery dating back to 1901. They breed fish and pump them into waters all over.. ...Read Full Story

Michigan State Police are warning everyone about a phone scam that’s been reported in southwest Michigan. Sergeant Ryan Schoonveld with the Niles post tells WSJM News this one is wide-spread.. ...Read Full Story

Actress and activist Jane Fonda has taken a get out the vote message to Benton Harbor. She spoke at the Benton Harbor Art and Cultural Center Saturday. Fonda urged everyone to head to the polls November 6 and to vote Democrat. She said that could help ensure state lawmakers don’t change the One Fair Wage proposal, which she campaigned for this year. Fonda predicted a legal fight over the issue.. ...Read Full Story

Big news for South Haven area residents, a new large park is coming is coming between 2019 and 2021. South Haven City Manager, Brian Dissette spoke with WSJM News about it.. ...Read Full Story

Some state lawmakers from southwest Michigan have gotten praise from the Michigan Manufacturers Association for voting in line with its interests 100% of the time. Michigan Manufacturers Association VP of Government Affairs Mike Johnston tells WSJM News the lawmakers it saluted this month include state Representatives Beth Griffin, Kim LaSata, and Mary Whiteford. He says a top concern for manufacturers is worker development.. ...Read Full Story

The Buchanan Police Department is looking for a missing woman. The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department tells us Elizabeth Drew has been missing since Friday. She was last seen around the 100 block of Detroit Street in Buchanan. Police say she was wearing an olive green winter coat with a fur-lined hood and blue jeans. Anyone with information on her location should call the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department.. ...Read Full Story

This weekend will bring a chance for anyone to scoop up some slightly-outdated Whirlpool appliances for big discounts. It’s time for the 2018 Whirlpool Fall Appliance Sale. The company’s Gokul Nair tells WSJM News the sale benefits the United Way of Southwest Michigan.. ...Read Full Story

There has been a increasing demand in South Haven to hold special events in the parks, creating a noise problem late at night. The city council has heard resident complaints about amplified sound and has now approved changes to the Special Events Policy. Basically, amplified noise must end by 10 pm. For Saturday night events at all parks, amplified noise is prohibited from 10pm Saturday night until noon on Sunday. All noise must stay in the city’s noise ordinance. Questions regarding the noise ordinance should be directed to the police department at 637-5151.. ...Read Full Story

Matt Longjohn says he’s running against Rep. Fred Upton in part to provide a check on Trump – something that resonates with Democratic and many independent voters.. ...Read Full Story

Volunteers are being invited to Warren Dunes State Park this weekend to help fight invasive species. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says they’ll be out there from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday removing non-native tree saplings from the dune areas. The DNR says no experience is needed to help out as it will provide the volunteers with training on what to look out for. The volunteers are told to meet at the organizational campground parking area on Floral Road at 10 a.m. so they can caravan to the areas being treated.. ...Read Full Story

No one’s hurt, but Gast Manufacturing in Benton Township was evacuated Friday morning due to a threat. The Benton Township Police Department tells us officers were called out to the Gast facility about 9:20 a.m. An employee had found a handwritten note on a disposable paper toilet seat in a women’s restroom. It alluded to death and had racial undertones, although there was no specific means or individual mentioned. The place was evacuated, and a K9 was brought in to search for any possible explosives. Police say none were found. A suspect hasn’t yet been identified, and the incident remains under investigation.. ...Read Full Story

Actress and activist Jane Fonda is returning to Michigan for a get out the vote rally along with Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors. They will be at the Benton Harbor Art and Cultural Center Saturday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to encourage voters to get to the polls. They are also going to be calling on state lawmakers to leave alone the One Fair Wage proposal that the House and Senate passed earlier this fall during the upcoming lame duck session. Fonda campaigned this summer in Kalamazoo with fellow actress Lily Tomlin in support of that proposal before Republican leaders in Lansing decided to vote on it and prevent it from going to the ballot. By doing so, making changes only requires a simple majority in the Legislature instead of a 75% majority vote if it was approved by voters.. ...Read Full Story

Since news this past weekend that the Trump administration is thinking about establishing a definition of gender for federal departments, people in the transgender community around southwest Michigan are concerned. Paula Camp is a facilitator for a support group at the OutCenter called the League of Extraordinary Genders. Camp told us how transgender Americans she has spoken to are feeling.. ...Read Full Story

Rep. Fred Upton comments on the possibly toxic Trump effect on the mid-term re-elections and the ongoing Mueller investigation.. ...Read Full Story

The Berrien County Board of Commissioners has approved a contract for the sheriff’s department to provide a school resource officer at Benton Harbor High School. Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey tells WSJM News the department has been providing two deputies at the school for 25 days now. That’s since a rash of 17 fights happened to start out the school year. Bailey says they’ve had two or three since the deputies were placed at the high school.. ...Read Full Story

Benton Harbor Area Schools have switched to only using bottled water at every building in the district after the announcement by the city this week that eight of 30 homes tested had high levels of lead in the tap water. The district’s food service is also using bottled water for food preparation until further notice. The district’s water is currently being tested, and until confirmation comes back that it’s safe, only bottled water will be available. The city is also offering free water testing for all customers of its municipal water system. The source of the lead hasn’t been determined, but is believed to be older galvanized and lead service lines connecting homes to the city’s water system. The eight families impacted are also being given bottled water by the city.. ...Read Full Story

Landmark opioids legislation has been signed into law by President Trump. The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act was put together over about the past year with input from dozens of lawmakers, including Congressman Fred Upton. He tells us it passed the House and Senate with broad support. Upton told us about some of his contributions.. ...Read Full Story

Michigan State Police are warning everyone about a phone scam that’s been reported in southwest Michigan. Sergeant Ryan Schoonveld with the Niles post tells WSJM News this one is wide-spread.. ...Read Full Story

Four finalists are now in place to become the next superintendent of South Haven Public Schools. The job opened up when Robert Herrera moved on to be the CEO of Benton Harbor Area Schools this summer. The school board will interview the finalists next week on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Three finalists are from Michigan, with the other being Dr. Raymond Lechner, the current superintendent in Wilmette, Illinois. He will be the first to be interviewed Monday at 6 pm followed by Nathan Robrahn, a high school principal in the Grand Rapids suburb of Wyoming at 7:30. On Tuesday, the board will hear from Watervliet Public Schools superintendent Kevin Schooley at 6, followed by Grant superintendent Jonathan Whan. The interviews are open to the public and will be conducted at South Haven High School. The board is working to have the new superintendent on the job at the start of January.. ...Read Full Story

A 70-year-old Bangor man has died in a crash between his motorcycle and a pickup truck. The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department tells us Bobby Tanner was northbound on M-140 when the pickup driven by 34-year-old Steven Riggs of Watervliet pulled out in front of him on 48th Avenue. Tanner died after being taken to Spectrum Health Lakeland Watervliet. Riggs was not arrested, but the sheriff’s department will send its report to the Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office for review. Investigators don’t believe alcohol or speed were factors in the crash, which happened at 8 Wednesday night.. ...Read Full Story

A small business coalition is targeting a handful of congressional districts – including Michigan’s 6th district – with a focused message on the GOP tax cut. The message is that the tax cut is a lavish gift to large corporations and the rich leaving small business and working families high and dry.. ...Read Full Story

• Water samples taken from eight homes in the city of Benton Harbor have come back with levels of lead higher than the federal action level of 15 parts per billion.
• The OutCenter in Benton Harbor is blasting some reported plans of the Trump administration regarding transgendered Americans.
• Landmark opioids legislation has been signed into law by President Trump.
• A town hall on the opioid epidemic and what you can do will be held Thursday in Benton Harbor.
• Michigan State Police are warning everyone about a phone scam that’s been reported in southwest Michigan.
• Harbor Habitat for Humanity has a replacement for their old construction truck that had been totaled in a crash.
• Saturday is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
• The F-B-I, Secret Service and A-T-F all involved in an investigation into pipe bombs sent to a number of top Democrats and the New York offices of CNN Wednesday.
• Two young girls are in custody after allegedly planning a Satanic attack on their middle school.

A town hall on the opioid epidemic and what you can do will be held Thursday in Benton Harbor. State Representative Kim LaSata tells WSJM News the Berrien County Health Department, the Riverwood Center, the Community Healing Center, and the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department will all be there. She wants everyone to come out.. ...Read Full Story

The OutCenter in Benton Harbor is blasting some reported plans of the Trump administration regarding transgender Americans. The New York Times reported last weekend on a memo from the Oval Office to the Department of Health and Human Services directing that department to define gender as either male or female, as assigned at birth. The OutCenter’s Mary Jo Schnell tells WSJM News this is another in a series of blows to transgendered Americans.. ...Read Full Story

With less than two weeks before the election, backers of Proposition One have released their first ad. They’re hoping to convince voters to make Michigan the first state in the Midwest to legalize recreational marijuana. The commercial, from the group MI Legalize, argues that the move would reduce dependency on opiates, citing a drop in opiate prescriptions in states that have decriminalized marijuana. Karen O’Keefe, a Michigander with the Marijuana Policy Project, tells us she’s convinced society would be safer if people could buy marijuana in a store instead of on the black market.. ...Read Full Story

A K9 with the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department has received a bullet and stab-protective vest thanks to a donation from non-profit Vested Interest in K9s, Incorporated. The K9, Edo, will now sport the vest embroidered with the words “Born to Love – Trained to Serve – Loyal Always.” Its sponsors are Justin and Kristan Goodenough of Allegan. The sheriff’s department tells us the protective K9 vests have a value of more than $1,700. Edo is a two-year-old German Shephard handled by Deputy Blair Kacos. Kacos says the department is grateful for the donation. Since its inception in 2009, Vested Interest has provided more than 3,100 protective vests to police K9s in 50 states with a value of about $5.7 million. This is the third K9 protective vest donated by the organization to the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department.. ...Read Full Story

The city of Benton Harbor is working with the Berrien County Health Department and the state Department of Environmental Quality to get the word out about lead in the city’s drinking water that was found above the federal action level of 15 parts per billion at 8 homes of the 30 random samples taken this year. Dr. Rick Johansen of the Berrien County Health Department says they’re issuing guidance to parents of babies out of an abundance of caution.. ...Read Full Story

Eight homes in Benton Harbor have lead contamination in the water. The city found those eight above the federal and state action levels of 15 parts per billion for lead in the 30 homes where water samples were taken. Those tap water tests have been done every three years as required by the Michigan Department Environmental Quality and the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The Berrien County Health Department is monitoring the blood lead levels of children six and under throughout the county by individual community. They have not detected any increases in the trend of elevated blood lead levels in Benton Harbor kids and there has been a downward trend in those that has continued this year. City Manager Darwin Watson will give an update on the situation today.. ...Read Full Story

Is the economy really a good one for working families? U.S. Rep. Fred Upton says yes. Doug Cunningham reports.. ...Read Full Story