Local News Archives

More than 20 percent of students in Michigan public schools were in a charter school last year or a school in another district. MLive says it analyzed state data on where kids attended public school in fall 2015. The new year in most districts starts next week. MLive says 144,000 students were in charter schools, which get state aid like traditional public schools. Another 182,000 students were in public schools outside their home district. School-of-choice programs can have a negative impact on budgets in urban districts because state aid is based on enrollment.
More than 60 percent of students in the Westwood Heights district in Genesee County came from outside the district, many from Flint. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy says “people are voting with their feet.”. ...Read Full Story

Gas prices have spiked one more time as summer winds down to Labor Day and the last surge of vacationers hits the highway. AAA Michigan says prices are up 7¢ a gallon since last week, averaging about $2.39 per gallon statewide. GasBuddy.com’s Patrick DeHaan says higher crude oil prices are fueling the increase but he expects prices to begin falling again after Labor Day.. ...Read Full Story

A Mishawaka man has been charged with murder in the beating death of his 67-year-old neighbor. Joann Newgent died Saturday morning after she was attacked on Thursday. Authorities claim she had asked her neighbor Donald L. Wilson to turn down his music and he turned violent, striking her with parts of a coffee table.. ...Read Full Story

An appeals court has ruled against the state of Michigan in a dispute over cutting off public aid to some people accused of crimes. In 2015, a federal judge in Ann Arbor said the state can’t stop food aid and other benefits unless someone is intentionally fleeing and is being actively
pursued by police. Judge Judith Levy had put limits on a Michigan policy that was causing severe hardships, especially when law enforcement databases contained wrong or misleading information. In a 3-0 decision Thursday, a federal appeals court in Cincinnati affirmed Levy’s ruling. The class-action lawsuit has affected thousands of people.. ...Read Full Story

Two new security officers for the court system in Berrien County will be hired following action this week by the board of commissioners. On Thursday, they approved adding another bailiff at the St. Joseph Courthouse and a new jail guard at the Niles Courthouse. That follows a security review by a committee, says court administrator Brian Ray.. ...Read Full Story

In this week’s WSJM Week in Review, sponsored by Basney BMW, for August 26, 2016, cleanup of tornado damage in West Michigan continues, the suspect in the death of an infant is headed to trial, a local theatre group brings its talents to Benton Harbor, and more.. ...Read Full Story

The Cook nuclear power plant in Bridgman will be testing its emergency sirens for the next few weeks. Spokesperson Dave Lefor says, starting Monday, they’ll conduct the yearly testing.. ...Read Full Story

Lake Michigan College’s Hanson Technology Center is now open for business. LMC broke ground on the $12 million facility at its Napier Avenue campus just last year, and on Tuesday, the grand opening was held. LMC President Dr. Bob Harrison says the Hanson Tech Center will serve as a modern manufacturing training ground, but that’s not all.. ...Read Full Story

A $500 reward is being offered to solve the fatal shooting of a 4-year-old bison in western Michigan. The owners had assumed that the bison, named Goliath, died of natural causes this week near Stanton in Montcalm County. The Morning Sun and WZZM-TV report that a taxidermist later found bullet holes. Chad Stewart says Goliath was one of 20 bison at the Douglas Township ranch. He says the other animals knew that Goliath was gone and gathered Wednesday at the exact spot where he died.. ...Read Full Story

A variety of charges are likely to be filed after a raid resulting in the seizure of guns and drugs on Friday on Van Buren County. The sheriff’s department says deputies were sent to a property in the 39,000 block of 76th Avenue in Decatur Township around 8 p.m. to look for a fugitive when they found several suspects there with outstanding warrants. A quick search of them turned up meth, marijuana, and guns. Police also found a couple of stolen pop-up campers on site with meth and guns stashed inside of them, along with a small child. Arrested were 57-year-old Nina Sparks and 35-year-old Walter Nicks, both of Decatur, and a 27-year-old Decatur woman whose name has not yet been released. Another three people, all from Decatur, could also be facing charges once the case is reviewed by the prosecutor.. ...Read Full Story

A 47-year-old western Michigan man has pleaded guilty to lying to police about the disappearance of a gas station clerk. Kevin Bluhm appeared Friday in Muskegon County Circuit Court. Bluhm is the cousin of Jeffrey Willis, who is being investigated in the 2013 disappearance of Jessica Heeringa, a clerk in Norton Shores. Authorities say Bluhm told police Willis was responsible, but later told police he made it up. He will be sentenced in September. Willis is charged with abducting a 16-year-old girl in April and the 2014 slaying of 36-year-old jogger Rebekah Bletsch in Dalton Township. Bluhm waived a preliminary examination last month on a charge of lying to police in the Bletsch case.. ...Read Full Story

Democratic and Republican party activists will meet to pick Supreme Court candidates and other nominees for the November ballot. At their convention Saturday in Grand Rapids, the GOP will tout two incumbent justices – David Viviano for an eight-year term and Joan Larsen to fill a
partial two-year term. Democrats gathering in Lansing are expected to nominate Wayne County Circuit Judges Frank Szymanski and Deborah Thomas. It would be Thomas’ third Supreme Court bid. Convention delegates also will choose nominees for two state Board of Education positions and two spots each on the governing boards of the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University.
The parties also will rally activists to help win the presidential race, congressional races and control of the Michigan House.. ...Read Full Story

Construction season in the Kalamazoo area is close to wrapping up for the Michigan Department of Transportation. MDOT spokesperson Nick Schirripa says crews are putting the finishing touches on projects all along I-94. Some work not yet finished will have to be suspended until next year.. ...Read Full Story

State Senator John Proos is warning southwest Michigan residents not to fall for the latest phone scam. In this case, he says some people have reported getting calls from a Grand Rapids-based Michigan Department of Treasury number. Proos says the number is being spoofed.. ...Read Full Story

Two books about NBA legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar have been returned to a library in Lansing nearly 40 years after they were due. The Lansing State Journal reports that the books were found early this week in the book drop at the downtown Lansing branch of the Capital Area District Library system. The books, “Kareem Abdul Jabbar: The Story of Lew Alcindor,” and “Jabbar: Giant of the NBA,” were supposed to be returned to the library December 2, 1976. Scott Duimstra, senior associate director for the library system, says there’s no way to tell which unpunctual patron returned the books because the library doesn’t keep records from 1976. Duimstra said overdue books are common, but that he can’t remember a book returned after such a long period.. ...Read Full Story

Michigan Congressman Bill Huizenga wants an investigation into government-owned Federal Prison Industries after it was revealed the entity sold defective combat helmets to the Army and the Marines. The Army started to recall the helmets in 2010 after they failed ballistic tests. Huizenga says Federal Prison Industries put American servicemen and women at risk.. ...Read Full Story

The Federal Reserve could be close to raising interest rates. Michigan News Network Business Editor Murray Feldman says Fed Chair Janet Yellen has signaled a hike is coming, although she’s given no timetable.. ...Read Full Story

If you hear the sirens at the Cook nuclear power plant in Bridgman going off soon, don’t be alarmed. Cook spokesperson Dave Lefor says they’ll be conducting standard yearly tests of the plant’s 70 sirens starting on Monday. They’ll be going on for a few weeks.. ...Read Full Story

The winners of the 12th annual Lake Bluff Concours d’Elegance car show have been announced. The show is held at St. Joseph’s Lake Bluff Park each August for the owners of classic vehicles to show them off, and entries can receive awards in a variety of categories. For this year’s Concours, held on August 13, the best of show was a 1910 Stoddard Dayton K owned by Don and Joan Lyons, of Dowagiac. They also won the people’s choice award. Taking the Chairman’s Choice award was a 1960 Vespa 400 Microcar owned by Rob and Patty Gerring, Elkhart, and going home with the award for founder’s choice was a 1924 Nash 690 Touring owned by Doug and Jennifer Williams, out of Prudenville, Michigan. You can see a full list of the winners below.. ...Read Full Story

This Saturday brings the third annual Redneck Games at the Baroda American Legion. The event raises money for the Humane Society of Southwestern Michigan, and will feature team competitions that include Hungry Hungry Human Hippos, Horseshoes, a Home Run Derby, and a Balloon Bonanza Obstacle Course. Food will be provided by Baja Tacos, and there will be a cash bar. They’ll also have a “Flea on Me” Market. It’s not too late to sign up a five-person team to compete. To do so costs $125, and the winning team will get $1,000. You can also show up as a spectator and cheer on your favorite redneck team for free. The games begin at noon. Registration is at 11 a.m. To find out more, go to HumaneSocietySWM.org.. ...Read Full Story

The housing market in Southwest Michigan slowed down a bit during the month of July. The Southwest Michigan Association of Realtors says the market has been setting records for several months, but in July, there was a decrease in the number of homes sold and in the average selling price. The number of houses sold dropped 5% from June, and 4% from July of last year. Meanwhile, the average selling price fell 12%. Nevertheless, the regional market this year has shown strength, with the total number of homes sold up 8%. The association of realtors says it remains a good time to sell, as the median selling price in July set the record as the highest for the month since 2006.. ...Read Full Story

The 2016 Senior PGA Championship Volunteers of the Year have been announced. Taking the Dr. John M. Proos III Volunteer of the Year Award are David Hertog and Gloria Ender. The championship’s Ryan Ogle says they exemplify good service, working hard to make sure this year’s tournament at Harbor Shores went off without a hitch.. ...Read Full Story

In this week’s WSJM Week in Review, sponsored by Basney BMW, for August 26, 2016, cleanup of tornado damage in West Michigan continues, the suspect in the death of an infant is headed to trial, a local theatre group brings its talents to Benton Harbor, and more.. ...Read Full Story

On busy street corners across the state, Donald Trump fans will be out in force on August 30th. The Michigan Conservative Coalition has organized a “Flash Mob” to support for the Republican Presidential Nominee.. ...Read Full Story

A viral Facebook post by the family of a former server at South Haven’s Su Casa Restaurant has prompted a Van Buren County Health Department investigation. The post accused the restaurant of re-serving food that wasn’t eaten by other customers, including chips and salsa. Restaurant owner Edgar Suarez tells Kalamazoo’s WWMT-TV he didn’t know that wasn’t legal, and they’re no longer doing it. The health department is still investigating, and has issued a citation to the restaurant. The Facebook post by Kristie Bowie has been shared nearly 2,800 times.. ...Read Full Story

The state of Indiana is seeking low-interest disaster loans to help people, businesses and certain nonprofit organizations who sustained damage when a record rainfall hit the South Bend area nearly two weeks ago. Governor Mike Pence announced he has requested the U.S. Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program for St. Joseph County and six adjacent counties, including Berrien and Cass in Michigan. The National Weather Service said a record 8.49 inches of rain fell on South Bend in a 24-hour period on August 15-16.. ...Read Full Story

According to the U.S. Veterans Administration, less than a quarter of Michigan’s veterans used their health benefits in 2013, and many are also losing out on other benefits including life insurance and education. The AARP of Michigan is hoping to change that with events around the state in the coming weeks. The organization’s Melissa Seifert says representatives from the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency will also be available to answer questions.. ...Read Full Story

Berrien Springs state Representative Dave Pagel plans to introduce legislation next month designed to improve access to fresh fruits and vegetables in underserved areas of Michigan. He says his bill seeks a one-time $6.5 million allocation to set up a revolving loan fund for stores that want to stock such items.. ...Read Full Story

It’s unlikely that a measure to legalize marijuana in Michigan will appear on the November ballot. That’s according to Devin Schindler, a professor at the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. He says MI Legalize is trying to get the Michigan Supreme Court to hear its case after thousands of its petition signatures were labeled invalid by the state.. ...Read Full Story

Lake Michigan College has received high marks from the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency for its efforts to accommodate veterans. The agency’s Dichondra Johnson says LMC has been ranked in its gold category for how it handles vets.. ...Read Full Story

An organization representing mayors of more than 120 cities in the Great Lakes region is challenging a decision to let Waukesha, Wisconsin, draw water from Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative this week requested a hearing before a council representing the eight states adjoining the lakes. The council in June granted Waukesha permission to tap Lake Michigan, even though a regional compact prohibits diverting Great Lakes water outside the natural watershed with rare exceptions. Waukesha is barely outside the watershed boundary. Its groundwater is contaminated with radium. The mayors group says Waukesha didn’t meet rigorous standards for water diversions outlined in the compact. The group says the decision sets a bad precedent and could lead to a flood of similar requests from other cities.. ...Read Full Story

Two new security officers for the court system in Berrien County will be hired following action this week by the board of commissioners. On Thursday, they approved adding another bailiff at the St. Joseph Courthouse and a new jail guard at the Niles Courthouse. That follows a security review by a committee, says court administrator Brian Ray.. ...Read Full Story

The Upper Peninsula will be buzzing this weekend with the 33rd annual Harbor Fest back. The Marquette West Rotary puts on the free event for all ages. That’s according to Rosemary Smith, with the Marquette West Rotary.. ...Read Full Story

A federal appeals court says changes to Michigan’s sex offender registry rules cannot be applied retroactively to thousands of sex offenders. In a 3-0 decision Thursday, a panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it’s unconstitutional to impose new restrictions on people convicted before the state’s registry law was updated in 2006 and in 2011. Michigan began prohibiting registrants from living, working or loitering within 1,000 feet of a school in 2006. Five years later, lawmakers added requirements that offenders be divided into three tiers based on the seriousness of their crimes. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Cleland ruled last year that those changes could be imposed retroactively. He ruled other portions of the law unconstitutional, but the 6th Circuit didn’t rule on those provisions.. ...Read Full Story

A local theatre group is taking its talents and messages to Benton Harbor.. ...Read Full Story

A happy ending this morning to a missing person’s case. Michigan State Police say they have found 60-year-old Debra Fitz of Decatur, who was reported missing last night. Fitz was found in “good physical condition” according to troopers around 5 this morning. She is back home.. ...Read Full Story

A vote will be held this morning by the Berrien County Board of Commissioners to add two bailiffs to the county courthouses. One would be in St. Joseph and the other in Niles. The commission is considering reinstating the funding for the positions following the shooting deaths last month of bailiff Ron Kienzle and courthouse security director Joe Zangaro during an escape attempt by an inmate, who was killed moments later by responding officers.. ...Read Full Story

A 60-year-old Decatur woman is missing and Michigan State Police are asking for the public’s help trying to find her. Debra Fitz disappeared at some time yesterday, and troopers say she has medical conditions that cause her to become disorientated and confused. Fitz was last seen around 11:30 a.m. yesterday at her home, and family members returned last evening to find her gone with her personal belongings in the house. Anyone with information is asked to call Michigan State Police in Paw Paw or Van Buren County dispatch.. ...Read Full Story

The Muslim-American parents of a soldier who criticized Donald Trump at the Democratic National Convention are expected to visit suburban Detroit to get an award from the Arab American Civil Rights League. Khizr Khan and wife Ghazala Khan will be honored at the group’s Fight for
Justice gala in Dearborn on September 29. A Detroit-area attorney, Nabih Ayad, tells the Detroit Free Press that the Khans rightly spoke against bigotry. Khizr Khan criticized Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, for his comments about Muslim immigrants. Their son, U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan, was killed in Iraq in 2004.. ...Read Full Story

People in Michigan with disabilities will soon be able to save for qualified expenses without jeopardizing their access to state and federal benefits. Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley signed legislation in October of last year creating the Michigan Achieving a Better Life Experience program, and it’s getting ready to launch.. ...Read Full Story

Anyone interested in learning more about how Michigan State Police do their job will have a chance to do so with a class coming up next month. The state police post in Niles will host a citizens police academy, an eight week course. It’s designed to give citizens a chance to learn about state police procedures, meet local troopers, and understand law enforcement’s role in the community. The classes start September 6 and run through November 1. You can find out about signing up at 683-4411.. ...Read Full Story

It’s almost back to school time, and police are reminding parents of some things they should tell their children in order to be safe. Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey says kids who walk to school should always walk in groups, or at least have an adult with them. He also says they need to be reminded not to talk to strangers.. ...Read Full Story

Students at Benton Harbor Area Schools are prepared to begin the new school year with a roar. On Wednesday, a back to school pride event took place all day at the high school. The program featured a cook off, a basketball tournament, raffles, and school supply giveaways. It was organized by students in the 21st Century Community Learning Center program, and director Julie Earle says the kids did a bang up job.. ...Read Full Story

Michigan lawmakers are expected to continue looking at ways to reduce deaths from the abuse of opioid prescriptions when they return to work in the coming weeks. Just last Friday, more than 250 people turned out for a summit on opioids at Southwestern Michigan College, and among them was state Senator Tonya Schuitmaker. She was part of a governor-appointed task force to talk opioids, and says one way to fight the epidemic is to make an anti-overdose drug more widely available.. ...Read Full Story

The 160th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s visit to Kalamazoo will be celebrated this weekend. A party is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday at the public library, featuring a Lincoln impersonator. Tom George, with the Kalamazoo Abraham Lincoln Project, says they’ll also take a tour of Bronson Park, where Honest Abe spoke.. ...Read Full Story

Lots of animals will be at the Fifth Third Bank Michigan State Fair in Novi over Labor Day weekend, but we’re not sure if pigs will be among them. That’s as eight people have caught the swine flu , a variant of Influenza A H3N2 from pigs at county fairs in Muskegon, Cass, & Ingham Counties. That’s according to Jackie Scramlin , co-director of livestock at the state fair.. ...Read Full Story

Cleanup continues in the Grand Rapids area following weekend tornados, and volunteers from all over Michigan are helping out. Albert Yao, with the relief group Team Rubicon, says about 30 of the group’s members are in the city of Wyoming this week. He says things are starting to come together.. ...Read Full Story

Someone wasn’t eager to start the new school year in a Jackson County community. The first day of classes in the Concord district was canceled Wednesday because tires were deflated on all 10 buses. Superintendent Dan Funston tells the Jackson Citizen Patriot there wasn’t enough time to refill the tires. Funston says it’s “awfully disappointing,” especially after a successful open house Tuesday night. Concord will try again Thursday, although teachers didn’t get a break. They still had to report to classrooms Wednesday. Of course, they don’t ride school buses.. ...Read Full Story

We’re getting a clearer picture of the destruction in Bangor from Saturday’s tornado. Fire Chief Derek Babcock joined COSY-FM’s Paul Layendecker to talk about the damage left behind.. ...Read Full Story

A grisly discovery in a Kalamzoo parking lot. A 32-year-old Edwardsburg man’s body was found Tuesday morning inside his pickup truck in the parking lot near the Planet Fitness on Stadium Drive. Kalamazoo Public Safety investigators aren’t sure how long Stephen Heuer had been dead, but say there were no obvious signs of foul play, they do say it was obvious that the body had been there for a long period of time. The scene was secure and the city’s forensic team spent some time collecting samples for testing. It’s being treated as a suspicious death until an autopsy has been conducted and determines the cause of death. Heuer had been reported missing.. ...Read Full Story

(Lansing – AP) – Governor Rick Snyder is challenging a court order that bars a Flint hospital from contacting state health authorities on any future issue related to the city’s water woes. Snyder says the Aug. 17 order by a Genesee County judge has “tied the hands of state employees” to protect the public. The Detroit News reports that the order tells McLaren Hospital to talk only to the county health department on Flint water-related matters. Andrea Bitely, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office, says investigators are trying to protect health data related to lead poisoning and deaths from Legionnaires’ disease. Bitely says an amended order will be sought. But she says any suggestion that the state health department can’t do its job “is simply untrue.” Flint’s water supply was contaminated by lead.. ...Read Full Story

A Michigan State Police spokesman says no one was wrongly prosecuted for drunken driving as a result of blood-alcohol tests that were  incorrectly analyzed. Lieutenant Mike Shaw says the problem involved a high-tech processing file on a machine at the state police lab. It affected 4,001 cases statewide over a four-month period. But Shaw said Tuesday that a new round of tests showed only “minute” differences. Half the tests didn’t require any correction. Shaw says the revised results also didn’t have an impact in cases where the blood-alcohol level was initially
found to be near 0.08, the threshold for drunken driving. In 18 cases, Shaw says the new results put the blood-alcohol level at 0.17 or slightly higher, the threshold for “super drunk.” New reports are being sent to prosecutors.. ...Read Full Story

The Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids is attracting an increasing number of travelers. Spokesperson Tara Hernandez says it broke its record for July.. ...Read Full Story

Auto supplier Delphi is working to have autonomous vehicle technology ready to sell to automakers by 2019. CEO Kevin Clark says there are several reasons why self-driving cars are attracting interest. First, regulators want fewer traffic injuries and fatalities. Also, municipal planners want less of a need for parking. He adds consumers are expressing interest, as well.. ...Read Full Story

A rally was held Tuesday in Ann Arbor by those opposed to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a new trade deal being pushed by the Obama administration. Ron Bieber, President of the Michigan AFL-CIO, says the agreement would lead to more American jobs being shipped elsewhere. He says Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, State Representative Gretchen Driskell, and Macomb County Prosecutor Suzanna Shkreli were to be among the political leaders in attendance.. ...Read Full Story

It was a harrowing rescue conducted by South Haven Area Emergency Services on Tuesday. Police were called out to a home near South Haven Place and Bailey Avenue in the afternoon hours on a report of an iguana on the loose. When officers arrived, the iguana, named Harold, scampered up the tree. So firefighters brought in a ladder truck. After several minutes of coaxing, they managed to catch the two-foot lizard. Meanwhile, Harold’s owner appeared at the scene and told officers he had escaped about a month ago. Harold, who appeared to be healthy, was reunited with the owner. Responders say it’s not known exactly what Harold had been up to while on the run.. ...Read Full Story

Lake Michigan College’s Hanson Technology Center is now open for business. LMC broke ground on the $12 million facility at its Napier Avenue campus just last year, and on Tuesday, the grand opening was held. LMC President Dr. Bob Harrison says the Hanson Tech Center will serve as a modern manufacturing training ground, but that’s not all.. ...Read Full Story

The Morton House in Benton Harbor has agreed to help preserve what’s salvaged from the former Mercy Hospital building once it’s demolished next month. Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski says the letters spelling out the name of the facility will be handed over to the Morton House, along with any cornerstones that are found. Also, the group could sell bricks from the building.. ...Read Full Story

Courtroom Footage Courtesy ABC57. ...Read Full Story