If you travel Linco Road or Cleveland Avenue on the southern border of Lincoln Township, get ready for a new four-way stop at that intersection on Friday. The Berrien County Road Commission’s Michael Juengling tells us an increase in traffic accidents there has prompted the change.. ...Read Full Story
The St. Joseph City Commission will hold a special meeting today to interview four candidates for the position of clerk and finance director. The interviews will start at 10 a.m. at city hall and last through after 2 p.m. Commissioners have set aside one hour for each interview, with one at 10, the next at 11, a break for lunch at noon, and then the others at 1 and 2 p.m. The candidates are Tonia Betty, currently the clerk for the city of Watervliet, Ian Haight, current clerk for Hagar Township, Lisa LaValley, an accountant at Shepherd Caster Corporation, and Sara McCallum, the treasurer of Pere Marquette Township in Mason County. Today’s interviews will be open to the public. City Manager John Hodgson tells us once the position of clerk/finance director is filled, commissioners will move on to finding a new public safety director.. ...Read Full Story
Not even tornado sirens could stop a Michigan couple from saying “I do.” As the sirens blared across Grand Rapids, Brandon Warner married Breane Proctor in front of family members and guests at a church. Warner told The Grand Rapids Press that he decided to proceed with Saturday’s ceremony, despite the storm threat, and that if they “were going to get hit, maybe it was meant to be.” The new bride said, “We just kind of shrugged our shoulders and went down the aisle.” After exchanging vows, storm sirens sounded again and everyone stood beneath
the church’s balconies, away from its stained-glass windows. The newspaper reports that a little less than an hour after they said “I do,” a tornado reportedly touched down less than three miles away.. ...Read Full Story
College tuition is rising, and it’s coming at a cost beyond personal and family finances to students in Michigan and the rest of the country, according to a new report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Michael Mitchell, a policy analyst with the center, says while the funding increase in the last budget cycle helped, Michigan’s public colleges are still left to figure out how to address the needs of their students, with fewer dollars.. ...Read Full Story
Michigan lawmakers will be looking at ways violent crime could be reduced in Michigan with a state Senate subcommittee hearing this week. State Senator John Proos, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Corrections, says part of the focus will be programs approved in the last few years designed to prevent released inmates from re-offending. He says helping convicts get job training and find work saves everyone in the end.. ...Read Full Story
Ground has been broken on Whirlpool’s latest expansion to its Greenville, Ohio factory distribution center. On Monday, the Benton Harbor-based appliance maker announced that it’s almost doubling the size of its Ohio center for KitchenAid products. The company says its goal is to make Greenville the global hub of its small appliances business. Monday’s groundbreaking follows Whirlpool’s $40 million investment in the Greenville manufacturing plant, part of a larger $80 million project to expand facilities across Ohio. The company announced the project in May.. ...Read Full Story
You may notice an increased police presence on Michigan roads for the next few weeks, as the latest Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is now underway. Melody Kindraka, with the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, says it started last week and runs through Labor Day. The goal is to keep state roads safe for the end-of-summer holiday.. ...Read Full Story
Leaders at the Berrien County Youth Fair are already planning for next year, now that the 71st annual event has wrapped up in Berrien Springs. Fair Director Karen Klug says heavy rain last week did keep attendance down a bit. The fair saw 118,000 visitors, compared to 125,000 in 2015. Still, Klug says the staff and exhibitors all came together to brave the weather.. ...Read Full Story
The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado touched down in Van Buren County Saturday. Meteorologists tell WSJM News an EF-1 level twister formed around Bangor, and made its way up to Grand Junction. They’re still trying to determine whether it was the same tornado that continued on into the Grand Rapids area, or whether it fizzled out in Allegan County. Tornadoes are ranked in intensity from EF-0 to EF-5. An EF-1, like Saturday’s, would come with winds of over 100 miles per hour. The weather service says the last time an EF-5 hit in Michigan was in the Hudsonville area in 1956. Saturday’s Bangor tornado brought down power lines and trees all over town.. ...Read Full Story
Most kids in Southwest Michigan aren’t going back to school just yet, but the Berrien County Health Department is making sure that when they do, they’ll be healthy.. ...Read Full Story
Cleanup continues in Bangor and Grand Junction following a violent storm that ripped through the area Saturday afternoon. WSJM’s Ray Gustafson has more.. ...Read Full Story
Cleanup is continuing today in West Michigan from a tornado outbreak over the weekend. Survey teams from the National Weather Service are headed back out to Allegan, Kent, Ottawa and Van Buren counties today to survey tornado damage. The NWS says there is preliminary evidence of EF-1 damage in Van Buren, Allegan and Ottawa counties along with EF-0 damage in Kent County.. ...Read Full Story
Michigan’s average gas price is up to $2.32 a gallon, the ninth-highest price in the country according to Triple-A Michigan. Prices at the pump jumped 7¢ a gallon from last week. Of the ten metro areas surveyed by the auto club, the highest price is in Marquette at $2.38, while drivers in Traverse City are enjoying the state’s lowest average at $2.27. In Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, our average price stands at $2.28, up 12¢ in the past week. South Haven prices range from $2.24 to $2.39 this morning. GasBuddy.com spotters put the lowest price at two-dollars-four-cents at a gas station in Belding, near Grand Rapids.. ...Read Full Story
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly says he has kicked starting safety Max Redfield off the team and suspended reserve cornerback Devin Butler indefinitely after they were arrested in separate incidents. Kelly says four others arrested with Redfield after state police say they found marijuana and a loaded handgun inside their car are subject to internal discipline. He also said in a statement released Sunday the players could still face additional discipline from the university.. ...Read Full Story
Nearly all the lights are back on in West Michigan from Saturday’s strong storms that spawned tornadoes from Van Buren County to Montcalm County. The Associated Press reported early this morning there were still nearly 20,000 in the dark, but updated numbers from Consumers Energy show considerable progress in getting repairs made. As of 5 a.m., the utility had just over 400 of its customers who were still without power. Of those 400, one customer is in Van Buren County and three are in Allegan County.. ...Read Full Story
More than 19,000 homes and businesses in West Michigan remain without power after a storm that spawned at least four tornados. Consumers Energy reports the Grand Rapids area was hardest hit by Saturday’s storm. Kent County has 18,370 customers without power, Allegan County has nearly 500 and Ottawa County more than 400. There are just three Consumers Energy customers in Van Buren County who were without power as of early this morning. The National Weather Service says an EF-1 tornado with winds of 90 mph touched down about 3:10 p.m. Saturday. Crews are out determining whether there were any others. The tornado touched down near Orleans, 30 miles east of Grand Rapids, and was on the ground for eight miles through Ionia and Montcalm counties. The weather service says the tornado brought down several large trees, including one that landed on a house, and blew out a garage wall.. ...Read Full Story
The National Weather Service is confirming what witnesses already know: a tornado ripped through Van Buren County Saturday afternoon. The NWS says damage indicates the tornado was an EF-1, but no official determination of the twister’s strength has been announced. It was one of several tornados to hit West Michigan during storms along a path from Bangor to Grand Rapids.. ...Read Full Story
Contractors will be out in Flint neighborhoods as part of the latest effort to replace old lead and galvanized steel water lines amid the city’s crisis with lead-tainted water. A kickoff for the latest phase of the Fast Start program was Friday. Mayor Karen Weaver says it’ll result in the replacement of service lines at 200-250 homes. She says contractors will be out in neighborhoods to seek permission from residents. This fall, her office says the next phase of the replacement program that started in March will cover 5,000 additional homes. The project has replaced lines at 33 homes during the first phase. Over 18 months, lead leached from old pipes into Flint’s water supply when the city used water from the Flint River. The water wasn’t treated for corrosiveness.. ...Read Full Story
The Berrien County Health Department will hold a back to school wellness fair on Monday. Spokesperson Gillian Conrad tells WSJM News the event will offer free hearing and vision screenings to kids, as well as vaccinations.. ...Read Full Story
In this week’s WSJM Week in Review, sponsored by Basney BMW, for August 19, 2016, a group of Berrien County residents are coming together to help local law enforcement, a Harbert restaurant owner facing deportation has his case reopened, the Sights and Sounds of Southwest Michigan goes to the Berrien County Youth Fair, and more.. ...Read Full Story
Child and Family Services of Southwest Michigan is planning its second annual Launching Hope event for this October, and it’s now taking registrations from those who want to build catapults to be used for launching pumpkins as part of the festivities. Pumpkin Chunkin’ was a part of Launching Hope last year, but Child and Family Services Director Joseph Goepfrich says you can now sign up to make your own device for doing so. You never know just how far a pumpkin will go.. ...Read Full Story
Two National Weather Service crews are surveying damage in several parts of West Michigan to determine how many tornadoes hit on Saturday. An EF-1 tornado has been confirmed along an eight-mile path in Ionia and Montcalm counties.. ...Read Full Story
A group of Berrien County residents is hoping to help police in the area following last month’s fatal shootings at the Berrien County Courthouse. Berrien County Strong — Community in Action was formed on Facebook by Gretta Volkenstein soon after the July 11 incident. On Thursday, members met to talk fundraising, among other things. Volkenstein says they’ll start by raising money for the Berrien Community Foundation’s sheriff’s department challenge grant.. ...Read Full Story
Michigan environmental officials say they have stepped in to begin the emergency drawdown of water from a southwestern Michigan dam. The Department of Environmental Quality announced Friday it’s acting at the Centreville Dam amid recent and forecast heavy rainfalls – and a dispute that’s left the dam without an operator. The department recently ordered the owner to take action, but he hasn’t been able to gain access to the Prairie River dam because of a legal spat with an adjacent landowner. Luke Trumble, a state dam safety engineer, says officials intervened because overflowing water could cause the dam to fail and threaten residents’ health and safety. He says somebody needs to operate the dam’s movable gates during heavy rainfall or floods. The drawdown is expected to be done by Wednesday.. ...Read Full Story
Cleanup continues in the Bangor and Grand Junction areas following a violent storm that ripped through the area Saturday afternoon. It struck shortly after one p.m. Witnesses reported seeing a tornado in Bangor, where trees were knocked down all over town. Mayor Nick Householder told WSJM News the first priority was protecting residents.. ...Read Full Story
Work is getting started on the next master plan for the village of Stevensville, and residents are being asked to offer their input. Ryan Fellows, with the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission, says the master plan will govern development in Stevensville for the next ten years. Folks can take an online survey to give their thoughts.. ...Read Full Story
Training on how to survive an active shooter situation will be offered this month by the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department. A three-hour class will be held at the Columbia Township Hall on Monday, August 29. It’s based on the Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events course developed by law enforcement training group ALERRT. The class is intended to provide strategies, guidance, and a plan for making it through an active shooter event. The class is limited to 100 people, and you have to register in advance to attend. You can do so by calling the Columbia Township Fire Department. The number is 269-434-6266.. ...Read Full Story
Several Berrien County residents are giving a voice to refugees in Greece and all across the world.. ...Read Full Story
There’s a new feature at the John and Dede Howard Ice Arena in St. Joseph. They’re now offering pickleball. Pickleball is a raquet sport that combines parts of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, and it can be played at the arena through October 19. Open play will be held each Monday and Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. It’ll be $5 for drop-in play or $40 if you want a season pass. Beginner classes will also be offered every Monday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. starting on August 22.. ...Read Full Story
Cornerstone Alliance has announced the appointment of a new director of investor relations. Berrien County native Christina Frank will lead fundraising activities and work to develop local investment opportunities in the position. Before coming to Cornerstone, Frank was the Executive Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berrien & Cass, Inc. She’s also a former member of the United Way campaign design team. Cornerstone Alliance President Rob Cleveland says the dedication Frank has shown to the children of Berrien County is “evidence of her desire to make Berrien County a better place in which to live and work.” Frank says she’s thrilled to be part of the team. She starts in mid September.. ...Read Full Story
Friday was World Humanitarian Day, an observance set by the United Nations to recognize aid workers around the world, including those in Michigan, who give their time to humanitarian service. This year there’s a call for global solidarity for those who need assistance to survive, including refugees resettling in the United States. Ken Grunow, the Michigan coordinator for Amnesty International, says humanitarian workers not only respond to crisis, they also strengthen communities, build peace and advocate for those without a voice. This year’s World Humanitarian Day theme is “One Humanity.”. ...Read Full Story
With a new school year about to start, the Berrien County Health Department is holding a back to school wellness fair on Monday. Spokesperson Gillian Conrad says between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., you can bring by your school-age kids and make sure they’re ready to be back in the classroom.. ...Read Full Story
A back to school pride event is set for next week at Benton Harbor High School. “We ROAR” will be Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The day will feature information on district programs, a basketball tournament, a chicken cook-off, a talent show, and a back to school clothing drive. It’s free of charge and everyone’s invited. Superintendent Dr. Shelly Walker says students in the 21st Century Community Learning Center program, along with staff, were challenged to set up the event. She says the day will give everyone a chance to know what it is to be a Tiger.. ...Read Full Story
Donald Trump has once again spoken in Michigan. In the Lansing area Friday, Trump hammered Democrats and Hillary Clinton. He said cities like Detroit have struggled as much as they have because of Democrats.. ...Read Full Story
Interviews with four candidates for St. Joseph City Clerk and Finance Director will be held on Tuesday. The city commission has scheduled a special meeting for 10 a.m. to speak with the applicants. They are Tonia Betty, currently the clerk for the city of Watervliet, Ian Haight, current clerk for Hagar Township, Lisa LaValley, an accountant at Shepherd Caster Corporation, and Sara McCallum, the treasurer of Pere Marquette Township near Ludington. In all, the city received eight applications for clerk and finance director, which is one position. Tuesday’s interviews are expected to last into the afternoon hours.. ...Read Full Story
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says it has confirmed eight human cases of swine flu this year. They have been in Cass, Muskegon, and Ingham Counties. Department spokesperson Jennifer Eisner says the patients had H3N2 flu.. ...Read Full Story
In this week’s WSJM Week in Review, sponsored by Basney BMV, for August 19, 2016, a group of Berrien County residents are coming together to help local law enforcement, a Harbert restaurant owner facing deportation has his case reopened, the Sights and Sounds of Southwest Michigan goes to the Berrien County Youth Fair, and more.. ...Read Full Story
If you’re planning to head to suburban Lansing for today’s Donald Trump rally, you’ve got a little more time. For the third time in the past few days, the time of the event has changed. Doors will now open at 2 p.m. at The Summit Sports and Ice Complex in Diamondale, and Trump will take the stage at 5. His campaign says the speech will focus on national security and other topics. Michigan State University Institute for Public Policy and Social Research director Matt Grossmann says he thinks Trump will also talk about jobs and the economy, but a stronger focus on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton is likely in the works.. ...Read Full Story
Authorities say a storm that dumped more than 8 inches of rain in less than 24 hours in South Bend earlier this week collapsed two houses and the foundations of seven more, and the Red Cross has classified another 13 houses as destroyed. More than 700 people have contacted the city’s emergency management hotline and the Red Cross to report damage to homes and businesses. The flooding has left three roads remained closed in the city, as well as a lane on a major roadway and more than a dozen roads in surrounding St. Joseph County. Mayor Pete Buttigieg says the toughest days may still be ahead as frustration sets in while people wait for the flooding to subside. No deaths or injuries have been reported.. ...Read Full Story
Records say thousands of summer cottages, second homes and other Michigan properties have lost a valuable tax break in recent years amid state Treasury Department audits. The Detroit News reports that the crackdown on improper exemptions affects a wide range of property owners, including Detroit landlords and billionaires with multi-acre compounds. Records show 23,800 property owners have been ordered to pay more taxes after audits since 2013. The audits target properties that claim a 100 percent principal residence exemption. The tax break saves property owners on school district taxes. The audits were instituted in 2005 to determine whether property owners getting the tax break owned and occupied the home as a primary residence. In numerous cases, people ended up losing the tax break on rental properties and vacation homes.. ...Read Full Story
The Upper Peninsula State Fair is underway in Escanaba. Sheila Krueger is the Associate Director of Delta County Chamber of Commerce, and says the theme is this is “Red, White and Blue.”. ...Read Full Story
A group of Berrien County residents is hoping to help police in the area following last month’s fatal shootings at the Berrien County Courthouse. Berrien County Strong — Community in Action was formed on Facebook by Gretta Volkenstein soon after the July 11 incident. On Thursday, members met to talk fundraising, among other things. Volkenstein says they’ll start by raising money for the Berrien Community Foundation’s sheriff’s department challenge grant.. ...Read Full Story
This Saturday will bring an annual fundraiser for a Douglas-based group that provides support to LGBT organizations all over Michigan. Todd Dockerty, with the OutCenter in Benton Harbor, says West Shore Aware has been a big help locally.. ...Read Full Story
A Michigan State Police trooper who died in the line of duty in 1981 will be remembered with a ceremony in Niles next week. On Saturday, there will be a memorial at the Niles Law Enforcement Complex for Allan Peterson. The 37-year-old trooper died on August 29 of 1981 as a result of exposure to toxic fumes while responding to a train derailment in Bridgman on August 7. He had a massive heart attack caused by a prolonged coughing fit which doctors linked to the train incident. Peterson was the 34th state police trooper to die in the line of duty. Next Saturday’s ceremony will be at 3 p.m.. ...Read Full Story
Legislation is being drawn up to help increase transparency when it comes to Michigan day care centers. State Representative Peter Lucido, of Macomb County, is behind it.. ...Read Full Story
Work is getting started on the next master plan for the village of Stevensville, and residents are being asked to offer their input. Ryan Fellows, with the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission, says the master plan will govern development in Stevensville for the next ten years. Folks can take an online survey to give their thoughts.. ...Read Full Story
Donald Trump is set to speak Friday in Eaton County. The Republican Presidential nominee will hold a rally at the Summit Sports and Ice Complex near Lansing. While speaking with WLNS TV, general manager Paige Sauer says the complex has never taken on such a big event.. ...Read Full Story
One suspect has been arrested in a series of home break-ins reported in the Covert area over the past month. The township police department says officers searched a home on North Watervliet Road Wednesday after getting a tip some of the stolen property was stashed there. With the help of Berrien County sheriff’s deputies and Michigan State Police, they found about $5,000 of it. The suspect was arrested on an unrelated matter, and could be looking at charges of receiving and concealing stolen property. His name has not yet been released.. ...Read Full Story
Flint is moving forward on an effort to replace old lead and galvanized steel water lines amid the city’s crisis with lead-tainted water. A kickoff for the latest phase of the Fast Start program is Friday. Mayor Karen Weaver says it’ll result in the replacement of service lines at 200-250 homes. This fall, her office says the next phase of the replacement program that started in March will cover 5,000 additional homes. Under work starting Friday, replacement will take place with the approval of homeowners. The project has replaced dozens of lines and is being paid for with $2 million from the state. Over 18 months, lead leached from old pipes into Flint’s water supply when the city used water from the Flint River. The water wasn’t treated for corrosiveness.. ...Read Full Story
The Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor is making it a priority to teach youth members all about water safety this summer. On Thursday, a group of kids were treated to a demonstration of water rescue gear by the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Coast Guard in St. Joseph.. ...Read Full Story
An agency that represents the eight Great Lakes states says it has developed a tool that can help track down aquatic invasive species that are being sold on the Internet. The Great Lakes Commission says the tool uses advanced technologies to search the web for sites where people can buy the foreign organisms and have them shipped to the region.. ...Read Full Story
(Lansing, MI) – The state of Michigan will auction 380 tax-foreclosed properties located in eight counties next week. The auctions are scheduled for August 23-24. Roughly 230 parcels in Iosco, Keweenaw, Luce and Mecosta counties will go to auction Tuesday at the Ramada Inn in Grayling. Another 150 properties in Branch, Clinton, Livingston and Shiawassee counties will go to auction next Wednesday at the Ramada near Lansing.. ...Read Full Story
Michigan has sent several firefighters to California to help fight a massive wildfire that has forced the evacuation of over 80-thousand homes. State Department of Natural Resources Fire Supervisor Jim Fisher says the men will face 12 to 14 hour days with no days off for two weeks, but they’re prepared.. ...Read Full Story
Michigan is getting $1.2 million to help improve access to health care for children with epilepsy in rural and medically underserved areas. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says it recently got the 3-year grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal Child and Health Systems Branch. The funding will support the Michigan Pediatric Epilepsy Project.. ...Read Full Story
An armed robbery at the Riverside Food Market in Hagar Township is under investigation. A white man in his late 30s or early 40s is accused of pulling a gun on the clerk around 5 a.m. Tuesday and getting away with an unknown amount of money along with cigarettes. Michigan State Police investigators say the suspect is about five-feet-8 with a medium build and thin wire glasses. When he held up the store, he was dressed in flip flops, a gray Michigan State University hoodie, black pants and a dark baseball hat.. ...Read Full Story
Michigan says it will file an emergency appeal asking the entire 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to consider the state’s new ban against straight-party voting. A panel of three judges at the Cincinnati-based federal court rejected Wednesday the state’s request to immediately halt a lower ruling that blocked the Republican-sponsored law. Attorney General Bill Schuette says Michigan “is no different” than 40 other states that do not allow straight-ticket voting, which lets voters cast votes for all candidates from one party with a single mark. U.S. District Judge Gershwin Drain blocked the law last month, saying it would cause long lines and place a “disproportionate burden” on black voters in November’s election.. ...Read Full Story
You still have time to take in the Berrien County Youth Fair this week. The event continues through Saturday, and Thursday will bring a classic rock show to the grandstand when the Happy Together Tour, featuring members of several rock acts, takes the stage. Youth Fair Director Karen Klug says Friday will feature the rodeo-like Bullmania, and then Saturday’s grandstand show is Diesel Domination.. ...Read Full Story
Ibrahim Parlak has been granted a little more time in his fight to remain in the United States. This week, the Board of Immigration Appeals sent his case back to a Detroit immigration judge, finding there was reason to believe Parlak could be tortured if he was sent back to his native Turkey. Parlak friend and spokesperson Martin Dzuris.. ...Read Full Story
The Berrien County Road Commission has begun work on a Chikaming Township culvert replacement. The culvert under Red Arrow Highway near Cherry Beach Road is in danger of collapsing, and the road commission earlier this year upset local business owners when it announced Red Arrow would be shut down all summer for the work. It eventually bowed to pressure to reschedule for August. The road commission’s Mike Juengling says the road was closed Monday.. ...Read Full Story
Police say a 75-year-old Hartford man who was killed in a Tuesday industrial accident near Watervliet fell 25 feet when scaffolding he had climbed collapsed. According to the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department, Carl Lee Stone was working to wire a light at 8901 Industrial Park Drive when the accident happened. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Also, 28-year-old Joshua Stone, of Lawrence, suffered a broken arm and possible internal injuries in the fall. He was taken to Lakeland Hospital in Watervliet. Police continue to investigate the cause of the collapse.. ...Read Full Story
